Sunday, August 06, 2006

Bump key makes traditional locks obsolete

The locks on your house could soon become obsolete with the advent of the "bump key."

A large majority of locks that open with a key, called pin tumbler locks, have structural weaknesses built into them that can be exploited with picks and practice. But a relatively new lockpicking technique known as "bumping" takes advantage of that weakness and requires no real understanding of how locks work. "You don't need expensive tools or anything," says encryption expert Barry Wels. "Any 15-year-old who's motivated can learn how to do it in 15 minutes on the Internet."

Once a person learns how to make the "bump key," they can easily open any lock that key fits into. All they have to do is bump the key with a screw driver or a small hammer. Don't believe it? Then watch this video.

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