4 ms·

Abloy Protec2 is definitely a winner. Their padlocks are great as well, because they use hardened bodies even for their small travel locks. I used these on my

Abloy Protec2 is definitely a winner. Their padlocks are great as well, because they use hardened bodies even for their small travel locks. I used these on my Pelican case when I went around the world and had multiple attempts while checking in my camera gear to break in by "security personnel" in sketchy places, and nobody succeeded at doing anything other than marking the shackle. Someone also tried to pick it and failed. The reality is, of course no security is perfect. In the case I used it the easiest path in was cutting the hinges on the case, but that would have been obviously and permanently destructive. Removing the lock and replacing it would theoretically get me onward traveling prior to noticing, where-as a destroyed case would have gotten me to immediately implicate the likely perpetrators.

YPPH 5y ago
Can't wait for a TSA compliant Protec2 lock! /s
- tristor 5y ago
  I don't use TSA compliant locks on my luggage when I check it. There is NO legal requirement to use a TSA compliant lock. The legal requirement is that the TSA must be able to inspect the luggage. You can get around this by requesting pre-inspection as part of checking your luggage (which is required for firearms and some other types of checked luggage in the US, anyway). Pre-inspection is typically done in the presence of the passenger, who can then relock the luggage before checking it. In other countries, pre-inspection is typically required as well, but they don't have any concept of "TSA compliant" in the first place, that's a US thing. TSA compliant locks are a ridiculous concept and nobody should ever use them for anything. Certainly not for anything important you travel with.
  - YPPH 5y ago
    They're also remarkably insecure. 3D printable master key plans are readily available on the internet. At one point Chinese marketplaces were selling prefabricated master key sets. And if that's not bad enough they can be easily raked open.
  - Daneel_ 5y ago
    I strongly recommend checking out Deviant Ollam's talk about flying with high security locks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfqtYfaILHw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfqtYfaILHw
  - giantg2 5y ago
    If I remember correctly, a requirement for checking firearms is that the lock be non-TSA.
    - tristor 5y ago
      This is correct, if you want to be absolutely sure that the TSA won't mess with you, just fly with firearms. On the flip side, this comes with its own challenges for international travel and in certain states (NY, in particular, has stupid laws and even more stupid enforcement of those laws).
      - giantg2 5y ago
        If I understand correctly, NY law doesn't matter so long as you are on the secure side of the terminal and just passing through. I think I do remember someone getting hosed because the airline basically did an unexpected layover/cancelation to someone in NY and essentially forced them to take possession of something NY deemed illegal.
pmoriarty 5y ago
"Someone also tried to pick it and failed" How did you know someone tried to pick it?
- tristor 5y ago
  Marks left on the keyway.
  - pmoriarty 5y ago
    Are those marks visible with the naked eye or do you have to use magnification to see them? Are there any pics anywhere that show what such marks look like, and could they be caused by anything other than picking?
    - tristor 5y ago
      > Are those marks visible with the naked eye or do you have to use magnification to see them? Visible with the naked eye > Are there any pics anywhere that show what such marks look like, and could they be caused by anything other than picking? Sure, it's possible they could have been caused by something else, but it's unlikely given the context. Yes, there are photos, but I'm not able to share them at the moment. When I travel internationally to "sketchy" places, I always photograph my luggage thoroughly before and after transiting.
      - GekkePrutser 5y ago
        Hah I photograph my stuff too in hotels when I leave for the day. And I leave my stuff arranged randomly so I can see if it's been disturbed. When I come back I check it with the photo. I thought I was just being paranoid. Actually I probably am paranoid. Doesn't mean that aren't after me though! :)
    - formerly_proven 5y ago
      http://www.lockpickingforensics.com/ http://www.lockpickingforensics.com/
walterbell 5y ago
Abloy is also available as a standard knob lock or interchangeable cylinder core for some Schlage/Yale locks, https://securitysnobs.com/Knob-Lock-with-BiLock-or-Abloy-Protec2-Core.htmlk https://securitysnobs.com/Knob-Lock-with-BiLock-or-Abloy-Pro... & https://securitysnobs.com/Abloy-Protec2-Schlage-Interchangeable-Core-LFIC-Cylinder.html https://securitysnobs.com/Abloy-Protec2-Schlage-Interchangea...
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
achn 5y ago
I had an Abloy Protec2 euro lock on my front door and was happy with the mechanism at first, but it did not last. The lock failed in the locked position after 3 years triggering significant cost to remove the cylinder body from the mortise lock. The drill-out took 5 seconds at most…
- nabla9 5y ago
  That's an outlier. Abloy Protec2 has huge installed base and they are extremely durable and reliable. Failing after 3 years is rare.
  - jhugo 5y ago
    > The drill-out took 5 seconds at most… This is the far more concerning part.
    - _abox 5y ago
      This is the #1 thing they teach you in lockpicking class anyway. If you want to burgle, buy a crowbar or in this case a drill. It even doubles as a weapon, they will say jokingly. Though I imagine burglars will actually think that way. Lockpicking is more interesting as a sport, or for legitimate purposes. For illegitimate ones it just takes too long, and its positives like being silent aren't of any benefit to robbers. And spies have better tools. Modern door locks are full of mitigations like mushroom pins anyway. Data centre racks, office drawers, filing cabinets, those are the ones you can open in seconds because they tend to have cheap locks with really poor manufacturing tolerances. This is what makes lockpicking so interesting to pentesters. Source: lockpicking class at security conferences (most of the defcon-style ones do them). It was really enlightening to see how hard it is to pick a good lock. And how easy to pick a crap one. But 5 seconds is particularly bad indeed. Usually the cylinders are made of metals with different hardnesses inside to deflect a drill sideways. Brute force will still get them but 5 seconds is quick.
    - thesmok 5y ago
      I have Abloy Protec2 on my front door, with optional hardened plate (product code CH101) protecting it from drilling. The key hole in the plate is just big enough for a key to go through, but not big enough to allow damage to the lock mechanism. They've thought about it.

YPPH 5y ago

Can't wait for a TSA compliant Protec2 lock! /s

tristor 5y ago
I don't use TSA compliant locks on my luggage when I check it. There is NO legal requirement to use a TSA compliant lock. The legal requirement is that the TSA must be able to inspect the luggage. You can get around this by requesting pre-inspection as part of checking your luggage (which is required for firearms and some other types of checked luggage in the US, anyway). Pre-inspection is typically done in the presence of the passenger, who can then relock the luggage before checking it. In other countries, pre-inspection is typically required as well, but they don't have any concept of "TSA compliant" in the first place, that's a US thing. TSA compliant locks are a ridiculous concept and nobody should ever use them for anything. Certainly not for anything important you travel with.
- YPPH 5y ago
  They're also remarkably insecure. 3D printable master key plans are readily available on the internet. At one point Chinese marketplaces were selling prefabricated master key sets. And if that's not bad enough they can be easily raked open.
- Daneel_ 5y ago
  I strongly recommend checking out Deviant Ollam's talk about flying with high security locks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfqtYfaILHw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfqtYfaILHw
- giantg2 5y ago
  If I remember correctly, a requirement for checking firearms is that the lock be non-TSA.
  - tristor 5y ago
    This is correct, if you want to be absolutely sure that the TSA won't mess with you, just fly with firearms. On the flip side, this comes with its own challenges for international travel and in certain states (NY, in particular, has stupid laws and even more stupid enforcement of those laws).
    - giantg2 5y ago
      If I understand correctly, NY law doesn't matter so long as you are on the secure side of the terminal and just passing through. I think I do remember someone getting hosed because the airline basically did an unexpected layover/cancelation to someone in NY and essentially forced them to take possession of something NY deemed illegal.

pmoriarty 5y ago

"Someone also tried to pick it and failed" How did you know someone tried to pick it?

tristor 5y ago
Marks left on the keyway.
- pmoriarty 5y ago
  Are those marks visible with the naked eye or do you have to use magnification to see them? Are there any pics anywhere that show what such marks look like, and could they be caused by anything other than picking?
  - tristor 5y ago
    > Are those marks visible with the naked eye or do you have to use magnification to see them? Visible with the naked eye > Are there any pics anywhere that show what such marks look like, and could they be caused by anything other than picking? Sure, it's possible they could have been caused by something else, but it's unlikely given the context. Yes, there are photos, but I'm not able to share them at the moment. When I travel internationally to "sketchy" places, I always photograph my luggage thoroughly before and after transiting.
    - GekkePrutser 5y ago
      Hah I photograph my stuff too in hotels when I leave for the day. And I leave my stuff arranged randomly so I can see if it's been disturbed. When I come back I check it with the photo. I thought I was just being paranoid. Actually I probably am paranoid. Doesn't mean that aren't after me though! :)
  - formerly_proven 5y ago
    http://www.lockpickingforensics.com/ http://www.lockpickingforensics.com/

walterbell 5y ago

Abloy is also available as a standard knob lock or interchangeable cylinder core for some Schlage/Yale locks, https://securitysnobs.com/Knob-Lock-with-BiLock-or-Abloy-Protec2-Core.htmlk https://securitysnobs.com/Knob-Lock-with-BiLock-or-Abloy-Pro... & https://securitysnobs.com/Abloy-Protec2-Schlage-Interchangeable-Core-LFIC-Cylinder.html https://securitysnobs.com/Abloy-Protec2-Schlage-Interchangea...

deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

achn 5y ago

I had an Abloy Protec2 euro lock on my front door and was happy with the mechanism at first, but it did not last. The lock failed in the locked position after 3 years triggering significant cost to remove the cylinder body from the mortise lock. The drill-out took 5 seconds at most…

nabla9 5y ago
That's an outlier. Abloy Protec2 has huge installed base and they are extremely durable and reliable. Failing after 3 years is rare.
- jhugo 5y ago
  > The drill-out took 5 seconds at most… This is the far more concerning part.
  - _abox 5y ago
    This is the #1 thing they teach you in lockpicking class anyway. If you want to burgle, buy a crowbar or in this case a drill. It even doubles as a weapon, they will say jokingly. Though I imagine burglars will actually think that way. Lockpicking is more interesting as a sport, or for legitimate purposes. For illegitimate ones it just takes too long, and its positives like being silent aren't of any benefit to robbers. And spies have better tools. Modern door locks are full of mitigations like mushroom pins anyway. Data centre racks, office drawers, filing cabinets, those are the ones you can open in seconds because they tend to have cheap locks with really poor manufacturing tolerances. This is what makes lockpicking so interesting to pentesters. Source: lockpicking class at security conferences (most of the defcon-style ones do them). It was really enlightening to see how hard it is to pick a good lock. And how easy to pick a crap one. But 5 seconds is particularly bad indeed. Usually the cylinders are made of metals with different hardnesses inside to deflect a drill sideways. Brute force will still get them but 5 seconds is quick.
  - thesmok 5y ago
    I have Abloy Protec2 on my front door, with optional hardened plate (product code CH101) protecting it from drilling. The key hole in the plate is just big enough for a key to go through, but not big enough to allow damage to the lock mechanism. They've thought about it.