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Steel Bolt Hacking
The beginning of the book discusses the origins of lock-picking sporting groups, crews in the U.S and Europe, competition around the country, and how to become a part of a lock-picking group. One of the groups out of Colorado Springs, DC719, are a bunch of computer geeks that have taken up the art of lock picking and sponsor a lock-picking contest every year at DefCon. According to Mr. Chick, computer people are the fastest group to pick up the art of lock picking. (I must warn you though, there are also a lot of disclaimers about the author not being responsible for the misuses of the information contained in this book.)
The book is fully illustrated with pictures of different types of lock picking instruments, tools to make your own picks as well as padlocks, deadbolt, and combination locks. There are pictures of locks that have been cut open and even how to crack push-button combination locks. (You know, the kind you find on the door to a server room.) I have to say, for a little book, (114 pages) it is brimming with valuable information for a beginner. What I didn't realize was that software isn't the only thing that has security vulnerabilities; mechanical things like padlocks and deadbolts do as well. What was scary to learn is how easy cheap locks can be picked, and that 80 percent of all locks used are cheap locks. Expensive locks are just likely to take a little longer.
I liked that the book didn't exaggerate. It didn't tell me that I was going to be a master lock picker after only a few tries. It took a little time, practice and sore fingers, but after a couple weeks of practice, I could pick every lock in my house. And as a computer person, I liked all of the jargon that was used to explain locksmith techniques. There was also enough humor to keep the book interesting; it's difficult to read any type of textbook and still maintain a reasonable interest. The illustrations are good and there is a resource section to purchase the tools you need from the Internet.
What I didn't like about the book: The most annoying point, I felt, is the considerable redundancy in methods between different types of locks to be picked. Also, the book suggests that there might be a lock-picking group in every city in the U.S., when in fact I am having a difficult time finding one in my are. And I live near D.C. -- You'd think there would be one on every corner around here. I think that the sport is still in its infancy and Mr. Chick is hoping his book will draw more people to it. The author put his e-mail address on the back of the book. He hasn't responded to my e-mail yet, but I suppose that he's probably a busy man.
All in all, I found the book informative, entertaining and worth the purchase price of 19.99.
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Lockpicking and an interest in computers seem to go hand in hand. A number of the people in my college are seen practicing picking locks during boring lectures.
One guy picked the lock on a projector and cabled another person to the projector cart
No, he just lost his password for checking his email.
You know what?
It was on a removable HD tray that jammed, but the story's better when I leave that part out.
You believe me, right? I posted it on slashdot!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
What? do you go to Home Depot to practice?
the easiest way to break in is to crawl through a window.
So now you're telling me that Douglas Chick is the master of unlocking? Well, Barry Burton told me that Jill Valentine was...
So everyone should stop carrying Bic pens?
The Spoon
Updated 6/28/2011
...the 'printable' version of the article.
... http://www.cia.gov/
Just another day in Paradise
1) probably a valid point
2) probably a valid point
3) no
4) profit
Felt tips are illegal because of CD security, ball points are illegal because of bike security. That leaves pencils and crayons.
Pencils can be used as a weapon, and crayons are fire accelerants.
hmm. I guess we should just abandon this whole civilization thing.
Well, he did. The only thing is it wasn't a Master lock but some crap no-name lock made in Taiwan or someplace. The Master method didn't work on it but I decided to see if I could do it by touch (never tried before).
Two minutes later he went back to his office and found his coffee cup padlocked to his chair.
I got some strange looks after that...
Right is wrong when left is right.
Just remember: you can pick your friends, and you can pick your locks, but you can't pick your friends' locks.
Oh please, wise and brave anonymous coward, deluge me with further insults so I may one day be brave enough to anonymously insult people.
In other words, bite me.
"A witty saying proves nothing." ~Voltaire
"d'Oh!" ~Homer
The bikeforum's article on picking Kryptonite locks has a google ad for, you guessed it, Kryptonite locks.
While the relevance is good, I'm guessing they don't sell many locks on that page.
So I'm at a jobsite and really REALLY needed to pee.
I recalled seeing a bathroom on the floor and when I got there, I was confronted with a pushbutton lock.
The pushbuttons were some kind of polymer, with the numbers PRINTED on them.
Three of the buttons had the numbers worn away.
Needless to say, I solved the lock in a few seconds.
Funny thing, it was an executive-type bathroom, not to be used by scruffy hacker geeks like me.
Or so I was told by the executive-type that found me in there using a urinal.
"Who gave you the combination?"
"Everyone who used the bathroom since the lock was installed, that's who." (FLUSH)
Guaranteed! This comment 100% Anthrax free!
Dr. Freud
Technology meets Transportation.
So you're going to jail ...
See #14
"Love heals scars love left." -- Henry Rollins