Slashdot Mirror
Robotic Kiosk Stores Digital Copies of Physical Keys
An anonymous reader writes "The New York Daily News reports that a startup company in Manhattan is putting robotic key copying machines in 7-Eleven stores. The machines can automatically create physical copies of common apartment and office keys. What's more interesting is that they allow users to save digital copies of their keys, which can later be created when the original is lost or the user is locked out of their home."
May as well just get rid of physical keys altogether.
Could this be the first case of public key encryption getting broken?
Copy of physical key's bitting dimensions + address info from a credit card. A remote intruder could download that, then sell lists of those to local gangs wanting some easy prey for home invasions.
Of course, there is the fact that if you want to buy a bump-resistant lock [1], it won't be something a key copying kiosk can copy easily.
[1]: I'm partial to Abloy's Protec2 Cliq line because it has the top tier mechanical pick resistance in addition to an electronic lock. Makes life easier to reprogram the lock to deny access just to the single lost key than have to rekey the lock and hand out new keys.
There's no technical reason why the kiosk system needs to "know" or store the physical location of the locks that match the keys. Create an account and pay with cash and there's no reason to enter any personally identifying information.
I think charging $20 for an emergency key is a kick in the nuts, tho. They're only charging $3.50 for a standard copy of a key you have in-hand so why are they being dicks about the price of printing a key you've stored? Well, obviously, the reason is, "Because they can." But it's still a dick move.
Also, I hope they've got some sort of approval method where a human looks at a picture of the key to see if it's marked "do not duplicate" before a copy is made. That's something I wouldn't trust to OCR.
Now we can't even trust the babysitter to grab a Slurpee down the street...
I can only see this inspiring people with shifty morals to try something new because it's now more convenient. Good thing car keys are more complex these days.
"The only legitimate use of a computer is to play games." - Eugene Jarvis
I Am A LockSmith. The fastest and easiest way to get a bump resistant lock is add one or two tried and tested bump resistant pins. The variety Masterlock came up with does not work. T-pins work well. Dramatically different spring strengths or top pin weights will stop bumping. All three of those methods cost pennies.
As for the Abloy's of the world, well- they have a problem. Great fun for picking enthusiasts. A good way to kill free time. As for opening them- it takes less time than a Schlage with some spools:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj4myR2XlWc
This is what professionals use. There really is nothing short of a vault door that cannot be opened in seconds. Personally, if you are willing to put the money into a Protec2, you really should consider putting ballistic film on your windows and replacing your door frames with steel. They are on the same level. You can't just increase the strength of one link on a chain and call it good.
This is nothing you can't do with a camera phone, a decent-angle shot of the victim's key, some trivial math, and a 3D printer. Of course I just said "3D printer" to be trendy. It works just as well with a 2D printer, cutting out the image, laying it on top of a blank key as a pattern, and taking a Dremel to it.
That's what my roommates did at the house I live at. Keyless entry via numeric pad attached to a battery-powered* dead bolt. Simple, convenient, and no less secure than physical keys. It just replaces "something I have" with "something I know," and it isn't vulnerable to bump-keys or lock-picking tools.
*Lasts for months and gives plenty of warning before it goes out, so no worries there.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
And yet the work just fine for the intended purpose.
If people want in, no amount of tumblers will prevent it.
Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
The brick through a window leaves an obvious signature, which makes life a lot easier when filing a police report and making an insurance claim on stolen goods.
A picked lock means (unless there is something obvious like major damage to the lock) that it is just my word with no evidence to back it up. Similar if the burglar is caught. A broken window will almost be a certain conviction. A picked lock can be explained away as the door was already unlocked, so a B&E charge would end up not being able to be prosecuted.
Heh.
Whenever someone I've known has had their house robbed by a stranger, there's tons of evidence: The place gets trashed.
It is a different story when you're being robbed by someone you know: They're neat and clean and precise. All you notice is that you go looking for your diamond-studded Rolex, and it isn't there anymore. But chances are good that you've already invited them in, anyway, so a lock doesn't help that situation at all either.
Kid-proof tablet..
Really? TFA describes this as a Manhattan-based initiative, so I'm guessing that he's using the term New York City to refer to Manhattan, not Greater New York (all five boroughs). There are 1.6 million people in Manhattan. I don't believe the average person locks themselves out twice per year. Even if he does mean all five boroughs, that still means that one-third of the city locks themselves out each year. I have a very hard time believing this.
Also, virtually all Manhattan residents live in apartment buildings, so they need to get though two locked doors; the front door to the building and the door to their actual apartment. Pretty much all buildings use a lock/key that can't be (easily) copied (Mul-T-Lock or similar) for the front door, so unless you're going to break into your own lobby, you're still up the creek. And if you live in a building with a doorman or live-in superintendent, they frequently have access to a copy of your key.
I don't see this catching on in a big way.
Aww.... That's so cute....
He actually thinks a lock and key can stop someone from getting in...