Ever heard of lock bumping?

[Paul the 6th]

Yet another "my car's been stolen" thread has gone up on the AudiSRS forums (seems to be 1 or 2 a week at the moment). The car keys are almost always taken from the house, but there's rarely any signs of forced entry into the house. Many of the posters who've had their cars nicked report that they/their partner/their kids were in the house at the time they heard their car start and that they found their front door swinging wide open despite being confident in the knowledge they just locked it a few hours earlier..

This latest guy posts later that he believes the theives must have used 'bump keys'. Having done a bit of reading, it seems that the majority (upto 90%) of domestic locks can be 'bumped' with keys which can either be made or bought from companies openly selling them (just look at the sponsored search results on google!)..

Here's how it works: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xkkS2p7SuQ&NR=1

Thought it might be worth posting this as for most of us, our bikes are our pride & joy, not to mention recession making theft/crime more likely.

There's alsorts of products out there to prevent 'lock bumping' (http://www.pickbuster.co.uk/ is one I've come across) but the whole thing serves as a little reminder to keep your bike secure & safe, be aware of and protect yourself from the methods these scumbags are using..

Yep it works especially on Yale type locks, a customer left me a key under a plant pot but it was the wrong key and she couldn't get back until dinnertime so I tried it for the first time then, worked after about 3 mins of trying.
You kinda turn key a touch while pulling it towards you or away, can't remember which then bang the key, apparently the pins bounce allowing the key to be turned.
I apologise to the peeps in the know if I haven't described it well, it does work though.

[Paul the 6th]

LOL cheers phil, I'm not recommending this as a substitute for when you've forgotten your keys, more for if scum out there are using this method to get hold of keys to bikes/cars, people really need to be aware of it so they can atleast try and protect themselves against it...

but yeah I suppose you could always leave a bump key under your wheelie bin for if you get locked out - just don't carry it as it's probably classed as 'going equipped'

[yorkie_chris]

You can get specific lubricants for locks to avoid bumping and locks fitted with anti-pick and anti-bump pins inside them, but none are that effective and the lubricants aren't permanent either.

Lets face it a skilled locksmith can get through pretty much any lock.


The scary thing about bumping is it isn't particularly difficult and the "tools" you need are cheap and available.
The only solution to picking is a deadbolt or bar of some description, or an expensive lever lock.

Woah woah woah!
Good to know but im not happy about it!

Is this one of those things where by the common market leader is the most easily targeted (ie those with Yales) are going to be coming home to find their door open and car/bike/dog gone.

[Paul the 6th]

well there's this american news report about bumping, but in the middle there's a short interview with a locksmith who explains that a key which doesn't quite fit properly can still be used to bump: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM

although it appears that in the main, you'd need a key which fits the barrel to begin with, then adapt it for bumping...

how does that pickbuster work, from waht I can see its just a gel you squeeze into the lock. Only this gel costs £22 for 5 packs..

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

You can get specific lubricants for locks to avoid bumping and locks fitted with anti-pick and anti-bump pins inside them, but none are that effective and the lubricants aren't permanent either.

Lets face it a skilled locksmith can get through pretty much any lock.


The scary thing about bumping is it isn't particularly difficult and the "tools" you need are cheap and available.
The only solution to picking is a deadbolt or bar of some description, or an expensive lever lock.

Actually, once when my ex took the only house key to work with her, I gaffa taped my steel metre ruler so the handle couldn't be pushed down (basically gave same effect as if the door was locked), and then used a shoe to ensure the travel of the ruler was only up & down (not side to side)..


So there's my top security tip for the day folks, gaffa tape a metal bar to the bottom of your door handle (on the inside) to act as a deadbolt.. but then how do you get out?

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by Owenski

how does that pickbuster work, from waht I can see its just a gel you squeeze into the lock. Only this gel costs £22 for 5 packs..

sounds like a kind of special 'suspension gel' which acts to stop the pins bouncing against the springs into the shear line? Bit mickey mouse but cheap enough if you were so worried about it..

Failing that there's expensive barrels: http://www.abs-secure.co.uk/thesolution.asp and if you're still not happy you could get a rockdoor: http://www.rockdoor.com/

Might be cheaper to apply for a shotgun licence and practice aiming for the legs though?

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by Owenski

how does that pickbuster work, from waht I can see its just a gel you squeeze into the lock. Only this gel costs £22 for 5 packs..

Just a lubricant to allow the bumped pins to slide past shear line and not take a set.