
Learn to Pick Locks for Fun and an Increased Understanding of Security - wqfeng
http://lifehacker.com/5672326/learn-to-pick-locks-for-fun-and-an-increased-understanding-of-security
======
runjake
I originally learned in a class. I carry a pair of titanium bodegas in my
wallet.

The first interesting thing you'll probably learn is that the more "secure"
something is marketed as being to consumers, the easier it is to pick.

Any sort of safe you buy from the likes of Walmart, Office Depot/Max, Costco
and so on, can be picked in a few seconds. I have a not-cheap, mid-line Sentry
fireproof safe and I can "pick" that by just sliding the rake into the lock.

Gun locks and home safe locks are usually cheap crap and probably the easiest
to pick. I've picked close to a 100 different types.

If you want to learn, I suggest starting with paperclips as they're good at
training you on the kind of tension you want to use. Most beginners use way
too much tension. Paperclips will bend when you cross that threshold. They're
also much harder to pick with than a legit set of picks.

My knowledge really improved when I re-keyed my home locks from some kits I
ordered online. It really put things into perspective.

~~~
dfc
_"The first interesting thing you'll probably learn is that the more "secure"
something is marketed as being to consumers, the easier it is to pick."_

BS! I have a medecco lock on my door that was marketed as secure. I'd love to
see how much easier it is to pick for you than some run of the mill Yale lock
from Home Despot.

How many gun safes have you "picked"? Most of the firearm owners I know have
spent some serious coin on their safes. What gun safes specifically have you
picked? And when you say home safes surely you mean home fire safes right? How
many UL tool-rated safes have you picked?

Paper clips? I have never seen anyone recommend beginners start with paper
clips. What do you suggest they use for the torque wrench? I think beginners
should just buy one of the many introductory/beginners kits available on the
net.

~~~
jdietrich
Medeco locks can be bumped open in a few seconds by a child with a $30
tool[1]. With the popularisation of bump key and plastic key attacks, no pin-
tumbler lock should be considered more than a trivial deterrent. A "high
security" pin-tumbler lock opens just as easily as cheap locks - often more
easily, thanks to finer tolerances.

The only mass-market lock mechanisms with any real security are disc-detainer
designs, specifically Assa Abloy's Protec. Unlike any other door lock in
common use, the Protec mechanism has no known non-destructive attacks.

[1]<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1LH7lrftKA>

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lince
Lockpicking is one of my hobbies from one year. Is incredible fun and
challenging.

If you want to start, I recommend you reading the MIT Lockpicking guide. It
have the basics: <http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/MITLockGuide.pdf>

You can found a cheap lockpicking set here:
[https://www.dealextreme.com/p/advanced-9-piece-set-lock-
pick...](https://www.dealextreme.com/p/advanced-9-piece-set-lock-picks-16417)

Also start opening cheap padlocks so you can get your first success fast and
get motivated.

~~~
tapvt
I also learned (years ago now) by using the MIT Guide, so +1 for that.

If you don't want to spend any money on picks and a tension wrench, street
sweeper bristles make great stock for creating your own tools.

A grinding wheel will save you hours with a file, if you opt for this
approach. Those bristles are tough!

------
nulluk
After being involved within the family business (lock smiths and security
engineers) for 3 years whilst in college, you end up realising how insecure
and inadequate 80% of the locks around you are.

Any person with a small degree of knowledge can do some serious amount of
damage if they wanted to turn rouge. (Bump keys and Snappers) Saying that it
is a very fascinating skill to learn, the social response to stating that you
are a trained locksmith in conversations is quite interesting.

~~~
maxerickson
You could sort of argue that the relatively low level of break ins indicates
that most locks are adequate.

I think the bigger problem is the way people think about locks. In a house
with lots of windows, they pretty much only serve to make an illicit entry
more obvious, yet people build up an idea of one setting on the lock being
safe and the other not.

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jgrahamc
Lock picking is a fun thing to learn to do as a hobby. I learnt to do it many
years ago from the MIT guide and have a small set of picks that I bought from
<http://www.southord.com/>

I've only ever once actually used this skill on anything other than my own
locks. My upstairs neighbor was moving out of his apartment and managed to
slam the front door shut with his keys inside and the movers and himself
outside. I opened the lock for him after fiddling around for about five
minutes helping to get his move moving.

~~~
zeke
With a round and a flat file you can turn a rake tine into a pick in 15
minutes. If you can find street-sweeper tines, you can bend them to make good
turning wrenches. It is not an efficient use of time compared to buying, but
still fun.

~~~
oasisbob
If you're one of the people who keeps hearing about mythical street sweeper
bristles and has never found one in the wild, consider the spring steel from
windshield wiper blades.

Someone you know has wipers that should have been been replaced years ago; do
something nice for them, and get enough pick-stock to last for years.

Bike spokes are also useful, but a bit more work to flatten/grind and shape.
(Great for tension wrenches, though.)

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roblund
One of the most interesting things I learned from lockpicking was how the
physical size of the lock actually has little to do with how easily it can be
bypassed.

Another cool side effect is learning about lock mechanisms. There are so many
different designs out there (many of them are hundreds of years old), and it
is neat learning about how they work.

------
junto
You can pick standard Yale style pin tumbler locks with a penknife nail file
and a paperclip.

Insert the nail file into the lock and apply turning pressure as if you are
turning the key, then fiddle with the pins with the folded out paperclip. One
by one the pins pop into place and the lock will open.

You can do this with practice in under 30 seconds. If you only have a Yale
lock on your front door, fit a good quality lock instead, or at least a good
secondary. If you are at home and only have a Yale style lock on your front
door, then always lock the door and leave the key quarter turned in the lock.

This prevents anyone from trying to enter from the other direction. It also
makes it easy to escape from the locked house in case of a fire if the keys
are in the door already.

------
xedarius
A few years ago I was working on a spy-action game. One of the sub-games was a
lock picking section. One of the programmers ordered a lock picking kit, along
with several padlocks. This of course spread through the office like wild
fire. Pretty soon there were several programmers crowding round each others
desk picking locks of all kinds.

What became readily apparent was where the money went between £3 and a £25
lock.

I think I can confidently say that our lock picking sub-game was thoroughly
researched.

~~~
monkeyfacebag
I'm curious how you ended up implementing lock-picking? The big problem I
notice with most implementations (leaving aside flaws such as incorrect number
of tools) is communicating the tactility of lock-picking. I've played a game
(Fallout 3? I don't exactly remember) that attempted to introduce a tactile
aspect through controller rumble, but the effect didn't adequately reflect the
lock-picking experience.

~~~
Terretta
Skyrim being the latest notorious example where it's featured heavily (and
spiritual successor to Fallout 3, I suppose).

------
Benjor
Our local hackerspace in Chicago hosts TOOOL meetings, which got me hooked a
couple of months ago. I _heartily_ recommend this book:
[http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Lock-Picking-Penetration-
ebo...](http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Lock-Picking-Penetration-
ebook/dp/B004Q9TZSY)

I read the first half in a day, and was picking locks successfully the next
day. Just remember the golden rules: (1) only pick locks you own, (2) don't
pick locks you depend on (they're easy to break.)

If you look at TOOOL's site, they sell a nice beginner toolkit for $30. Love
it.

~~~
thejteam
Before you order a toolkit, also take a quick look at your state's laws. In
some states, Maryland for example, it is against the law for anybody other
than a professional locksmith to possess lockpicking tools. (Maryland also
doesn't define what a professional locksmith is... but that's a side issue)

~~~
scdc
Do you any more detail on this? I found this via lockwiki.com for Maryland --
it says, "A person may not possess a burglar's tool with the intent to use or
allow the use of the burglar's tool in the commission of a violation of this
subtitle. "

IANAL, but it seems like simple possession is allowed. But maybe my reference
is not up to date.

[http://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2010/criminal-
law/title...](http://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2010/criminal-
law/title-6/subtitle-2/6-205/)

~~~
thejteam
The problem is the word "intent". Generally, possession in the home is okay
but if you take it out of the home it can be considered prima facie evidence
of intent. It is highly dependent on the mood of the state's attorney's office
in your jurisdiction. Also, I looked at lockwiki.com and from the looks of it
shipping the tools to a non-dealer is illegal anyway, although in practice it
is never caught.

------
talmand
A coworker of mine was into this as a hobby for a period of time. He always
carried his picks with two or three practice locks of increasing difficulty.
With a few minutes explanation from him on how it works I was able to pick the
easier locks within ten minutes without having done it before. I was almost
tempted to get my own set and one or two of the more difficult locks just for
the mental challenge. Seems it might have made for a good distraction to have
during difficult times in a project and needing a break.

------
markrickert
I gave a talk about lock picking at work a while ago. Here's a 30 minute
video: <http://skookum.com/blog/lockpicking-101/>

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gravitronic
One piece of advice, if you only have one practice lock and your friend
decides he wants to try to pick your front door's deadbolt.. don't let him.
Now I need a new deadbolt.

------
samstave
/r/lockpicking is a fun place as well, there is a lot of good info posted
there.

Also be sure to look at Schuyler Townes lock picking how to videos.

------
stfu
Does anyone has some good suggestions for different difficulty levels of locks
to train with?

I am quite fast with basic locks but as soon as they get a bit more
sophisticated (i.e. mushroom heads) I can play around for hours and don't get
them open.

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illumen
This is a YC interview question. They lock you in a room with a pick, and if
you can pick the lock you move onto the next stage.

Otherwise the floor opens, and they feed you to the sharks (with lasers on
their noses naturally).

~~~
markrickert
It'll be a bit hard to pick the lock using just a pick and no tensioner.

