
Key set available for $150 on eBay provides an all-access pass to NYC - thetabyte
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/open_door_to_terrorism_skC6uYlsymrLMKsXh4s2GM
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jrockway
Too much hyperbole, especially regarding what "could" happen. Isn't the local
pizzeria a dream for a terrorist, since he could feed all his men for a buck a
slice? Let's get angry and shut those terrorist-lovers down! (Roll eyes.)

(Anyone wanting to get into these locks could pick them in 30 seconds. Locks
are for keeping honest people out, not for defending against terrorists.
Terrorists with 767s don't need keys to anything. Occupy Wall Street
protesters that want to shut down a bank's elevator system will still have to
get past security to get to the elevator control panel.)

Ironically, the so-called master key only appears to have four pins, two fewer
than my apartment. The locks these keys unlock are designed to be secured by
other means.

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shalmanese
And, by posting high resolution photos, the NY Post has ensured that anyone
with access to a 3D printer can easily replicate them for free :P.

Not that it really matters since keys have been and pretty much always were
security theatre from the very beginning.

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aaronbrethorst
The NY Post is trying to generate controversy and sell papers, not perform
real journalism or prevent catastrophes.

~~~
MCompeau
but terrorists!

~~~
aaronbrethorst
exactly!

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bhickey
In a fluff piece today on Gramercy Park the NY Times published this image:
[http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/09/30/realestate/30JU...](http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2012/09/30/realestate/30JUMP1_SPAN.html)

I suspect they'll be seeing a bit more foot traffic in the future.

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fleitz
The really funny part is that the NYPOST has done far more of a disservice
than the guy on eBay.

Now the entire internet has pictures of the profile of the key, simply buy
some blanks, enlarge the photo til it prints the same size as the blank, and
then file the blank to match the profile of the key.

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coder42
Why buy the key set when you can make dupes from the high-resolution picture
in the article?

~~~
______
You don't even need the hi-res images -- keys can be copied from afar using
telephoto lenses and the like:
[http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release....](http://www.jacobsschool.ucsd.edu/news/news_releases/release.sfe?id=791)

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bonzoesc
The key set isn't the problem, that apparently you only need five keys is.
Having secure keys is at least as important as the security of the lock, and a
single key shared for the entire city isn't that.

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PeterisP
How would you propose firemen accesing the elevators of any building of the
city, or city lighting engineers accessing power panels? Every team can't lug
around 10.000 physical keys.

There is always a compromise between security and usability. And for almost
all systems, practical usability is mandatory, but security is nice-to-have -
it's completely enough to deter nonserious attackers such as the majority of
drunken vandals.

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stevencorona
In college, my friend (who was by no means an expert) picked the lock on the
elevator with a paperclip and a shim. These "locks" are only designed to keep
out the honest people.

~~~
Pkeod
I remember in my teens picking old locks simply with two paperclips. All locks
sold in normal stores can be picked with very basic tools. Any house lock can
be very quickly unlocked by a professional. There are plenty of videos on
YouTube showing just how much of a joke most all locks are. Deadbolts can be
picked with household items. Those sliding locks with chains can be defeated
with just a rubber band.

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Uchikoma
I was amazed when I learned how many people in Germany have all-access keys to
apartment buildings (learned this when my bike was stolen).

