Kryptonite U-Lock Security Flaw

An anonymous reader writes "Once upon a time, a magic marker was able to defeat the Key2Audio copy protection scheme of older Sony CDs. Now, it has been shown that a Bic pen can easily open several models of Kryptonite U-locks. Please patch your systems, or install a tracking device on your bikes!"

Comments

people suck.

[mstich]

Too bad we couldn't just live in a society where we wouldn't have to worry about theft! :(

Re:people suck.

[clifyt]

" Unless we really want to live in a society where equality is enforced and nobody is allowed to have anymore than anyone else, the presence of thieves and other criminals is something we will always need to deal with."

I doubt it. There will always be a percentage of the population that is not happy with having the status quo. For instance, the crack dealers down the street from me have sent their friends to try to break into my house -- I know the one guy the police have caught is someone I'd seen hanging out in their den.

Sadly, they have better shit than I do. They think since I'm white and a home owner I'm fair target. One of the kids that lives there asked me to help him with his computer because someone told him I was good with these things (I generally don't tell folks what I do in this neighborhood) and it was a better laptop than I had for work -- and this is a 12 year old boy. Not his dads laptop, *HIS*.

Seems there was some sort of bios lock on the machine that was enacted after not signing it in after so many sessions (I'm not up with all the CompuTrace kinda shit that my work is always telling us we need to have on our machines).

So, no matter how much one person has in comparison to those around him, it will never be enough for some people. Its good to think that some magic hippy star trek future would eliminate hunger and greed, and as this kind of future will never happen, it doesn't really harm anyone to believe in this -- at least until you start an economical ideology based around this and then start realizing that the common laborer doesn't need the same equipment that a research scientist does and you start to pass out equipment based on need, and you realize you have just created an unequal society once again and need to set up a draconian society to ensure everyone is equally unhappy in one way or another.

Thieves are thieves and there will always be someone that wants something for nothing and wants to have more than those around him...

Re:people suck.

[clifyt]

The kids have done nothing wrong. The sins of the father do not equate to the sins of the son.

Neighborhood kids come over to my place and hang out -- outside, never inside near my shit. I keep it clean and they have a nice front yard they can play in. And I bribe them with a coke or a dollar to clean up the neighborhood. A few weekends ago, I was mowing the lawn, and we ended up mowing 6 yards and they picked up all the trash from the streets and for this, I was out a case of coke and $20. This was about 6 or 7 kids from a few families.

Maybe if the kids learn to take care of shit and work for stuff, they will not live the same life their father does. Half the kids around here are on welfare and I hope I'm helping them see how it is to do something for a living...

Re:people suck.

[spacecowboy420]

That's bullshit. When I was a juvenile, I would do some stupid shit just because it was illegal - just to challenge fate. Do you think vandals, not those that spray paint their names or make a pretty pictures, but those that break shit - do it for fame, fortune or otherwise? What do serial arsonists gain? Nothing. Just the satisfaction of decadence - it is easier to destroy than to create.

Re:people suck.

[mgv]

Crime for crime's sake? Any psychologist will tell you there is no such thing. After all, crime is risky. Why make a risk if there is no gain? There is always some reason, even if it's small or obscure.

That assumes that the person has a reason. Or has reason. 1% of the world's population gets mania, a similar percentage schizophrenia, 20% get depressed, and there are other conditions which aren't well defined yet in terms of population incidence or effect (eg post traumatic stress disorder).

Yet in some studies, 50% of prison populations have major psychiatric disorders. You could say that these were crimes committed in sane periods (certainly, the judges did say that), but you cant get around the number of "criminals" that have a history of major psychiatric disorders.

Then there is the "sociopathic" personality, which can be born that way or become that way with certain brain injuries. People who just can't feel or see things from another person's perspective. Humans do this alot as a survival tactic - how else do you drive a tank around Iraq and shoot at people and not want to suicide? You do it for the greater good, or whatever, maybe. But you still sit in relative safety and point weapons of minor distruction (like your cannon) at real people who will feel pain or die. Its a trait most of us have, and it has survival value.

But some people just are like this all the time. So they are good on the battle field, and never get stress disorders from hurting others.

Doesn't mean that they are all homicidal maniac's - in fact many of them are just nasty people, and we have all met a few of them. Self centred. Whatever. You see actors play that role on most soapies - the office bitch type of role - and its based on real life personalities who aren't that uncommon. We have all met them.

Some people don't percieve risk the same way you do, either. Some people have to jump out of airplanes with parachutes just to feel alive.

And some people don't know that they are commiting a crime - Taping your TV show's to watch later is a crime in some countries (like Australia).

In essence - its not that simple. There are lots of reasons for crime, lots of motiviations, and lots of times where the person didn't really understand the risk/reward relationship for crime the same way you do.

Michael

Re:people suck.

[clifyt]

I don't know why anyone rated your post as flamebait, just another reason the realize the fuckwads on Slashdot don't fucking know shit. Hell, most of my posts are far more flamebait that yours.

But you are right. Most likely they won't amount to anything, but thats not my problem. I will do whats right while they are around me and hope that something wears off.

By day, I work for an educational facility...I generally hire folks in the tech world that have no knowledge of the area -- but want the jobs much more than the ones that do know the area and interview with me -- these guys sound bored and one actually threatened me that if I didn't hire him it would only be because I thought he would take my job. Please -- no one gets fired or promoted in academia no matter how good or bad you are.

Kids that were probably looking at getting out with a mid $20k job are finding out that working for me after 3 years, they were getting jobs worth almost double that. I've got one employer that calls me all the time because he's never been dissatisfied with one of my students. Interestingly, most of the kids weren't even pursuing tech degrees but wanted my jobs because I paid the highest for student work on campus -- which is actually how I got my first job in the tech field -- I went for the highest paying one which happened to be a geek position.

So I have made a change in some folks lives. If people are exposed to situations like this where they are given a chance to be around positive situations, they will change somewhat. It might mean hesitating before pulling the trigger one night and deciding not to kill someone and walking away after robbing him. One of the kids in the neighborhood has violent tendencies where he picks up rocks or sticks and attacks animals. His father has taught him that animals are worthless and one can hurt or kill them without thinking. I've let him play with my animals and he actually seems to like them now. I saw him a few days ago with a leash walking my next door neighbors dog. Its not a big jump from saying that animals are worthless and need to be beat down than saying humans are worthless and need beat down.

Most of the time, I feel just the opposite -- I'd never hurt an animal, but I'd beat the shit out of a person in a heartbeat.

So changes happen. Its not seismic changes, but little ones.

As for the batman costume -- who needs the suit? I was thrown out of my first colleges dorm because I threw a dealer out of a 3rd story window after he kicked in the wrong (slightly open) door with a gun pointed. I beat the shit out of some homophobic racists that were slipping notes under black folks doors as well as the little gay kid that lived across the hall. I caught them laughing about it on the other side, and after seeing the kid come to my room every other night crying and asking why folks hated him, I took action. They never proved that I was the one that threw the guy out the window (or my buddy Mike or our friend that was in the room that was a state police officer there to play Doom I) -- he never pressed charges. They did note that I single handedly beat the shit out of 3 guys and kicked on in the nuts so hard he lost a testicle. Never mind that one of them threw the first punch after I said I was calling to police, never mind that the noted had been saved and the fingerprints matched theirs, nevermind the ringleader was ordered to stay away from several women in the dorm because he was accused of stalking them, but they said I was overly violent because there was no way that anyone could have beaten the shit out of 3 guys and left them in the condition I did if I wasn't slightly nuts -- I ended up going to jail that night, not them. We all got kicked out of the dorm, but I was the one that was almost kicked out of the university (actually I was for a while...a judge reinstated me and reprimanded the officials involved).

What did I learn from all of this? Sometimes you do need to crack heads. but more importantl

Remember...

[k4_pacific]

For less than the cost of a decent bike lock, you can buy a bike that's not worth stealing.

Re:Remember...

[SealBeater]

There's no such thing. You'll be surprised how many crackheads and kids will
steal a bike.

SealBeater

Simple solution...

[emag]

Pass a law declaring Bic pens to be "burglary tools", which can only be carried by "licensed professionals", and arrest anyone found in possession of one without a license. It works so well for lock pick kits...

Equal opportunity.

[Grendel Drago]

Don't get so cocky. Dictatorships are available in new crunchy Right-Wing Flavor (tm) as well.

--grendel drago

Only to "special" customers

[fmaxwell]

Kryptonite today announced it will provide free product upgrades for certain locks purchased since September 2002

What they don't mention is that the flaw was first documented in the trade publication "Bicycle Business" magazine in 1992. So they've been knowingly selling defective locks for 12 years since then hoping that this day would never come.

I've got five Krytonite locks:

Two KryptoLok ATB U-Locks, one of which was never taken out of the package.
One KryptoDisco-C motorcycle disc brake lock.
One 6' x 5/8" Kryptonite Flex Security cable lock.
One Kryptonie Flex Security U-Lock.

All of the locks are in very good to new condition and all of them are older than two years old. That means I get no replacement locks from Kryptonite nor do I get any upgrades. I hear tell that I might get coupons for rebates on new Kryptonite locks. But it will be a cold day in hell before I ever buy another Kryptonite product if they don't fix or replace the locks I have at no charge to me.

I am not being unreasonable. A lock, if well-cared for, is a lifetime investment. A well cared for lock that's five years old is no less useful than one which is 1 year old. Why should Kryptonite customers suffer because Kryptonite chose to knowinging, and deceptively, sell a defective product for over a decade? Anyone who bought a Krytonite lock with this flaw since the original article was published in 1992 should get a free upgrade/replacement.