
The World of Competitive Lockpicking - pseudolus
https://www.cnet.com/news/inside-the-hidden-world-of-competitive-lockpicking/
======
dharmab
My best friend has been a professional locksmith since he was 16. One
interesting thing he told me is that he gets worse tips for picking locks too
quickly. It creates a perception of lower value if he picks a lock in a few
seconds instead of a few minutes.

~~~
birdyrooster
And as an exception to that rule: I was forced to hire a locksmith because I
couldn't pick the spool pins in my apartment door lock. I asked him if he
would be able to do it quickly and he did it in like 30 seconds. I gave him a
good tip.

~~~
Chirael
I didn't know tipping was a thing with locksmiths. I hope I haven't been
inadvertently rude by only paying what they were asking. Haven't heard of this
before.

Some locksmiths really don't like locksport folks. I think there are multiple
reasons but the most basic might be that they think it will result in fewer
calls.

I have some very basic picking skills and for me, anyway, it's actually given
me tremendous respect for the locksmith trade and made me more likely to call
them when warranted, because I understand the wider range of things they can
do and the skill it takes to do them successfully.

~~~
jfkebwjsbx
For someone with no clue about that world, may you give some examples?

~~~
Chirael
Like all those old furniture or door locks that I just assumed were lost
causes, many locksmiths can actually make keys for them. Not usually a serious
need for it but if you were selling an old piece of furniture you might do it.
In my case we have a bedroom closet we'd like to lock some stuff away in when
we go away and have someone come in to feed the animals.

The ability to make a key for locks which have no key is another, even if
those locks don't have removable cores (I'm thinking of mostly padlocks here).
That's a really cool thing called impressioning, where the mechanics of the
lock (pins pressed down into the keyway by springs) are actually used against
it to progressively turn a key blank into a working key.

Master keying is another great example (when multiple, different keys work in
a lock and you can have one key that works in multiple locks, such as a small
apartment building).

Also a lot of ancillary things around the lock but not the lock itself, for
example installing deep screws or replacement anti-kick hinges (door devil or
door armor). In theory those are DIY things but in practice you can spend a
lot of time trying to get alignment right (especially with a deadbolt going
smoothing in/out), but it's something a locksmith does all the time.

~~~
jfkebwjsbx
Those are great examples, thank you! I had no idea they offered most of those
services.

~~~
dharmab
Yup, said friend cut me a key for an old motorcycle over a couple beers one
night just from impressioning the fork lock.

~~~
Chirael
Sometimes they can even make a key by sight reading, peering down the keyway;
this is especially common (for good locksmiths) with wafer locks (often seen
on cabinets, and autos but those are usually too complex to sight read).

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wodenokoto
I can recommend the lock picking lawyer on YouTube.

He has tons of videos where he dissect different locks and pick them normally
but also finds novel ways of opening the locks.

~~~
pseudolus
Quite possibly the most dispiriting youtube channel I've seen. His chipper and
near instantaneous lock picking expertise has basically caused me to fear
imminent loss every time I lock my bicycle or a door. I suspect that not at
all of his 1.8M subscribers are viewing for their entertainment pleasure.
Still, something to behold. [0].

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9K6rby98W8JigLoZOh6FQ](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm9K6rby98W8JigLoZOh6FQ)

~~~
ufmace
It's worth remembering that he's probably in the top 0.1 percentile of all
lockpickers in the world. And he has a massive pile of tools, some custom-
made, and experience with a huge variety of lock types. And usually picks or
opens the lock the first time before shooting, so you're only seeing his well-
practiced openings. And he doesn't produce video at all of any locks he hasn't
been able to pick.

Though he is pretty up-front about which locks take elite skill and tools to
pick, and which ones can be opened by a first-timer with a bent-up paperclip.

~~~
banana_giraffe
And yes, he really is up there in lock picking skills He literally won a lock
picking competition last year [1] . Not to mention that you're seeing the end
result of some amount of effort in each little video, he's talked a bit about
it in the past [2], but like all of these sort of videos, you're only seeing
the "good bits".

My big take away from his channel is two fold: Avoid locks that are well know
to have big security flaws, like the paperclip attacks. Otherwise, the point
of entry will probably be a broken window or busted door.

It's really a fun hobby, I've got a few locks I rotate from a larger
collection on my desk that I try to pick anytime I'm waiting for a compile to
finish.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avn7ABVHPYk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Avn7ABVHPYk)
[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkfBKQuLkRc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkfBKQuLkRc)

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samizdis
See: The Open Organisation of Lockpickers (Toool) for gatherings/events.

[https://toool.nl/Toool](https://toool.nl/Toool)

~~~
Chirael
They also keep a pretty good page with U.S. state laws on lockpicking:
[https://toool.us/laws.html](https://toool.us/laws.html)

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a5withtrrs
Its funny but the article doesn't actually mention that the international
competitions for lockpicking that occur every year.

TOOOL.NL run one at LockCon in the Netherlands TOOOL.US runs one at LockFest
in the USA OzSecCon.com/TOOOL.COM.AU runs one at OzSecCon in Australia.

In addition to lockpicking competitions, there are actually a wide variety of
ways, tools and techniques to open locks such as impressioning which is also a
competitive sport in these communities.

I highly encourage people to give it a shot, it's good fun. And once things
are back to normal, check out a local meetup or start one yourself, it's a
good way to relax and have fun with some new friends!

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djent
"The Moderators of /r/lockpicking" would be a more apt title.

~~~
Zancarius
Yeah, kinda disappointed to see an article on locksport but no mention of LPL
or BosnianBill.

~~~
simlevesque
Or Deviant Ollam

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jandrese
I'd love it if someone held a lockpicking competition (once it's safe to do
things like this again) and if you book your hotel room through the event when
you arrive the front desk tells you the room number but doesn't give you the
key.

~~~
btilly
That would be against the rules of the organization as described in the
article.

~~~
Shared404
It wouldn't necessarily have to be arranged that way though.

I could see this being something at DefCon or similar for example.

~~~
btilly
It could be. But any member of the lockpicking organization would not be
allowed by their rules to attend.

~~~
Shared404
Interesting. Seems overly restrictive to me, but I can understand the
reasoning behind it.

Out of curiosity, do you happen to know if members of the organization are
allowed to do things like participate in pentesting?

~~~
btilly
From the article, the rule is, _Nobody can pick an active lock, or help anyone
attempting to. The community is united on that front, with mods receiving
reports of any violations almost immediately._

They then clarify, _We are extremely strict about not assisting anyone with
picking a lock in use, regardless of whether they own the lock, or whether
they have permission to do so._

That would rule out pentesting as well.

~~~
Shared404
Indeed, thanks for patching my bad reading comprehension.

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dekhn
The history of lock picking started to get interesting in the industrial
revolution. See [https://gizmodo.com/in-1851-a-man-picked-two-unpickable-
lock...](https://gizmodo.com/in-1851-a-man-picked-two-unpickable-locks-and-
changed-1698557792)

~~~
Chirael
You might want to check out some of Schyler Towne's talks on the history of
locks [1] [2]. His enthusiasm is infectious; he's obviously an expert, and
obviously loves what he's talking about.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGjkQ7qAyY4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGjkQ7qAyY4)
[2]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5CrR8-42x4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5CrR8-42x4)

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barbs
I always wanted to get a cheap set and practise on some locks - where's the
best place to find old locks to practise on? I don't want to destroy my front
door!

~~~
Alupis
Go to your local home improvement store and load up on cheap locks.

Masterlock #3 is the defacto starting lock to learn how to pick - it's easy,
and only has 3 pins, no security pins, etc. They're also very cheap and
everywhere, you might even have one already you forgot about.

It's important to get an easy lock to learn on. It'll allow you to learn the
principles without a ton of frustration.

For tools, it's difficult to beat Peterson on quality and price.

Picking locks is honestly a great brain exercise. I have a collection of
locks, all locked together in a giant ball of locks, and no keys. They sit on
my desk, and I pick them when trying to take a break once in a while. It
requires a lot of focus, and a mental map of what is going on inside the lock.
Pretty soothing actually.

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kanobo
Getting a cheap bumpkey and learning how to use it on your own door can save
you lots of trouble the next time you lock yourself out of your place. I hide
one in the bushes.

~~~
gwbas1c
I have a key behind a combination lock. Not 100% secure, but I live in a safe
enough area that I never worry.

I'm more worried about my smart garage door openers getting hacked then
someone getting my key.

~~~
Chirael
If it's a combination padlock, many of them are shimmable or easily bypassable
[1]. If you care, it's worth searching for your lock brand and model # on
YouTube.

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpkf1Zldf0s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpkf1Zldf0s)

~~~
gwbas1c
You can break into my house by breaking a window near (or on) the door and
then unlocking it. It's not even worth trying to hack the keybox.

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bergstromm466
> The World of Competitive Lockpicking

I initially read this title as ‘The World of Competitive Bootlicking’

