8 ms·

People need to realize that the shape of your key is pretty much a "password". Letting your keys lay on a table in open view is akin to leaving a piece of paper

by Drakim 14y ago

People need to realize that the shape of your key is pretty much a "password". Letting your keys lay on a table in open view is akin to leaving a piece of paper with your password out in open view.

pixelcort 14y ago
With 3D printing coming mainstream in the next decade, combined with high resolution cameras being common on smartphones, it's going to be important to start hiding the teeth of keys.
- emhart 14y ago
  Already here: http://eclecti.cc/hardware/physical-keygen-now-for-disc-detainer-locks http://eclecti.cc/hardware/physical-keygen-now-for-disc-deta... Even higher security locks can be pretty readily replicated.
- viraptor 14y ago
  This could be made much harder both for accidentally seeing the code and for copying if the usual keys got inverted. As in - make them round pipes like the gerda ones, but with holes on the inside instead of outside. Not only would a photo of it be useless, they'd be also much harder to print (still fairly easy to cut though, but you'd have a hard time doing it manually - it would have to be done by a machine precisely measuring the movements in most cases).
- hashmymustache 14y ago
  This is why keys need foreskin
  - umsm 14y ago
    Key condoms!
    - navs 14y ago
      Safety is no joke.
  - eksith 14y ago
    Most new prison keys have this feature, I think. It's some sort of retractable sheath of sorts that hides the profile of the teeth. And some high-security keys don't have teeth at all. They have dimples of varying depth on the side of the key serving the same function instead. These don't jot out and are very hard to copy even photographically.
    - bizarref00l 14y ago
      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EtAgFSso0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EtAgFSso0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr5o58yt4VU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr5o58yt4VU
- stesch 14y ago
  See https://plus.google.com/u/0/111607634508834917317/posts/AM7sdLTkLum https://plus.google.com/u/0/111607634508834917317/posts/AM7s...
MikeCapone 14y ago
Exactly. Reminds me of this: http://michaelgr.com/2008/10/29/duplicating-keys-from-photos/ http://michaelgr.com/2008/10/29/duplicating-keys-from-photos... "UC San Diego computer scientists have built a software program that can perform key duplication without having the key. Instead, the computer scientists only need a photograph of the key."
- NegativeK 14y ago
  This is made easier by the fact that key bitting is discrete. The software doesn't have to measure the exact depth of the valleys; it just needs to know which of the seven (or whatever it is for that particular lock) possible heights it's closest to.
- eclipticplane 14y ago
  Research turned commercial: http://shloosl.com/ http://shloosl.com/ Copy any key for $5 with a picture from your phone and they'll mail it to you.
  - acchow 14y ago
    So then they have my address and keys to it?
    - derleth 14y ago
      > So then they have my address and keys to it? Right, which means if your house is burgled within a reasonable timeframe after you use the service, they're prime suspects. It's a pretty big risk for them, I should think.
      - coldtea 14y ago
        >It's a pretty big risk for them, I should think. Yes, so all it takes is somebody to rob THEM, and get keys and addresses...
        14y ago
GHFigs 14y ago
The non-intuitive nature of the distinction between physical artifacts and the information they contain seems to be the source of a lot of different problems.
baddox 14y ago
Also, most consumer locks are trivial to quickly pick (after a few days of practice), so the "picture of your key" vulnerability is the least of your concern if you have reason to suspect someone actively desires to circumvent your locks.

by Drakim 14y ago

People need to realize that the shape of your key is pretty much a "password". Letting your keys lay on a table in open view is akin to leaving a piece of paper with your password out in open view.

pixelcort 14y ago

With 3D printing coming mainstream in the next decade, combined with high resolution cameras being common on smartphones, it's going to be important to start hiding the teeth of keys.

emhart 14y ago
Already here: http://eclecti.cc/hardware/physical-keygen-now-for-disc-detainer-locks http://eclecti.cc/hardware/physical-keygen-now-for-disc-deta... Even higher security locks can be pretty readily replicated.
viraptor 14y ago
This could be made much harder both for accidentally seeing the code and for copying if the usual keys got inverted. As in - make them round pipes like the gerda ones, but with holes on the inside instead of outside. Not only would a photo of it be useless, they'd be also much harder to print (still fairly easy to cut though, but you'd have a hard time doing it manually - it would have to be done by a machine precisely measuring the movements in most cases).
hashmymustache 14y ago
This is why keys need foreskin
- umsm 14y ago
  Key condoms!
  - navs 14y ago
    Safety is no joke.
- eksith 14y ago
  Most new prison keys have this feature, I think. It's some sort of retractable sheath of sorts that hides the profile of the teeth. And some high-security keys don't have teeth at all. They have dimples of varying depth on the side of the key serving the same function instead. These don't jot out and are very hard to copy even photographically.
  - bizarref00l 14y ago
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EtAgFSso0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43EtAgFSso0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr5o58yt4VU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lr5o58yt4VU
stesch 14y ago
See https://plus.google.com/u/0/111607634508834917317/posts/AM7sdLTkLum https://plus.google.com/u/0/111607634508834917317/posts/AM7s...

MikeCapone 14y ago

Exactly. Reminds me of this: http://michaelgr.com/2008/10/29/duplicating-keys-from-photos/ http://michaelgr.com/2008/10/29/duplicating-keys-from-photos... "UC San Diego computer scientists have built a software program that can perform key duplication without having the key. Instead, the computer scientists only need a photograph of the key."

NegativeK 14y ago
This is made easier by the fact that key bitting is discrete. The software doesn't have to measure the exact depth of the valleys; it just needs to know which of the seven (or whatever it is for that particular lock) possible heights it's closest to.
eclipticplane 14y ago
Research turned commercial: http://shloosl.com/ http://shloosl.com/ Copy any key for $5 with a picture from your phone and they'll mail it to you.
- acchow 14y ago
  So then they have my address and keys to it?
  - derleth 14y ago
    > So then they have my address and keys to it? Right, which means if your house is burgled within a reasonable timeframe after you use the service, they're prime suspects. It's a pretty big risk for them, I should think.
    - coldtea 14y ago
      >It's a pretty big risk for them, I should think. Yes, so all it takes is somebody to rob THEM, and get keys and addresses...
      - 14y ago

GHFigs 14y ago

The non-intuitive nature of the distinction between physical artifacts and the information they contain seems to be the source of a lot of different problems.

baddox 14y ago

Also, most consumer locks are trivial to quickly pick (after a few days of practice), so the "picture of your key" vulnerability is the least of your concern if you have reason to suspect someone actively desires to circumvent your locks.