sinrakin
RealPoor Master of Posts
Joined: 11 Oct 2002
Posts: 7044
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 Posted: 09/17/04 - 13:29 Post subject: haha, I just broke my computer lock
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Anyone seen that story (it's been everywhere) about how you can pick barrel locks (kryptonite bike locks and computer locks) with a Bic pen? I hadn't payed much attention to it since I sort of understood the principle, but one of my coworkers challenged me to do it (why do people always come to me to do stuff they don't want to do themselves?), so I had at the one on my laptop. I was actually amazed at how easy it was to do - took me about 20 seconds to get it to a "denial of service" position where it was halfway unlocked so the key wouldn't go in anymore but the tumblers were all in a stable state, and another 15 seconds or so to go the rest of the way and unlock my laptop from my desk and I could have walked away with it.
That's sort of scary, although I doubt the cleaning people where I work read slashdot or wherever else has had the video about how to do it. But more annoyingly, since the lock is designed so it shouldn't be in the open position with the key removed (you can only remove the key when it's locked) one of the tumblers fell out and now I can't get it to work anymore 
I told our MIS guy I needed a new lock and he said "if it only took you 35 seconds to defeat it, why do you want a new one?". He's got sort of a point.
It's sort of stupid though; it takes practically no skill. Picking locks is fun, but not when it's that easy.
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