Pilot Post: Open locks with a credit card

Today, we will be exploring a new strategy for opening locks that costs almost nothing. This technique is based off the ideas of a man named Marc Weber Tobias, the man who took down Medeco locks. For more information on this gentleman, visit his site here.

Medeco is a company that produces locks of all sorts and shapes, most of which are used by governments on high-security premises. Mr. Tobias, along with Tobias Bluzmanis, have successfully found a way to pick this lock using a method called lock bumping. The problem with this is Medeco's refusal to acknowledge the fact that the two Tobys have reduced a piece of hardware used to secure embassies to a child's plaything.

This, of course, begs the question: If a lock as secure as that can be broken, what about more simple ones? The truth is, nothing you lock up is safe anymore. Bikes, jewelry, heirlooms etc. can be stolen by very low-budget means with little to no knowledge of locks or their delicate intricacies. To give you an idea of how easy it is to bypass modern security, consider the following little project:

Necessary Tools: 1 (one) old credit card or gift card, 1 (one) X-Acto or other carving knife, 1 (one) weighted tool (e.g. hammer), 1 (one) photo-capture tool and a surface you don't mind cutting into.




Step 1: Document the key

This part is simple, as there are more than one ways to record a key's shape and accouterments. The best, most simple way to do this is by photograph or using a flatbed scanner/copier. If the key is photographed, try putting a ruler under it so the scale is easier to replicate.




Step 2: Copy the outline

With a basic key like this Kwikset, only worry about copying the vertical detail (those teeth on top). More advanced locks will require a more sophisticated strategy of cutting, and often require the use of a machine.




Step 3: Cut the outline

This part requires some patience and concentration. Place your paper outline over the old card and trace the paper lightly, making a shallow incision on the surface. Make sure this is carefully done on a hard surface so nothing is scratched. Once the outline is complete, begin cutting deeper into the card, bending it gently every once in a while. The new key should break off the card, since this type of plastic fractures evenly and cleanly.




Step 4: Open Sesame

Insert your key into the lock and lightly tap it with the hammer so it lodges in correctly. Then, tap the key in a clockwise fashion on the opposite side of the pins. There should be a satisfying click, and the handle should turn freely. You've successfully opened a door with a piece of plastic and less than $10 of materials.




Conclusions

Security is often overlooked due to our natural trust in companies like Medeco. Today's hardware and software can be manipulated rather easily, and some of these companies need to be reminded to update their product. This is not a scare tactic, since I don't profit from this at all, and this isn't a complaint about how security sucks. In fact, I believe all designs can be improved upon for the good of all.

For example, Kryptonite (master bike lock company) has updated its product line as of late. Previously, their top model could be opened with something as simple as a Bic pen. Instead of denying this problem and selling the same thing, Kryptonite switched to a flat key lock, which is a little bit harder to get past, and offered these new models free of charge to anybody whose original lock had been Bic'd; about 400,000 locks were replaced. That's an example of good business, and this is simply a form of consumer advocacy aiming at getting just that kind of service.

In later posts, I'll explore different mediums and types of security by relating current events; however don't expect something as thorough as this every time. This is purely for the layman who wants a little more knowledge on what's keeping his valuables under wraps without having to do any more research than reading this. Cheers.