Lock picking is what lead me to learn to code. I had randomly ended up watching a YouTube video on bumping locks one day(YouTube can take you on some wild rides lol). Naturally, I tried it right away on my own door, low and behold it worked! After gorging myself on lock-picking tutorials for a while I came across this DEFCON 19 presentation - Safe to Armed in Seconds: A Study of Epic Fails of Popular Gun Safes https://youtu.be/vIJFQO4DIxw Of course after watching several hours worth of DEFCON presentations, and my first taste of what the fuck computer code even was, I was hooked.
Back when I was a lock-smith, we would have a contest sometimes to see who could get into a house first (legally), the security system tech usually won, not the very skilled lock-smith. There is always another way into the house, like exposed hinges, poorly constructed double-doors, unlocked windows, etc.
Locks only stop opportunists, or something like that.
The BBC in the UK had a show about this. It was supposedly by an ex convicted burglar and he would break into people's homes to show them issues and how to protect themselves (reality TV style, but BBC so very subdued).
The alarmist nature of the show not withstanding, it was very interesting to see him at work. Very rarely did he do anything technical, complex, or time consuming.
MOST of his entries: Press the doorbell to make sure nobody was home. Walk around, hop the back garden fence. Walk up to a door, turn away from it, bend his foot back, and kick the bottom of the door with his foot until the frame gave in (1-2 minute entry).
Rarely he'd break windows, screens, utilise a small crowbar, or utilise a ladder left laying down in people's back gardens to break into upper floors.
The most complicated break-in I witnessed on the show was via a motorised garage (essentially just used a crowbar, and then leverage to force it up, then slide under).
Never once did he use a lockpick, or do anything that a teenage couldn't have done. A screwdriver and or tiny crowbar are his only tools.
You're correct, but lock picking is useful for criminals who are looking to break into a building without leaving a trace (for whatever nefarious purpose).
I.e. the range from "very sophisticated criminals" to Mossad. An average person isn't even a potential target for this group.
That said, locks serve a different purpose - they're to stop random people from just coming by, taking your stuff and leaving. The kind of people who are not 100% commited to burglary, so they won't be destroying your property in order to get in, but who'd nevertheless take your stuff if they found it unprotected.
That, and also the important social signal: "strangers not welcome without announcing themselves and being allowed to enter".
ProTip: Don't carry a set of lock picks in your carry on luggage. Having attended a lecture where, as part of the experience, people got a simple set of lock picks and practiced on various locks. At least one of those people reported having their lock picks seized at the airport (San Francisco) on their way home.
That said, its a really good way to practice fine motor skills. And practicing can be kind of therapeutic as it gives your hands something to focus on.
I always carry lock picks in my wallet, and I've been stopped numerous times at airports with them, including SFO. I usually just explain what they are and they send me on my way. I imagine they can't legally seize them in CA.
Yep, my disability affects my fine motor skills especially. At RuxCon this year I was able to pick a lock with assistance (a very patient person + a vice on a desk). It's amazing, once you start figuring out what you're feeling via vibrations.
Criminals (in this case bike thieves) just change their tactics:
"He used a limited tool set—generally just wirecutters, a wrench, and a screwdriver—and didn’t like bolt cutters. “You caught with bolt cutters, they charge you with burglary,” he claimed."
Not to agree with killing someone but a bike is more than metal and rubber. Sometimes it is your method of transport to and from work or other more important things.
Thanks. But I live in China, and Banggood doesn't ship to China (it's not in the 'Ship to' drop down on their site). I presume this is because they would then have to deal with domestic taxes like sales tax or VAT, whereas goods which are exported aren't subject to domestic taxes, and may even be eligible for export subsidies.
