No doubt we all feel safer when we know
our home or personal treasures are locked up. But how safe is safe?
Most locks open with a key, called pin
tumbler locks. In the past, they can be opened with time, patience, practice and picks. However, a new technique
called “bumping” allows someone to open a lock with very little experience.
If you go to the Dutch
website www.toool.nl/bumpkey-alert.wmv (yes it is spelled toool and stands for The Open Organization of Lockpickers) you will find an interesting Dutch news
program with English subtitles that explains how easy it is for thieves to get into your house or business. In fact,
when the thieves clean you out, they leave no evidence and therefore most insurance companies will not help if it happens
to you!
What we are talking about are “bump keys”. Don’t be surprised if you
have not heard about them. It appears that not too many locksmiths have heard about “bump keys” either.
When you visit the Dutch website you will see bump keys in action and you will obtain a good understanding about them.
According to Newsweek.online - a relatively new lock picking technique known as “bumping” takes
advantage of the weakness of pin tumbler locks and requires no real understanding of how locks work. “You don’t
need expensive tools or anything”, says encryption expert Barry Wels. “Any 15 year old who is motivated
can learn how to do it in 15 minutes on the Internet.”
According to two locksmiths who had heard of bump
keys, they found at least two high-security locks that resist bumping: Mul-T-Locks and Medeco. Mul-T-Lock high-security
cylinders have a unique telescopic pin tumbler mechanism with internal and external pins that prevent bumping. The Medeco
Locks website has an article about combating bump keys, which includes links to the National Crime Prevention Council.
You can contact the Council at 202-466-6272 or www.ncpc.org and request a copy of “Locking Your Home, What to Know before
Buying Locks for Your Home”
There are other possible alternatives to standard locks include combo locks,
electronic locks, and specialty locks such as voice recognition , fingerprint etc. but none are widely or inexpensively available
for residential use.
Peter Ottowitz,
Allstate Home Inspection & Environmental Testing Certified Master Inspector Certified
Environmental Home Inspector Certified Residential
Mold Inspector Licensed Construction Supervisor 978-897-7130 http://www.pottowitzhomeinspector.com/
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