Table Of ContentPractical Lock Picking
A Physical Penetration Tester’s Training
Guide
Deviant Ollam
Shane Lawson, Technical Editor
Table of Contents
Cover image
Title page
Copyright
Dedication
Foreword
Author’s Note
About the Author
About the Technical Editor
Ethical Considerations
Scenario One
Scenario Two
Scenario Three
So what do you think?
Do not pick locks you do not own
Do not pick locks on which you rely
Chapter 1. Fundamentals of Pin Tumbler and Wafer Locks
Pin Tumbler Locks
Wafer Locks
Summary
Chapter 2. The Basics of Picking—Exploiting Weaknesses
Exploiting Weaknesses in Locks
Picking with a Lifting Technique
Picking with a Raking Technique
Summary
Chapter 3. Beginner Training—How to Get Very Good, Very Fast
A Word on Equipment
The Basics of Field Stripping
Starter Exercises
Learning Exercises
Challenging Yourself Further
Using Rakes and Jigglers
Wafer Lock Exercises
Extra Hints
Summary
Chapter 4. Advanced Training—Learning Some Additional Skills
Pick-Resistant Pins
Specialized Picking Techniques
Specialized Picking Tools
Practice Exercises
Real-World Locks Which Offer Greater Challenges
Summary
Chapter 5. Quick-Entry Tricks—Shimming, Bumping, and
Bypassing
Padlock Shims
Snapping and Bumping
Comb Picks
American Lock Bypass Tool
Door Bypassing
Summary
Chapter 6. They All Come Tumbling Down—Pin Tumblers in
Other Configurations
Tubular Locks
Cruciform Locks
Dimple Locks
The Secret Weakness in 90% of Padlocks
Summary
Appendix: Guide to Tools and Toolkits
Guide To Differentiating Pick Tools
A Note About Tension Tools
Pick Kit Suggestions
Conclusion
Index
Copyright
Acquiring Editor: Chris Katsaropoulos
Development Editor: Heather Scherer
Project Manager: Paul Gottehrer
Designer: Kristen Davis
Syngress is an imprint of Elsevier 225 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA 02451, USA
© 2012 Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced or
transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying,
recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from
the publisher. Details on how to seek permission, further information about the Publisher’s
permissions policies and our arrangements with organizations such as the Copyright Clearance
Center and the Copyright Licensing Agency, can be found at our website:
www.elsevier.com/permissions.
This book and the individual contributions contained in it are protected under copyright by the
Publisher (other than as may be noted herein).
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 in evaluating and using any information or methods described
herein. In using such information or methods they should be mindful of their own safety and
the safety of others, including parties for whom they have a professional responsibility.
To the fullest extent of the law, neither the Publisher nor the authors, contributors, or editors,
assume any liability for any injury and/or damage to persons or property as a matter of
products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from any use or operation of any methods,
products, instructions, or ideas contained in the material herein.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Application submitted
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-1-59749989-7
Printed in the United States of America
For information on all Syngress publications visit our website at http://store.elsevier.com
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.
Foreword
I feel somewhat like an old man remarking in this fashion, but this book
is a great example of the wonderful time in which you currently find
yourself. To be alive and learning right now… when there are accessible
resources such as this about lockpicking, with beautiful illustrations and
lessons written with passion visible on every page, that is truly
something.
I reflect back and compare the state of things now with how they
were when I was young. I dreamed of being able to open locks. I knew it
could be done, but I did not know how. In the 1980s, when my hunger
for this knowledge was getting quite powerful, the state of educational
materials was very different. Through ads in magazines I found a small
publisher in the United States offering a book called The Complete Guide
to Lockpicking by Eddie the Wire. This book was an inspiration, both for
paying close attention during my English lessons in school (all the better
to understand Eddie’s every word) and for obtaining pick tools (which
could only be found at an expensive spy shop for the equivalent of $200
at the time).
It was with great excitement that I sat down at home with my first
proper tool set, my book, and some locks from the store. However, it
took an entire long and frustrating day before the first padlock clicked
open. You know (or your will soon find out!) how it feels your first
time… you will always remember that moment! The rush was amazing
and addictive. From then on I was hooked and tried to pick any lock I
could (legally!) get my hands on.
