Practical Lock Picking

294 Pages·2012·28.648 MB·English

by  Ollam, Deviant

Practical Lock Picking
A Physical Penetration Tester’s Training Guide
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Practical Lock Picking
A Physical Penetration Tester's Training Guide
Deviant Ollam
Shane Lawson, Technical Editor
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG
LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD
PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO
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Notices
Knowledge and best practice in this field are constantly changing. As new research and experience
broaden our understanding, changes in research methods or professional practices, may become
necessary. Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge
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whom they have a professional responsibility.
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12 13 14 15 16 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Dedication
To my Mother and Father
My father taught me to take pride in the things that I own, to treat them
with care, and use them properly so that they serve me well. It is because of
him that I own a ten-year-old truck and a thirty-year-old jeep, both of which
run just fine with half a million miles between them. I also cannot thank him
enough for teaching me to shoot at a young age.
My mother taught me the value of getting the most out of the equipment you
own by learning how it functions, inside and out, so you can fix it if the need
should arise. I can remember a time when I was all of about nine years old and
the iron in our house stopped working. My mom explained to me that you don't
throw something away just because it is old. Fiddling with the cord, she was able
to determine where a break existed in the wire... it was down near the plug.
I stood there, wide-eyed, as she cut the line, stripped the wire ends, and
inserted them into an after-market replacement plug. She let me hold the
screwdriver and tighten the contact points where electricity would again flow
to the appliance. I never forgot what it felt like to take something you owned
and get more out of it using your own skills and tools. You never can quite tell
when you first become a hacker, but for lack of a better point on the calendar I
will always believe it started for me on that Sunday afternoon.
… My parents still own that iron to this day.
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Contents
Foreword ............................................................................................................... xi
Author’s Note ...................................................................................................... xiii
About the Author ............................................................................................... xvii
About the Technical Editor ................................................................................ xvii
Ethical Considerations ........................................................................................ xix
CHAPTER 1 Fundamentals of Pin Tumbler and Wafer Locks .............. 1
Pin Tumbler Locks........................................................................2
The plug ...................................................................................4
Pin tumbler lock operation ....................................................17
Wafer Locks ................................................................................26
Wafer lock construction .........................................................31
Wafer lock operation .............................................................35
Better wafer locks ..................................................................38
Summary .....................................................................................39
CHAPTER 2 The Basics of Picking—Exploiting Weaknesses ........... 41
Exploiting Weaknesses in Locks ................................................41
Manufacturing imperfections .................................................41
Mechanical imperfections lead to security weaknesses ........43
Picking with a Lifting Technique ...............................................47
The problem of too much tension .........................................62
The peril of overlifting ...........................................................66
Picking with a Raking Technique ..............................................67
The half-diamond pick ...........................................................71
Tension tools ..........................................................................76
Jiggler tools ............................................................................86
Summary .....................................................................................94
CHAPTER 3 Beginner Training—How to Get Very Good, Very Fast ... 97
A Word on Equipment ...............................................................97
Cutaway locks ........................................................................98
Progressively pinned locks ..................................................100
The importance of a vice .....................................................101
The Basics of Field Stripping ...................................................102
Starter Exercises .......................................................................106
Inserting and moving the pick ............................................106
Feeling the spring ................................................................110
Setting a single pin stack .....................................................111
vii
viii Contents
Learning Exercises ....................................................................112
Slow down, lighten up .........................................................113
Two pin stacks .....................................................................113
Three pin stacks ...................................................................116
Four pin stacks and beyond ................................................118
Challenging Yourself Further ...................................................119
Deep reach practice .............................................................119
Blindly mix and match .........................................................122
Using Rakes and Jigglers ..........................................................124
Techniques of tool movement .............................................125
Wafer Lock Exercises ...............................................................127
Progressive wafer locks .......................................................127
Tensioning wafer locks ........................................................127
Extra Hints ................................................................................128
Which way to turn ...............................................................128
Plugs stuck upside-down .....................................................133
Summary ...................................................................................134
CHAPTER 4 Advanced Training—Learning Some Additional Skills ....137
Pick-Resistant Pins ....................................................................137
Pins with lips ........................................................................138
Pins with serrations ..............................................................142
Coordinated pick-resistant components ..............................143
Specialized Picking Techniques ...............................................143
Counter-rotation ...................................................................144
Specialized Picking Tools .........................................................147
Featherweight tension tools.................................................147
Bogotá jiggler rakes .............................................................148
Practice Exercises .....................................................................149
Spooled progressive practice locks .....................................149
Pick-resistant keyways .........................................................153
Real-World Locks Which Offer Greater Challenges ................155
Defiant brand door locks .....................................................155
Master Lock color-plated series and fusion series ..............155
American Lock padlocks ......................................................157
Advanced security pin cylinder ...........................................158
Summary ...................................................................................159
CHAPTER 5 Quick-Entry Tricks—Shimming, Bumping,
and Bypassing .......................................................... 161
Padlock Shims ..........................................................................162
The Deviant beer can shim ..................................................162
Double shimming .................................................................171
Unshimmable padlocks ........................................................173
Snapping and Bumping ............................................................175
Snap guns .............................................................................175
Contents ix
Bump keys ...........................................................................178
Comb Picks ...............................................................................188
Over lifting ...........................................................................188
Using comb picks .................................................................190
American Lock Bypass Tool .....................................................191
Door Bypassing ........................................................................195
Slip attacks against latch bolts .............................................195
Triggering door handles and push bars ..............................196
Summary ...................................................................................201
CHAPTER 6 They All Come Tumbling Down—Pin Tumblers
in Other Configurations ............................................. 203
Tubular Locks ...........................................................................203
Inside a tubular lock ............................................................204
Pick tools for tubular locks ..................................................208
Picking tubular locks ...........................................................216
Odd styles of tubular locks ..................................................228
Cruciform Locks........................................................................229
Manually picking a cruciform lock ......................................230
Cross lock picks ...................................................................230
Dimple Locks ............................................................................237
The Secret Weakness in 90% of Padlocks ...............................240
Summary ...................................................................................241
Appendix: Guide to Tools and Toolkits ............................................ 243
Guide To Differentiating Pick Tools ........................................244
Thick and thin shafts .......................................................... 245
Hook picks .......................................................................... 246
Diamond picks .................................................................... 247
Rake picks ........................................................................... 248
Jagged lifters........................................................................ 249
Jiggler picks ......................................................................... 251
Ball picks ............................................................................. 252
Curve picks .......................................................................... 253
Offset picks ......................................................................... 254
King and Queen .................................................................. 254
Extractors ............................................................................. 255
A Note About Tension Tools ................................................... 256
Pick Kit Suggestions ................................................................ 256
Typical kit ............................................................................ 257
Car kit .................................................................................. 259
Big kit .................................................................................. 261
Pocket/emergency kit ......................................................... 261
Conclusion ............................................................................... 263
Index .................................................................................................................. 265