Has the Bowley Lock Been "Picked"?
The Rotasera and 543 padlock have not been "picked" to date.
Many of you have seen the handful of videos on YouTube of the original Bowley lock being "picked". To our knowledge there are several people so far who have successfully opened a Bowley Lock however not in the sense of traditional picking which is using a single tool to manipulate each pin until the lock is picked open.
The very first person to successfully open a bowley lock with out the proper key was Michael Huebler (mh) using a foil impressioning attack. After his responsible disclosure to us, we used his feedback to improve the tolerances in the lock and Michael later confirmed that this vulnerability was solved in later production of the lock.
The first person to open it using pick like tools was Chris Ahrens. He successfully made a four-part tool system that he was able to insert into the keyway and rotate around to access the pins. He was then able to manipulate one or two of the pins with each tool and unlock the lock.
The second person to open the lock using picks we are aware of is known as Priyer in the locksport community; he is well known for being one of the first people to open the Yuema 750 and Forever Lock. He had a similar strategy to Chris but his tool set consisted of a six-part tool in which he had an individual pick for each pin plus a tension tool.
The third person is known as Huxleypig in the locksport community and he is well known for being the foremost expert on disc detainer locks and I believe the only person to pick the Protec2. Huxleypig used an EPG tool with a tool he made to enter our keyway and successfully opened a lock. However the lock he had happened to have a key code that was very well suited to this attack and it is unlikely his tool would work on the majority of key codes out there. The Lock Picking Lawyer tried the same attack on his lock and was unsuccessful.
All four of the folks above are expert lock pickers known worldwide. There is a clear advantage when you know the lock and are able to dissassemble it and take the pins out and perfect your tools for a given lock vs trying to pick a lock which you know nothing about. These openings all had that benefit but certainly proves that it is possible however unlikely it may be. Our locks can certainly not be opened using a commercially available pick set which is what most criminals are likely to have.
Unfortunately, as they say, all locks can be picked. If you can emulate the key then you can open the lock. The real questions are: 1) How hard is it to pick? 2) How available are the tools? 3)What is it like in the real world vs picking in a laboratory setting?
1) How hard is it to pick? 2) How available are the tools?
Our lock is hard to pick for several reasons. Thus far you would have to make your own tools. Given the relative scarcity of our lock in the real world no lock pick company has ventured to make a lock picking set for our locks. This is also not an easy task; you would need a lock and a lot of time and equipment to do it. Secondly, from our conversations with the two of the folks who have picked it, is that even with the proper tools, there is very little feedback because of the long, bent, and thin nature of each of the tools. So, to some extent, you are picking blind and guessing. To be fair, many of the good, high-security locks made by companies such as Medeco, Assa Abloy, and the like are very hard to pick on a door. Even the best locksmiths will generally drill them off rather than attempt to pick them for two hours and very rarely will a criminal actually pick one of those.
3) What is it like in the real world vs picking in a laboratory setting?
This is really the better question. The folks who have picked our locks have worked with the lock for a long time in their lock-picking laboratories. They take it apart, adjust tools, and look in from the top as they perfect their technique and get a feel for everything that is happening. I think the videos are a bit misleading, because it is certainly not an accurate portrayal of how long it took them to pick it, but rather the best of many attempts they recorded. When the tools get stuck in the lock, they are able to take the lock apart and get the tools out. Also, their tension tools only have to be strong enough to rotate the core while it is being held in a vice. In the real world, on a door, you are going in blind: you do not actually know the key code; you don't know the sequence you need. The lock is mounted on a door: the position is much less ideal and any feedback you would get in a lab is now muted even further. If your tools get stuck, you are done and your tools are lost forever. Lastly, if one did manage to successfully pick the lock the tensioner needs to be strong enough to not only rotate the core, but also rotate the bolt. I have been very skeptical that any of the tensioners that have been made would actually be able to do that, with all the other tools in the lock. Early in our development our keys were made out of a standard grade of stainless steel (SS304), and we would routinely twist keys out of shape or break them trying to open the bolt on a real door. And that was with all the material possible to provide torque. We had to make our keys out of the very strongest stainless steel available-5 times stronger- for that to stop happening. So I am very suspicious that a thin little strip of metal could actually open the door once picked.
The real problem is with hardware store locks that can be picked, bumped, forced, or raked easily and repeatedly. Criminals are opportunists and will look for easy targets. Most higher-end, high-security locks will deter an amateur or intermediate lock-picking criminal from bothering.
We think we build the best lock for the money, but we may be a bit biased of course. We are unaware of our lock being picked on a door.
The Rotasera and 543 padlock have not been "picked" to date.
Many of you have seen the handful of videos on YouTube of the original Bowley lock being "picked". To our knowledge there are several people so far who have successfully opened a Bowley Lock however not in the sense of traditional picking which is using a single tool to manipulate each pin until the lock is picked open.
The very first person to successfully open a bowley lock with out the proper key was Michael Huebler (mh) using a foil impressioning attack. After his responsible disclosure to us, we used his feedback to improve the tolerances in the lock and Michael later confirmed that this vulnerability was solved in later production of the lock.
The first person to open it using pick like tools was Chris Ahrens. He successfully made a four-part tool system that he was able to insert into the keyway and rotate around to access the pins. He was then able to manipulate one or two of the pins with each tool and unlock the lock.
The second person to open the lock using picks we are aware of is known as Priyer in the locksport community; he is well known for being one of the first people to open the Yuema 750 and Forever Lock. He had a similar strategy to Chris but his tool set consisted of a six-part tool in which he had an individual pick for each pin plus a tension tool.
The third person is known as Huxleypig in the locksport community and he is well known for being the foremost expert on disc detainer locks and I believe the only person to pick the Protec2. Huxleypig used an EPG tool with a tool he made to enter our keyway and successfully opened a lock. However the lock he had happened to have a key code that was very well suited to this attack and it is unlikely his tool would work on the majority of key codes out there. The Lock Picking Lawyer tried the same attack on his lock and was unsuccessful.
All four of the folks above are expert lock pickers known worldwide. There is a clear advantage when you know the lock and are able to dissassemble it and take the pins out and perfect your tools for a given lock vs trying to pick a lock which you know nothing about. These openings all had that benefit but certainly proves that it is possible however unlikely it may be. Our locks can certainly not be opened using a commercially available pick set which is what most criminals are likely to have.
Unfortunately, as they say, all locks can be picked. If you can emulate the key then you can open the lock. The real questions are: 1) How hard is it to pick? 2) How available are the tools? 3)What is it like in the real world vs picking in a laboratory setting?
1) How hard is it to pick? 2) How available are the tools?
Our lock is hard to pick for several reasons. Thus far you would have to make your own tools. Given the relative scarcity of our lock in the real world no lock pick company has ventured to make a lock picking set for our locks. This is also not an easy task; you would need a lock and a lot of time and equipment to do it. Secondly, from our conversations with the two of the folks who have picked it, is that even with the proper tools, there is very little feedback because of the long, bent, and thin nature of each of the tools. So, to some extent, you are picking blind and guessing. To be fair, many of the good, high-security locks made by companies such as Medeco, Assa Abloy, and the like are very hard to pick on a door. Even the best locksmiths will generally drill them off rather than attempt to pick them for two hours and very rarely will a criminal actually pick one of those.
3) What is it like in the real world vs picking in a laboratory setting?
This is really the better question. The folks who have picked our locks have worked with the lock for a long time in their lock-picking laboratories. They take it apart, adjust tools, and look in from the top as they perfect their technique and get a feel for everything that is happening. I think the videos are a bit misleading, because it is certainly not an accurate portrayal of how long it took them to pick it, but rather the best of many attempts they recorded. When the tools get stuck in the lock, they are able to take the lock apart and get the tools out. Also, their tension tools only have to be strong enough to rotate the core while it is being held in a vice. In the real world, on a door, you are going in blind: you do not actually know the key code; you don't know the sequence you need. The lock is mounted on a door: the position is much less ideal and any feedback you would get in a lab is now muted even further. If your tools get stuck, you are done and your tools are lost forever. Lastly, if one did manage to successfully pick the lock the tensioner needs to be strong enough to not only rotate the core, but also rotate the bolt. I have been very skeptical that any of the tensioners that have been made would actually be able to do that, with all the other tools in the lock. Early in our development our keys were made out of a standard grade of stainless steel (SS304), and we would routinely twist keys out of shape or break them trying to open the bolt on a real door. And that was with all the material possible to provide torque. We had to make our keys out of the very strongest stainless steel available-5 times stronger- for that to stop happening. So I am very suspicious that a thin little strip of metal could actually open the door once picked.
The real problem is with hardware store locks that can be picked, bumped, forced, or raked easily and repeatedly. Criminals are opportunists and will look for easy targets. Most higher-end, high-security locks will deter an amateur or intermediate lock-picking criminal from bothering.
We think we build the best lock for the money, but we may be a bit biased of course. We are unaware of our lock being picked on a door.