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

wow

[EncryptedSoldier]

looks like hiding your key in that rock was a good idea after all :)

People put photos of their keys online?

[hcdejong]

The mind boggles.

Re:People put photos of their keys online?

[Ma8thew]

There was a meme a while back, where people would post a photo of everything in their pockets (or handbag).

As the saying goes...

[cjfs]

Locks are to keep honest people out.

Eyeballing my Cadillac

[pigiron]

I locked my Cadillac once and left my keys lying on the drivers seat. The locksmith successfully cut a new door key by hand just by looking at the key through the window.

Re:Eyeballing my Cadillac

[agrounds]

I call bullshit.

I've had locksmiths get my key out, and they have a flat piece of metal (cops carry them too) that they can slide down where the window goes and have the door open in five seconds. No need whatever to make a key to open it.

Twenty bucks to come out to the car, a buck fifty for a new key. Yet he's going to go to that trouble to make a key?

How fucking stupid do you think we are?

Hello, and welcome to the Post-80s world! This is a brave new place where car doors are designed for this absolutely not to work any longer, even if you could get past all the crap and to the mechanisms. Also, we have this thing called the "internet" where you can see naked pictures. Oh, and Molly Ringwald is no longer hot.

No. We still don't have flying cars.

Fine, go ahead...

[TheNecromancer]

make copies of my keys. Have fun "playing" with my pitbull waiting for you on the other side of the door.

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

[mlts]

Chubb (the venerable English lock maker) actually has a prison lock where part of its construction is to make it resistant to eyeballing by inmates, so they can't memorize the cuts on it and create a copy with sheet metal or another source.

Other than that, a few keys that are eyeball resistant that come to mind are the Shlage Primus, and the Medeco3 key, because someone would have to eyeball the slider, the pin depth cuts, and the angles of the cuts for the pins to rotate.

A boon for swingers!

[Mr. Firewall]

Remember the old days when swingers used to have "key parties?"

For the young and innocent who have never been exposed to such debauchery -- they would get together and throw all the mens' motel room keys in a hat. Then the ladies would pick them out of the hat and go to that key's room....

Well, now the possibilities for adultfriendfinder dot com have just been expanded... Just post a picture of your key and wait for your new friends to show up!

Re:Interesting but pointless

[JohnnyLocust]

There's a story from 2005 about a locksmith who made a copy of a key from an x-ray of some poor guy who somehow swallowed his key:

http://www.boingboing.net/2005/06/25/locksmith-makes-key-.html

Re:Interesting but pointless

[zippthorne]

Not quite. Depending on the key, of course, all you need to do is get the code and figure out the style. Then you could get replacements sent to you from the manufacturer.

In fact, some keys (I'm talking to you, cheap schlage locks) print the key code ON THE KEY, so you wouldn't even need to do any kind of fitting if the photo happened to be of the right side.

But, of course, why bother having a particularly secure lock, when your all-metal steel-bolted door is right next to a 6 foot plate-glass bay window?

I'll believe it when I see it.

[ProppaT]

I can't even get those chumps at home depot to give me a copy that works when they're using the original, much less a photograph.

Re:Interesting but pointless

[JayAitch]

But, of course, why bother having a particularly secure lock, when your all-metal steel-bolted door is right next to a 6 foot plate-glass bay window?

For some new houses use a utility knife cut thru the vinyl siding, foam sheeting, and kick thru the drywall for easy access.

Who needs keys

[Cthefuture]

The best antitheft device on my car is the manual transmission. ;)

Re:Interesting but pointless

[John Hasler]

Variations on that method would work on most frame houses built during the last fifty years but burglars still attack doors and windows. This, of course, is because most are remarkably stupid (intelligent criminals go into politics).