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Lock picking
- Thread starter Randy
- Start date
Can pick locks, do it semi-professionally since you don't need a license in most states (save virginia, and the district of columbia.) Started around this time last year, picked it up in a month or two.
Really the only thing stopping anyone from learning is a basic lockpicking set, some locks you can practice with. and a bit of time...
oh! and this helps too!
MIT has a tradition where people learn to pick locks for fun. it's not officially sanctioned but if you wanna be in you gotta be able to pick locks. 
Anyway it's free to anyone who wants to learn.
Youtube is another great resource. Lock Picking Lawyer, Bosnian Bill, and Deviant Ollam are great channels to learn about this stuff from.
Deviant esp because he's not just a lockpicker... he's a penetration tester. he gets paid to break into high security places and tell them how their security is crap and how to fix it.
@Nebulous
Really the only thing stopping anyone from learning is a basic lockpicking set, some locks you can practice with. and a bit of time...
oh! and this helps too!
MIT Guide To Lock Picking : Theodore T. Tool : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
MIT Guide To Lock Picking
archive.org
Anyway it's free to anyone who wants to learn.
Youtube is another great resource. Lock Picking Lawyer, Bosnian Bill, and Deviant Ollam are great channels to learn about this stuff from.
Deviant esp because he's not just a lockpicker... he's a penetration tester. he gets paid to break into high security places and tell them how their security is crap and how to fix it.
@Nebulous
Is that your job or do you do it as a hobby?
Both? but it's not my main job. it's sort of an on call as the situation arises thing.
You should get linseed and open a business!
Really the only thing stopping anyone from learning is a basic lockpicking set, some locks you can practice with. and a bit of time...
oh! and this helps too!
MIT has a tradition where people learn to pick locks for fun. it's not officially sanctioned but if you wanna be in you gotta be able to pick locks.MIT Guide To Lock Picking : Theodore T. Tool : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive
MIT Guide To Lock Pickingarchive.org
Anyway it's free to anyone who wants to learn.
Youtube is another great resource. Lock Picking Lawyer, Bosnian Bill, and Deviant Ollam are great channels to learn about this stuff from.
Deviant esp because he's not just a lockpicker... he's a penetration tester. he gets paid to break into high security places and tell them how their security is crap and how to fix it.
@Nebulous
I should get a lock pick set and practice. Just looked on youtube and there is a ton of videos.
It's honestly not a hard skill to learn. it's all done by feel really. recently a blind person learned to do it from deviant.
but basically you're feeling for the little clicks as the pins slide into place... once you practice enough to have a mental map I think you'll be shocked how easy it is to open most locks
Is it a whole different ballgame for combination locks? Or not?It's honestly not a hard skill to learn. it's all done by feel really. recently a blind person learned to do it from deviant.
but basically you're feeling for the little clicks as the pins slide into place... once you practice enough to have a mental map I think you'll be shocked how easy it is to open most locks
It's actually easier believe it or not.
there's a couple ways to go about this... Let's take a look at two of the most common ones
First there's this kind.
Believe it or not there's two kinds, the first one comes with a combination and has a code written on the back... for that there's an app called snap decoder. it's free and if you search that code it'll give you the combination because it's in a kind of central but unlisted public lock database.
The second let's you set your own combination however it comes down to how good it's manufactured since a lot of the cheaper ones become stiff or bind around their code numbers making it easy to decode them.
then there's the other kind.
For these what you want is a lock decoder pick... it's sorta knife shaped and looks like this.
So you insert it like this and this puts tension on the wheel and the lock so you can feel it when the codewheel engages correctly allowing you to figure it out by simply spinning it with the tension on.
Trust me, you'll feel it when it does... it's scary how insecure these two are.
Here's how it's done if you're curious:
it gets better though... some locks are so poorly designed you can use bit of metal or lock shims!
basically you stick these into the shackle where it goes into the lock body and it releases the latching pin. they look like this.
They're also really easy to use and any lock without good anti-shim protection is vulnerable to this bypassing attack...
Finally don't ever use a cheap key padlock either... the lock core is often unshielded... what that means is you can insert a small hook into the keyway... reach alway to the back, and simply operate the latch without picking it!
Now I'm sure it doesn't need to be said but... DO NOT DO THIS TO LOCKS YOU DO NOT OWN OR HAVE PERMISSION FOR!!!
seriously people get weird about lockpickers... maybe it's because security is a joke, maybe it's because you're lifting the curtain on something they've never thought about but always get permission or practice on locks you own... for your own protection.
It's honestly not a hard skill to learn. it's all done by feel really. recently a blind person learned to do it from deviant.
but basically you're feeling for the little clicks as the pins slide into place... once you practice enough to have a mental map I think you'll be shocked how easy it is to open most locks
Thats what my friend who is good at picking locks tells me.
It's actually easier believe it or not.
there's a couple ways to go about this... Let's take a look at two of the most common ones
First there's this kind.
Believe it or not there's two kinds, the first one comes with a combination and has a code written on the back... for that there's an app called snap decoder. it's free and if you search that code it'll give you the combination because it's in a kind of central but unlisted public lock database.
The second let's you set your own combination however it comes down to how good it's manufactured since a lot of the cheaper ones become stiff or bind around their code numbers making it easy to decode them.
then there's the other kind.
For these what you want is a lock decoder pick... it's sorta knife shaped and looks like this.
So you insert it like this and this puts tension on the wheel and the lock so you can feel it when the codewheel engages correctly allowing you to figure it out by simply spinning it with the tension on.
Trust me, you'll feel it when it does... it's scary how insecure these two are.
Here's how it's done if you're curious:
it gets better though... some locks are so poorly designed you can use bit of metal or lock shims!
basically you stick these into the shackle where it goes into the lock body and it releases the latching pin. they look like this.
They're also really easy to use and any lock without good anti-shim protection is vulnerable to this bypassing attack...
Finally don't ever use a cheap key padlock either... the lock core is often unshielded... what that means is you can insert a small hook into the keyway... reach alway to the back, and simply operate the latch without picking it!
Now I'm sure it doesn't need to be said but... DO NOT DO THIS TO LOCKS YOU DO NOT OWN OR HAVE PERMISSION FOR!!!
seriously people get weird about lockpickers... maybe it's because security is a joke, maybe it's because you're lifting the curtain on something they've never thought about but always get permission or practice on locks you own... for your own protection.
Huh, I would have thought they'd be harder.
Yeah that's what I thought the first few times too XD probably one of the easier trades to pick up honestly... though it gets harder with stuff like tubular locks and dimple locks but those are designed to be more secure... and tubular locks can be picked with a special tool... dimple locks are probably the hardest.Thats what my friend who is good at picking locks tells me.
Huh, I would have thought they'd be harder.
What do those look like?
You've probably seen tubular locks before... they're used on vending machines a lot.
those are easier to crack than others using what's called a tubular lock impressioning tool.
Basically it slides in, you sorta pick the lock with it by rotating the cylinders, and it makes a key until you reset it. but it takes practice.
Then you have dimple locks... you've probably seen one of these on Kryptonite locks.
these work similarly to pin tumbler and wafer locks but they use dimple pins instead and are often double sided. the pins are very finicky, hard to create tension to lock them into place and use a special pick called a flag pick to press them into position.
Notice the little pick on the end of the long metal bit that looks like a flag, you basically rotate this in the keyhole and push the pins with it on both sides while using a tension tool.
Suffice to say no lock is safe from anyone with sufficient skill and knowledge.
Most electronic locks for example reset to unlocked if hit with an EMP
then there's all sorts of signal capturing stuff as well... but for mechanical locks these are the basics.You've probably seen tubular locks before... they're used on vending machines a lot.
those are easier to crack than others using what's called a tubular lock impressioning tool.
Basically it slides in, you sorta pick the lock with it by rotating the cylinders, and it makes a key until you reset it. but it takes practice.
Then you have dimple locks... you've probably seen one of these on Kryptonite locks.
these work similarly to pin tumbler and wafer locks but they use dimple pins instead and are often double sided. the pins are very finicky, hard to create tension to lock them into place and use a special pick called a flag pick to press them into position.
Notice the little pick on the end of the long metal bit that looks like a flag, you basically rotate this in the keyhole and push the pins with it on both sides while using a tension tool.
Suffice to say no lock is safe from anyone with sufficient skill and knowledge.
Most electronic locks for example reset to unlocked if hit with an EMP
Oh yeah, I've seen all of those locks!
Nobody is safe from @SpookyZalost
Please lol, the Lock picking lawyer is the true GOAT of lockpicking. Walks up to random door.
"Today we have here a basic lock, it's not special in anyway... let's begin. click out of one, two is binding, click out of three... kerchunk."
Whos that? A youtuber?
Ya, he's both an actual lawyer... And an expert lockpicker. One of the best infact. It'd suck to have him be in charge of opening a locked suitcase full of evidence.
