A False Sense of Security
by Christian Chastain, Fidelity Locksmiths
Published in the "Severna Park Voice"
October 2008How many locks figure into your daily routine? One or two for your house, one for your car, maybe one for your work? When you turn the key in the lock and leave for the day, chances are you feel pretty secure. You’ve “locked-up” for the day, your stuff is protected. Right? How naïve.
An old technique used by locksmiths has recently become a new weapon of robbers and burglars to open virtually any standard lock in moments. It is referred to as a bump key, and it is a very real threat.
A large majority of locks that open with a key, called pin tumbler locks, have a design weakness that allows a specially cut “bump key” to take advantage of this weakness and defeat the locking mechanism. Locksmiths have been picking locks (legitimately) for decades, but the real threat of bump keying lies is the fact that it takes no experience or understanding of how the locks work to quickly open your front door. There are no expensive tools or training, and anyone with some curiosity and time can find out everything there is to know online. There are even YouTube videos detailing how to make and use bump keys. Lockpicking information has until recently been hidden from everyone but bad guys and good locksmiths, but the internet has made all the relevant data just a click away.
It is important to note that bump keying is nothing new. It is not a secret. The principle is as old as physics, and good and bad people have been using it for years. The person who is really at risk is the consumer, who locks their door everyday and isn’t aware that a technique exists for a robber to enter their home through the front door without breaking anything. The point is that you, the consumer, don’t know how vulnerable your locks really are. This is a crime that is on the rise. Crooks are using these tools more and more. Now, you have the knowledge. So, how do you stop a bump key?
First, take a hard look at your security in general. Many people spend their time and money furnishing their homes and filling them with high-tech gadgets while neglecting their locks, making do with old locks installed on the cheap by a contractor when the house was built. Make sure you have a quality knob and deadbolt on every exterior door to your house, including the door from your house to your garage. An alarm system is helpful as a second line of defense, but electronic security is no substitute for physical security.
There are several brands of high-security locks available today that are completely bump-proof. These locks use multiple locking systems to prevent picking, bumping, and even drilling of the lock. Use a professional locksmith to guide you in choosing high security locks for your home.
There are other locks that use a keypad or biometrics (fingerprints) in place of a key. While these are relatively new to the industry, they can offer improved security over pin- tumbler locks.
The bottom line: Bumping is real. If you have a regular lock on your door, you are vulnerable. In a world where tricks like bump keying exist, you would do well to take a hard, close look at your security. Let a professional locksmith help you.
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