Tag Archive for 'locks'

If an 11-year-old can do it…

I’d never heard of this before today, and I’m guessing not many other people (who don’t read the same junk online that I do) haven’t either. Apparently, there’s a lock “picking” technique called “key bumping”, which allows almost any modern lock to be opened by someone with almost no experience (an 11 year old girl managed to open a lock in seconds without any previous knowledge) and a few simple tools (obtainable at any hardware shop).

It’s amazing how much stuff is available online about key-bumping, and I can’t believe it hasn’t been a major problem (or at least, we haven’t heard of it) in Australia yet.

Of course, one of the major problems with this is that it leaves no evidence of a break in - any insurance company you know of that would pay up under these circumstances?

Below are a couple of short videos demonstrating key bumping. Firstly, a quick “howto” guide on key bumping:

And another one (in Dutch - with subtitles) explaining some of the theory and repercussions of this technique, and what the “pros” (professional locksmiths/lock pickers) think of the technique.

anyone else scared?