Anyone who knows anything about locks and lock picking knows that most locks on most doors -- the tumbler variety -- can be picked with a little skill and a couple of tools. But what would you say to the frightening truth that lying before the world these hundreds and hundreds of years we've been using tumbler locks, was a simple technique that allows an intruder to quietly, quickly, easily open any lock for the cost of a copied key? It's called bump keying, and we can assure you it has nothing to do with certain white narcotics. By simply cutting some keys down to serrated-like edges of sharp, even peaks and valleys, an amateur can break into a home in less time than it takes to
disassemble a bic pen. Watch as a master locksmith walks up to his own shop, bumps a key, and cruises right in only to declare that his own front door is now no longer more secure than it would be using a $10 lock (after the break). The cheap, easy, no-mess skeleton key: coming to a robbery near you. Alert your insurance agents, everybody. [Warning: PDF link!]
[Via
MAKE: Blog]
posted August 7th 2006 8:25AM
anyone heard of a magnetic lock before?
http://www.magausa.com/products.html
This is crazy, I just saw that video yesterday when my Gfriend told me her son wanted a set off ebay..
Crazy Sh*t.. I dont feel safe no more, gotta set up a Networked Cam system now..
I hope the next version of Oblivion includes bump keying instead of the lockpick minigame it has now--I'm so tired of it.
This is old news.
This was on hackaday almost a year ago when they covered the toool con. They had a link to an hour video that was actauly quite interesting.
wow. i remember seeing a key on a movie (james bond?) or a game a while ago that supposedly opened like 90% of all locks. i guess that wasnt so far fetched.
http://www.medeco.com/about/whats_new/pr/bump.html
canyon289,
We are not going to assist you in piracy. Go to the music store and ask the clerk what song it is then pay for it.
To alexander, Isnt your mobile phone the key? Mobile phones are easy as pie to clone, easy to spy on messages. Your door would be no more secure, someone would just have to sit and wait for you to open it once.
I find it odd how no one in this video ever shows you that the "bump key" will NOT open the lock by simply turning it first.
To Alexander:
"...Lights, AC, locks, etc. will all be controlled via my computer and relays."
So if your PC crashes will Bill Gates comes and opens your door? ;-))
I am already controlling my household devices via the computer. Luckily, bill gates has no say over my PC systems at all, so when mine fails, it'll be me who has to fix it haha.
Ron: Yeah, the window next to the door, which they throw a rock through.
There are such things as security glass that can be bought. Not only that, there is nothing stopping someone from driving a dump truck through my house--I'm just trying to keep out all the crack heads and kids. I'm going to be automating the rest of my house--putting the door locks on it at this point is a trivial matter.
prodigal_son: Isnt your mobile phone the key? Mobile phones are easy as pie to clone, easy to spy on messages. Your door would be no more secure, someone would just have to sit and wait for you to open it once.
Yes, but that level of technology is not available for $1 at Home Depot (which I went to over the weekend, and bought a 'bump key' and tested it. They do work. I've been picking locks since Highschool, and it surprised me how easy it is.) nor is the 'common thief' willing to spend that much money on a 'one-of-a-kind' system like mine is. You would have to dial my phone number (which would be a SkypeIn number, not in the phone book) from my mobile number and put in my password through the keypad. That's three areas they would have to get around, and I'm betting they don't want in that bad. They'll go to my neighbors house before all that.
TObject: So if your PC crashes will Bill Gates comes and opens your door?
Of course not. It would be running on Linux. Microsoft has no place in my house, especially when I need my computer to work. To quote an .sig:
"Some operating systems are User Friendly. *nix is Expert Friendly."
Someone just bought all 100 sets of bumpkeys from that guy on ebay, I wonder what that's all about.
the song is lap dance by NERD
Hello everyone,
I have designed and handled security systems, CCTV, acces control, lock systems, secured networks, you name it. It was my job to do this design work for Enterprise, Military, Large Commercial, and Public Infrastructure. I have played with security in more ways than most non security people would ever think of. What I can tell you is this: most homes are not secure in any meaningful way from a determined theif - and that the lock on the door is only a very smal part of the problem.
To properly secure a home several steps are needed, and some of those steps need to be done at the time the home is built. So here are the steps to make a home secure from intrusion / burglary. Fisrt, what are the problems...
1/ Make sure all external walls / floor / roof / ceiling are made from materials that are not easily penetrated. The typical example of a material that can be easily penetrated is wood, or roof tiles that can be lifted out, or wood frames around doors and windows. This is the most common security vulnerability in any physical structure. You can simply pry the wood / tile / door / window out of its place, or go under the house and lift a floorboard up from underneath. Unfortunately this describes many of the homes we live in today. (External air conditioners also can provide a nice hole into the building). (I will deal with methods to overcome this shortly)
2/ Glass is always a soft target, and can be broken very quietly. Simply dont use glass, or safety glass. It is better to use something like Mylar, or the best I have seen is a GE product that can even stop bullets from entering (available from GE Security - and I am sure there are competitors to them as well who have equally as good products). It is also very important to have the window extend far into the wall on all sides so that it cannot be pried out - this can be done with solid steele frames if you still want the window to open.
3/ Doors need to have their frames embedded well into the walls to stop prying, and the door must also open outwards to stop people simply kicking the door open or ramming the door open. The door itself must be made of a very strong material, no glass, single piece, and have the lock embedded in it as a MORTICE type lock. This is not a brand, but a type of lock and mechanism that cannot be removed / subverted by direct mechanical force. It also makes it much easier to employ electronic door opening and monitoring systems.
4/ The lock to put on the door, or for that matter anywhere on your home, is of a type called DISC locks. This has nothing to do with computers, but rather the mechanism used to operate the internal workings of the lock. This type of lock cannot be bump keyed, and it is extremely difficult to pick them (not impossible, but even for a professional it is incredibly hard and takes many hours to achieve a successful pick). There are many of these on the market, and the general rule is this - the more discs in the lock, the harder it is to pick, so the more secure it is. I use 21 disc versions of this lock type, and so far I have not seen a successful pick on this number of discs, ever. I saw a 7 disc version being picked that took the individual nearly four hours to achieve - the reason is that the would be lock pick has to effectively create a duplicate key for the lock by testing and probing the lock to try and reverse engineer the key design. Very very hard to do. The keys for this lock type are also not available at a general lock smith or hardware store, you must order them from the manufacturer of the lock, and to do that they have to verify your identity and you have to provide the proof of ownership of the lock, which usually takes the form of special codes that are contained on a credit card type card (leave this is a bank vault or safe).
5/ Use an intelligent alarm system that can monitor different sensor types. It is also necessary to have this alarm panl able to call a monitoring company, as well as send yourself or a truted person a message. It is an added benefit if you can have the alarm panel also control lighting and other electrical products. A number of these for domestic use are available on the market from various manufacturers. There is not much advantage to wired over wireless systems AS LONG AS THE WIRELESS SYSTEM USES UNIQUE COMPONENT ID'S, USES CRYPTOGRAPHY FOR DATA TRANSMISSION, AND MONITORS THE CONDITION (eg battery state, still present, etc...) OF EACH CONNECTED SENSOR. It is also interesting t note that a number of domestic panels can also handle multiple alarm codes for multiple people, and can even alert you if your kids dont come home on time from school! One feature I insist on is called a hold up function, in which there are two ways to activate it - the first is with a panic button, the second is via a dummy disarm code that makes it look like you disarmed the house but the alarm is actually calling the monitoring station and telling them you have a hold up type situation.
6/You need REED SWITCHES, preferably integrated, on all door and windows, and they must work reliably - dont buy single magnet ones, they can be fooled with another magnet beside them. What I would suggest to use is a triple magnet version (triple biased) because it is not possible to fool one of these with a magnet.
7/ Glass break detectors and smoke detectors are a must. Glass break wont occur if you use hardened windows etc, but in a burglary it is always common to have at least some broken glass inside the house due to carelessness and haste. Smoke detectors dont stop burglary, but they do save lives - its just common sense to have them.
8/ Motion detectors - always a hot topic amongst manufacturers as to what is good. What they can all agree on is this: use a dual type detector because it is more secure than an IR or Sonic detector alone. A dual detector uses an infra red lensing and detection system combined with a very weak microwave radar. Together they are unfoolable, considered so even at most military levels. These are available as standard equipment for domestic use. Dont pick the biggest, pick the one that matches the room size or area you are covering. If you have pets then get them with pet immunity - sounds odd but it does work and a human cannot fool it. Make sure the microwave radar frequencies dont overlap or interfere with each other. The last thing to do with motion detectors is to place them side on to the expected motion, you want the criminal to walk / run ACROSS the view the detector has, not to walk directly towards or away from the detector. This is how they are designed to work. Also dont point them at windows or doors, or areas that have sunlight moving across them - the more stable the environment the better it will work.
So now that you brains are full with data, lets get back to the problem of weak building design. How do we compensate for that? The best advice I can offer here is that you need someone to assess the situation. There are many things that can be done to secure a roof internally for example : steel bars that run the length of the roof forming a cage that a person cannot get through easily, and putting a reed switch on the internal access to the roof. You need a knowledgeable professional to figure out what is the right way to do it. The best security in the world is no good if there is a flaw in it. Get a pro to work it out.
One last thing to think about is the "friendly theif". This is a person you trust and let into your home. They then proceed to rob your valuables while you are not watching. Get a safe and have it professionally fitted and anchored, and choose the safe in consultation with the professional to match your home and needs. Put the safe onto the alarm panel for monitoring, and if possible have an alarm panel that reqires a separate code to disarm the alarm off the safe, even when the rest of the alarm is already disabled. This stops your valuables (perhaps even firearms in the US) from being stolen or accessed by unauthorised people.
If you do these things, or have a professional do them for you, then you have made your house as safe as is reasonably able to be done. Anyone determined enough to go through a system design like that will be someone to be extremely scared of - just give them what they want and try not to get harmed or killed in the process.
Lastly, if you see suspicious activity in your neighbourhod then make someone aware of it. A problem is best dealth with by avoiding it in the first place.
I hope that this information is helpful to you. Even if you just change your lock to a better one ( as described above) then that is better than nothing at all. How far you take your security is entirely a personal decision. I think of it like this - its a one time cost, like buying a home or furniture, and thats the job done. Dont get stingy on it trying to save a few bucks, and dont go overboard - security doesnt have to change the way you live. The job of home security is to make sure that your home stays the way you want it to stay, and your possessions remain yours.
Enjoy the information, and please make good use of it.
Kind Regards
Your friendly neighbourhood security advisor :)
I am SHOCKED that this has hit the mainstream media in America. Everyone I know cant afford the monitered burgler alarm or the monthly fee for it, so unfortunately MANY homes and businesses will be at risk. Not to mention that response alarms can be negated by knowing the approximate response time of the officers, and being somewhat faster in-and out.
This time is increased exponentially if one has researched the Shift-Change times of the officers.
That being said, let me first say that I have personally learned how to do this (for educational purposes...) years ago when the dutch 1st went public with it, so I know what Im talking about. Unfortunately, experienced locksmiths seem to know the LEAST about this method, as evident by the naive 15 year locksmith posting earlier. This method is EXTREMELY effective, very fast, and the keys are VERY easy to make, with NO risk to the damaging the lock as another previous poster erroneously stated. Can you handle the truth? Well here it is;
1.There is NO such thing as a 'bump' key from a home depot. Once you get the key cut, its not done. You need to take it home and with a fine file, file down 1 or 2 mm from the point of the key, and also from the 'shoulder of the key. this enables the kety to go just a pinch further into the lock to smack the tumblers up.
2. To the person worrying about finding expensive blanks for 1$, this is for you; ANY key can be made to do this. You dont need a blank, Any key, wether its already been cut, or whatever, CAN be made into a maximum depth cut key. And you dont need a locksmith or Home Depot, Any key cutter, manual or auto, can cut whats called a '999 key'.
Just tried to get a bump key made like my house key but the guy turned me down and said he wouldnt do it. I guess some locksmiths are honest even though he misjudged(sp?) my intent.
i saw an article about howto make this in your own home with a file etc. heh.
http://www.dpcproductions.com/bumpkey
Agreed -
This is pretty scary. It's really scary when you can get them easily from sites like www.bumpkey.us I mean, who knows who's actually buying them. It could be a burglar that wants your stuff.
You guys should get some proper scandinavian locks from http://www.abloy.com/
Can't be bumped, and the high-end lines pretty much can't be picked, drilled or hacked through. It's easier to go through the door.
1) No, it's not new (but few things really are.)
2) Yes it works on most locks, as do the vibrator picks, which work on a similar principle, as do picks, which also work on the same principle.
3) Locks, for the most part, are there to stop opportunisitc theft--anyone who really wants in, can get into most buildings.
4) Is anyone really surprised that a technology which is 3,000 years old can be easily defeated?
5) Seems like a great opportunity for new lock designers to make a bundle.
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes.
Locks only keep an honest man out. Bump keys are no more of an issue than the rock in your front yard. Very few people learn to use these well enough to be able to quickly bump a random lock. I wish everyone knew about these so it wont be an unknown problem to many. Same as like the air conditioner article, if you dont know you wont pay attention or make sure you solve the problem. If people are really worried there are multiple locks out there that are bump and pick resistant. Some are bump proof but they come with a pretty high price tag. How much is your families safety worth?
http://www.bumpmylock.com/bump-proof-locks-5/
...Not to mention people who might want to protect themselves against this kind of thing. You thought of that too, I hope.
http://www.laptopbatteryclub.com/
Where can I get a bump key for a shlage lock? Tried making one but didn't work.
There's a uk forum about uk bump keys
www.ukbumpkeys.com
where you can chat/buy/waffle all you like
try www.ukbumpkeys.com
(please dont bar me for advertising, I'm answering a question)
Looking for potential buyers, send email if interested...
mailto:bumpkeys@gmail.com
Mr. Bump
Can a combination lock be opened without the combination?
Being a professional locksmith, I have tried these "bump keys" its just like picking a lock, some times it works and sometimes it does not. This is just a big push to get people to buy more exspensive locks like Medeco. The truth is, is that all those bump keys are 5 pin, not 6 pin. That is also something to think about. Going to an RX key way is cheaper than Medeco locks. Save yourselves the trouble of being scared.
This is such Bull Shi* !!!
Yeah you can bump any lock......I'm just a locksmith for over 15 years, and I'll admit that. How about I'll pay $500.00 for these guys to bump open my medeco or mulilock.... DONT BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!
This has been around for awhile. But why all the fuss about picking a lock,when almost every house has more windows than doors or locks. besides a big foot is just as quick. Someone really serious about breaking in is not worried about something like a lock. This lock bumping is also not silent, It is a lot louder than picking.
Franklin T
A set of 15 Bump keys can be picked up on http://www.bump-j.com for like $20. Apparently these sites are doing nothing illegal, as the current US laws exclude bump keys from the lock picking devices list. So it looks like until the law makers change the law, there is nothing we can do.
I purchased a set of bump keys and they work great, however, one of our newer locks will bump the tumbler open but it only turns without unlocking the door. Anyone know how to bump open the newr locks that has this feature
hah, one is going out of business. Check this ebay auction http://cgi.ebay.com/cheapbumpkeys-COM-WEBSITE-DOMAIN-NAME-UP-FOR-SALE_W0QQitemZ140121206897QQihZ004QQcategoryZ11153QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Public service site about lock bumping and how to protect yourself against it!
http://LockBumping.org
Antibump Locks sells high-security locks that protect against lock bumping. Better locks are the best protection. Alarms only notify that an intrusion has occurred, and it will take the police several minutes to get there. Further, if someone bumps your lock, there is usually no sign of forced entry so the insurance companies may not pay for losses because they can assume the door was left unlocked; however, some insurance companies offer rate reductions for installing high-security (bump-resistant) locks. See http://antibumplocks.com
WWalt: Can a combination lock be opened without the combination?
Yep. There's a guide on YouTube detailing how to pop open a combination lock with a cut up soda can. Principle is like using a credit card to pop a door lock.
"Locks keep the honest people honest."