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How do keys work? Explained in one Gif
- tokenadult 14y agoHow blogspam works. This is blogspam upon blogspam. I dare not say that this link http://delima.soup.io/post/295576131/how-keys-work http://delima.soup.io/post/295576131/how-keys-work is the original link, but it's at least two links closer to the original source than the link submitted here to HN. AFTER EDIT: Many thanks to the HN reader who found the original source, which deserves traffic much more than blogspam. I flag blogspam relentlessly since another HN user asked about the issue. http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4583307 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4583307
- confluence 14y agoThat original link grinds most browsers to a halt.
- ryen 14y agoNo site that has a 25x25 count grid of animated avatars to show who "reposted" deserves to get traffic
- quasque 14y agoYep, looks like it's originally from here (and in much higher quality): http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43120 http://www.lockpicking101.com/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43120
- nvr219 14y agoHere's direct link to the original youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiYIYXEX9Ko http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiYIYXEX9Ko
- lucb1e 14y agoSeen a similar image a while back. Locks suddenly made a lot of sense then. Perhaps make another one about how walker keys work with locks like these? If I remember correctly, they were keys with filed down teeth. You had to put the key all but one tooth into the lock and then nudge it all the way in while turning, which would knock the top half of the metal rods up, allowing the lock to open.
- gameshot911 14y agoSame thing as a bump key? Basically you cut down all the notches to the lowest setting (ie the deepest cut for that model of key), and then exactly as you described you put the key in up to the penultimate notch, at which point you apply rotational pressure on the key and knock the key in with some force (aka "bump" it in). The force of the insert bumps all the pins up, and the torque applied to the key catches the top half of the pin in the "open" position as the mechanism falls. If you catch all the top halves, the lock is breached.
- usaphp 14y agoI wonder how did people come up with a structure like that...back in the days people were smarter.
- jlgreco 14y agoThe modern pin tumbler lock is more or less an evolutionary step along a long line of lock designs. The basic principles of all locks are basically the same; you have some sort of hidden configuration (in this case, the lengths of each pin, or in the case of a much more primitive warded lock, the positions of the posts) which must be matched by the key for mechanical movement to be possible. How you combine those elements takes some intuition, but if you really look around you at the world today I don't think it can be said that this sort of creativity and insight has been lost to history. We're building some pretty wild stuff these days.
- ramses0 14y agoThis is super interesting as well! http://woodgears.ca/combolock/index.html http://woodgears.ca/combolock/index.html Now you know why you had to go twice around when opening your school locker. ;-)
- nsxwolf 14y agoI'd like to see a version of the gif done with lock picks.
- macalicious 14y agoThat's what I was thinking. That would be quite nice.
- mepet 14y agohttp://i.imgur.com/kaOa0G3.gif http://i.imgur.com/kaOa0G3.gif Here's a version I found on reddit a while back.
- vinhboy 14y agowhat exactly is that little dirt stain that moves from cylinder to cylinder supposed to be? is it supposed to represent tension or something?
- tptacek 14y agoIt's the currently binding cylinder. With the right amount of tension applied via the wrench, one pin binds at a time, which is what allows you to set the pins one at a time.
- TallboyOne 14y agoWhat's the difference in feeling where he's 'testing' which one's the binding cylinder or not? Is it just a tiny bit more 'grainy' harder to push or something?
- tptacek 14y agoThe binding pin won't bounce up and down when you actuate it with the pick. The non-binding pins won't offer any resistance at all. Also, when you manage to get the binding pin to the shear line, the tension wrench will sometimes give up a little more rotation.
- gggggggg 14y agoThat's a great way to explain it. However, can anyone explain how lock picking works, that GIF makes it seem like it would be very difficult. On TV at least they do it in a matter of moments.
- gggggggg 14y agoFrom the source this might help explain: Nitesh - yesterday Related, the flaws in the machining of the pin chambers is what you exploit while lock picking. You turn the lock slightly, then use another tool to push pins up one at a time, and hopefully when they come down they get stuck on the top of the lower pin chamber. Once you do that with every pin, it's unlocked.
- SquareWheel 14y agoI just wrote a quick explanation above, but let me know if you want more detail. Picking difficulty varies quite greatly by number of pins, number of security pins (some are tougher!), quality of the lock (the imperfections make it possible), and the tool/experience you have. I'm also by no means an expert, just somebody interested in the hobby.
- borlak 14y agoSquareWheel explained it very well. As for the difficulty, you'd be surprised how easy it is. I started picking a few weeks ago for fun and I've been able to pick your basic store bought locks within a couple minutes with the hook tool (where you have to lock each pin individually). There is another tool, called a 'rake', that tries to set several pins at once -- it basically has several jagged edges, much like a key. With rakes I can beat these locks in a matter of seconds, and I'm a newbie! I'm working on the lower end of locks, but even still, it has made me more wary of home security.
- jjclarkson 14y agoThis design is a good visual for why lock bumping is fairly easy on most residential locks. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_bumping http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_bumping
- jjclarkson 14y agoOn residential locks the tolerances on each pin's traveling cylinder are loose enough to allow you to apply shearing force on the pin by holding the lock tight (as if trying to open it) and quickly bump each pin up so they land on the salient edge of the entire cylinder block and avoid dropping back into a locking position.
- tadfisher 14y agoWikipedia disagrees with you, albeit without a citation: "High-quality locks may be more vulnerable to bumping unless they employ specific countermeasures. More precise manufacturing tolerances within the cylinder make bumping easier because the mechanical tolerances of the lock are smaller, which means there is less loss of force in other directions and mostly pins move more freely and smoothly. Locks made of hardened steel are more vulnerable because they are less prone to damage during the bumping process that might cause a cheaper lock to jam." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_bumping http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lock_bumping
- TheBoff 14y agoIt makes me wonder how strong the cylinders are. They look quite small, so it seems like with a tool shaped like a "T" with a wide top you'd be able to force a lock open.
- run4yourlives 14y agoPretty sure they are stonger than any key you could make, so the key would snap before the cylinders do. Plus, you need to be able to allow the entire mechanism to turn in order to disengage the lock, which the broken cylinders would interfere with.
- SquareWheel 14y agoLocks are a relatively simple a fun mechanism to play with. Lock picking can be explained similarly. It's essentially simulating that key by popping the pins up to the shear line (the horizontal plane) and applying tension via your tension/torsion tool so the pin doesn't fall down. Then move onto the next one. If you get all pins to the shear line, the lock opens. It's also a pretty cheap hobby to get into. Though the legality varies by country/state so do check into that first if interested.
- Joeboy 14y agoA few years ago I went and bought myself the cheapest Yale type lock I could find in order to teach myself to pick it. After repeatedly failing I took it apart and discovered some of the pins had recesses that were designed to defeat this kind of attack (I think they're called "spool pins"). I never managed to put it back together again, and that was the end of my lock picking career.
- TurplePurtle 14y agoHere's a video with more info about these anti-picking mechanisms and how to defeat them: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVsI4qyl3g http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQVsI4qyl3g
- tonybaroneee 14y agoI got caught up with this guy's videos and watched all of them because they are so cool. Thanks for the share!
- Cushman 14y agoIt also comes in handy more often than you'd think. Picking real-world residential locks is usually a Bad Idea even if you're allowed to, but with a little practice anyone can learn to open cheap wafer locks (like you find on desk drawers) or padlocks in seconds with nothing more than a couple of bobby pins. Like when I cleverly managed to mail my apartment keys to myself, including my only mailbox key...
- suyash 14y agoVery well done
- aviswanathan 14y agoWhoa, mind blown
- nulluk 14y agoI have been brought up picking since I was in secondary school (Both Father and older Brother are locksmiths). It's very interesting stuff and once you see the in's and out's of peoples daily "security" you realise it's just about a game of not being the lowest common denominator. If a thief wants in, they aren't going to spend there time picking (or even bumping) they go straight for the snapper, or simply put the window through. Apologies on the video music, you might want to turn it down but this is the first Video I come across of snapping a euro cylinder on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVeij3jffCM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVeij3jffCM
- deleted 14y ago[deleted]
- shocks 14y agoOld but still relevant. I learnt about locks here. http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/MITLockGuide.pdf http://www.lysator.liu.se/mit-guide/MITLockGuide.pdf
- brianpan 14y ago> ...it is worth pointing out that lock picking is just one way to bypass a lock A sobering insight after a break-in and a conversation with a locksmith. A lock is only as good as the latch, and door that it's sitting in, and the hinges attaching the door, and the molding surrounding it, and the wall it's in.
- bicknergseng 14y agoThere's a Mythbusters where they quite literally tackled the action-movie-style busting down the door. Turns out it doesn't matter how many locks are on the door when Jamie kept knocking them off their hinges.
- derleth 14y ago... and the person who is responsible for locking the door, and the person who is responsible for following up on reports of suspicious behavior near that door, and the person who is called out when someone finally discovers the lock must have been picked at some point in the past, and the legal system surrounding all of them, and the civil society that gives that legal system authority and legitimacy, and the broader cultural scope that gives the civil society a foundation and a sphere in which to act confidently, which depends on people believing that, if they do wrong in that society, someone will punish them. So picking a lock in Compton might be perfectly safe assuming you don't get shot outright, unless Compton's been gentrified while I wasn't looking. On the flip side, you won't even get close to Fort Knox with bad intent, largely because you know you won't get close to Fort Knox with bad intent.
- martinced 14y ago"...you won't even get close to Fort Knox with bad intent..." Depends how powerful you are. Why did the gold audit that was supposed to take place been refused? Maybe because there's not anywhere as much gold in Fort Knox as what there's supposed to be. If this is true, people with bad intent managed to bypass the "locks": there's more than one way to defeat the purpose of locks ; )
- jorgeleo 14y agoOne cut more to every drum and it would explain master keys
- IheartApplesDix 14y agoWelcome to the new Reddit
- skeletonjelly 14y agoIf I wanted more content like a single gif in a blog post I'd go to reddit. This is currently #1 on HN.
- businessleads 14y agoIf I wanted more comments complaining about GIFs turning a site into Reddit I'd go to Quora. ;)
- superasn 14y agoI don't see what is wrong with it. It appeals to hackers and explains it instantly. Would you be happy if it was 1000 word article instead?
- skeletonjelly 14y agoRight. Because I'm dissatisfied with a single gif I want an essay. Sandwiches appeal to hackers. All I'm saying is that there are other places that this is more suited to and this isn't one of them in my opinion.
- jazzychad 14y agoI remember seeing this explained on Mr. Wizard as a kid :) He used a giant cardboard key and a poster with moveable tumblers attached to demonstrate it.
- enneff 14y agoAs a kid, I learned how keyed locks work by playing the video game ZZT. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZT http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ZZT In "Town of ZZT", one of the built-in worlds, there is a board where you have to move what are effectively tumblers to clear a path through which a column can move freely. Ah, here's a screenshot of the board! http://tf2tags.com/dr_dos/img/zzt/town/zzt_036.png http://tf2tags.com/dr_dos/img/zzt/town/zzt_036.png This board is show as a whole, but in the game the board was "dark" and so you could only see what was within about 5-6 blocks from your character.
- esusatyo 14y agoIt doesn't explain MacGyver at all.
- dougk16 14y agoI recommend "Practical Lock Picking" by Deviant Ollam for those whose interest was piqued by this. Besides all the technical goodies, it contains some interesting moral views on locks and lock picking that apply to the digital world as well.
- brk 14y agoThis is how the most common lock works, but it doesn't cover side-bar locks, Medeco's, or other slightly more advanced setups. Still, good reference point for a basic understanding.
- unreal37 14y agoDid anyone follow that blog post, back to Gizmodo, back to the source it originally came from? (Soup) What a weird site, showing all manner of strange things. The internet is a weird place sometimes.
- martinced 14y agoWhat about Mul-T-Lock double-sided keys? Is there any .gif or YouTube video showing how they work? They seem to be much much harder to lockpick. My key-guy can lockpick garage doors and cars and whatnots but if I forget my Mult-T-Lock double-sided keys he needs to drill through the hole and destroy the entire system to be able to open the door, which then needs a new mechanism. One of my neighbour got robbed and the thiefs did the same: they drilled through the Mult-T-Lock hole. Can these be lockpicked? If they can, it seems to be way harder than regular keys or than typical double-sided keys.
- JTxt 14y agoSince I'm on HN, I was expecting and hoping this to be about public-key cryptography.
- Connorhd 14y agoThis page seems to have debug.phonegap.com script tag included, means anyone can see everyone else viewing the page (and execute javascript in their browser)... http://debug.phonegap.com/client/#ultralinx http://debug.phonegap.com/client/#ultralinx