Slashdot Mirror
Shrinky Dinks As a Threat To National Security
InflammatoryHeadlineGuy writes "What do Shrinky Dinks, credit cards and paperclips have in common? They can all be used to duplicate the keys to Medeco 'high-security' locks that protect the White House, the Pentagon, embassies, and many other sensitive locations. The attack was demonstrated at Defcon by Marc Weber Tobias and involves getting a picture of the key, then printing it out and cutting plastic to match — both credit cards and Shrinky Dinks plastic are recommended. The paperclip then pushes aside a slider deep in the keyway, while the plastic cut-out lifts the pins. They were able to open an example lock in about six seconds. The only solution seems to be to ensure that your security systems are layered, so that attackers are stopped by other means even if they manage to duplicate your keys."
So now they'll not just confiscate my laptop when I arrive in the US, they'll also pinch my paperclips and credit cards ?
While using credit cards and shrinky dink plastic is clever, is this story particularly surprising? The article states that a photo of the key in question is required. If I asked the average man on the street if it was possible to replicate a key from a photo of it if you were sufficiently determined, I'd imagine they would say yes.
OMFG!
Modding me -1 troll doesn't make me wrong.
Now what is the actual threath? Shrinky dink or easily duplicated keys?
I bet those new 3-D type printers could perform the same thing without using razor blades and such. In fact, you could probably make a computer program to transfer from images to the final "printout."
I suppose if I had a picture of someone's login and password, I might be able to deftly hack into their computer.
If you have a picture of a key, you can generally duplicate it well enough to work in metal (easier if you have a blank, but not necessary). It's not the shrinky-dink that matters. Cutting a key by sight based on a key sitting on the seat of an car is apparently a useful skill for locksmiths.
Layered security indeed!
Maybe these locks aren't all that, but it's the Secret Service agents capping you in the head that you really have to worry about.
My granddad was a blacksmith who taught his trade to young crims at a borstal in the 1950s. One of them showed how he could open a Yale lock in about 30 seconds. He needed whatever plastic was equivalent to a credit card way back then, and a cigarette. He could feel the piston movement and burn the height into the plastic. No photos needed. The young crims summary: "Locks is to keep honest people out, boss."
In a sense, a moderately good lock that is all that is needed. I'd agree with the article that the objective is to remove a defense of accidentally straying. The next layer of entrapment is the real one.
Brad Blog has this story from when Diebold had a picture of their key on their corporate website back in January 2007. Diebold's since replaced the picture. There's a video of the key in action @ the link I just posted.
That which does not kill me only postpones the inevitable.
Wrong again, Dave. It's sharks with lasers. Everyone knows that.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
They also had Kari wander around in a giant fluffy bird suit to get past those ultrasonic sensors, IIRC. It's not exactly practical, but it makes for great TV. I'm sure the trial of whoever tries that in DC will be equally amusing.
How are sites slashdotted when nobody reads TFAs?
20 years ago, my house used to have a 3D-key - in other words, it had teeth all-around its central axis. Why? Because it is much harder to manipulate the tumblers that way. Not to mention that just photocopying the key won't work - or won't work as easily.
I'm surprised a high-security key has its teeth still on a line.
Those who can, do. Those who can't, sue.
Shrinky dinks? Paper clips? Gimme a break. I can duplicate a Medeco key blank with a piece of brass stock and a dremel tool, then cut a perfect key from a photocopy using my HPC Blitz. There's nothing amazing about what this guy's done. Given the appropriate information (cut depths and angles) any medeco key can be duplicated without serious difficulty. Heck, that's the case with all mechanical key locks. I once showed the Medeco rep who came to my lock shop how I could duplicate a standard G3 Biaxial key using a slightly modified commonly available Rolls Royce key blank. He was understandably dismayed, but not surprised. There are two kinds of locksmiths in this world: 1) the kind like the guy quoted in the article who said "Your locksmith will tell you this is impossible", and 2) guys like me who will tell you "yeah, someone could make a key to that--- I've done it myself". Point is, you want to use a locksmith more like 2) than 1). The first guy will feed you the standard Medeco marketing bullshit about how "only we can make your keys" and convince you that equals security. The second guy will tell you key control is useful, but it's not relevant beyond its obvious purpose. There are really only two kinds of common break-ins: inside jobs and random burglaries. In the case of inside jobs, all the key control in the world won't matter because the perp has a key already. This key could have been given to them, taken out of a desk drawer, or otherwise acquired via lax internal key management. This makes up 99% of all break ins. The other 1% is burglaries by random opportunist perps taking advantage of a weakness, usually on the spur of the moment. Back doors propped open by people out for a smoke, simply walking in during business hours wearing a suit, etc. All this spy crap people have in their heads about about burglars picking locks and James Bonding into their houses is fantasy bullshit. Real burglars wait till you're not home and throw a brick through the window, or let themselves in with the key you gave the cleaning service. All this hoo-hah over making a medeco key with a credit card is total yawnsville, and if anyone thinks they can get into the white house with a shrinky dink key, they're totally on crack. The whit House has things like SECRET SERVICE AGENTS, and ALARM SYSTEMS because they know keys alone are not enough.
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
I don't know about Medeco 3, but one lock mechanism that was out in other countries for almost four years before making it to the US which is quite pick resistant is Abloy's PROTEC cylinder.
It uses no pins or springs, so bumping is useless. Vibrating the key isn't going to magically move the detainer disks into position. Picking it requires a different technique altogether than pin tumbler locks.
So far, if I recall right, the best picking record for PROTEC cylinders took over 10-11 hours.
Of course, if you want the best in anti pick protection, purchase either an Abloy or Mul-T-Lock Cliq lock. It has a pick resistant mechanical key, as well as a small chip and solenoid with a challenge/response system. If someone does make a key impression, it won't help much. However, for $500 a cylinder, its pricy.
I would hate to be the Secret Service guy that has to tell the President he can't have his Shrinky Dinks anymore.
The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
I used to be a blacksmith myself, and I never needed a credit card. My tool of choice was a ground-down .02-inch feeler-gauge (you can get one from any DIY car maintenance shop) and a screwdriver (to do the work of turning the barrel).
I don't know about Medeco 3, but one lock mechanism that was out in other countries for almost four years before making it to the US which is quite pick resistant is Abloy's PROTEC cylinder.
Trouble with those is that they're ONLY pick resistant. I can drill the face of an Abloy disc-tumbler lock, remove the sidebar, and fill the drilled hole such that no one will notice--- all in a matter of minutes. After that, the old key will still work... and so will a screwdriver. The laundry machines at the apartment I lived in years ago had Abloy PROTEC locks. I never paid for laundry, and no one ever knew the difference.
Of course, if you want the best in anti pick protection, purchase either an Abloy or Mul-T-Lock Cliq lock. It has a pick resistant mechanical key, as well as a small chip and solenoid with a challenge/response system. If someone does make a key impression, it won't help much. However, for $500 a cylinder, its pricy.
That's just electronic access control shrunk down to fit the size of standard key access components and hybridized with mechanical keys. Great if you want to retrofit existing mortise and rim lock installations, but then you're just trading labor cost for material cost. I'd personally go for a keyless prox card system before I'd field a system powered by batteries in the key. It's bad enough dealing with your average dodo trying to use normal locks. Can you imagine the service calls from those dodos who break their keys off because the battery in the key head is dead? Locksmith's dream (service call = money in your pocket), businessman's nightmare (service call = money down the rathole).
I don't understand why people fixate on "pickability". Criminals just don't pick locks. I've been a locksmith since 1995 (minus a couple years when the Army decided I should be in Afghanistan), and I have never seen a case of intrusion that wasn't either a) forced entry, or b) an inside job.
If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
That's the code on my luggage!
Kids didn't have credit cards when I was in high school but every lock in our school except the outside doors (which we could sometimes tape or the like) and the principal's office were simple spring locks. Take seconds to open any of them with a piece of plastic. We got so fluid at it we were observed once from a distance and just lied, "Hey, what do you mean? It was unlocked. We were just snooping around." and he didn't push it. Did stupid stuff like swapping teachers' home room desks on different floors or laying out chairs in the auditorium to spell out expletives. A separate group we taught unfortunately got into more hardcore vandalism.
it's simpler than that. Each KEY has a unique (not repeated on blanks) number used once (like iButton, etc) and they're paired to the car at the dealership. The tooth pattern opens the mechanical door locks, the car doesn't start without the matching number code whether the key turns or not. Disabling the battery won't work as it happens all the time, so it's written to flash somewhere in the car computer. The various manufacture alarms all trigger off various mismatches of key versus code chip.
And to complete the circle, in most cases you have to replace not just the PCM (powertrain control module, which runs the engine and controls things like fuel injection and timing adjustment, or on distributor-free systems, initiates the sparks themselves) but also the sensor-reader. Sometimes this is built into the ignition switch itself, and sometimes it's just wrapped around it - but you have to get into the column to mess with it. This does NOT stop people from stealing these high-dollar cars, it only raises the bar. It more or less means you need a car to practice on before you can steal them, but dealers have to employ someone to service cars... And anyone can go to the dealer service schools, masquerading as a service mechanic.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"