Duplicating Your Housekeys, From a Distance

Roland Piquepaille writes "Some clever computer scientists at UC San Diego (UCSD) have developed a software that can perform key duplication with just a picture of the key — taken from up to 200 feet. One of the researchers said 'we built our key duplication software system to show people that their keys are not inherently secret.' He added that on sites like Flickr, you can find many photos of people's keys that can be used to easily make duplicates. Apparently, some people are blurring 'numbers on their credit cards and driver's licenses before putting those photos on-line,' but not their keys. This software project is quite interesting, but don't be too afraid. I don't think that many of you put a photo of their keys online — with their addresses." I wonder when I'll be able to order more ordinary duplicate keys by emailing in a couple of photos.

Comments

Not really useful or scary, but interesting

[ChenLiWay]

Keys only serve to keep honest people honest. A lock pick and torsion bar can mimic any (average) key anyways.

The story is interesting (on the subject of computer vision) but shouldn't scare anyone.

Bump keys more practical

[TheLink]

The keys in the pic seem to be the crappy "2-D" sort that are vulnerable to "bump keys".

It'll be much easier to just make a bump key and use it to break in covertly, than to bother making the "same key". Google for bump key videos.

You'd probably need better pics to make duplicates of those "3-D" keys - those with wedges and so on.

Re:Bump keys more practical

[TheLink]

While it's true you can't "bump" Medeco3 locks and you can't "eyeball" them easily, the photo thing works (I'm not sure but the Shlage Primus looks vulnerable too). http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/medeco-locks-cr.html

I wonder how easy it is to copy the Abloy style keys.

New abloy key: http://www.abloyusa.com/images/execkey.gif

Old: http://www.abloyusa.com/images/classickey.gif

I'm guessing that for the classic key there's a small set of possible angles. If that's true you should be able to easily copy it from a photo (if you can see enough of the angles).

Re:Interesting but pointless

[zappepcs]

How much more wrong could you be? Got an enemy? Drink in the same bars? Got a camera phone? ... is the idea sinking in?

Re:Eyeballing my Cadillac

[ivan256]

Try that on any '90s/early 2000s Cadillac. You can probably successfully break the window motor or wires, but you won't be getting the door open. The lock mechanism is low, and forward in the doors, slides horizontally, and is behind a metal bar. It's not like the typical car lock which is an actuated metal rod near the top back corner of the door. You would have to know exactly what the inside of the door looked like, and have bends in exactly the right spots on the tool to get the door open, and you'd have to get lucky that you don't short something.

It only takes a couple minutes to file some notches in brass. Probably less time than it takes to slim jim a Cadillac. And I know if I had the skills to eyeball something like that I'd show it off every chance I got.