Lockpicking
Brought to you by: -= Exodus =-
This is really a good method for opening doors that are locked. The only problem with this, though, is that it only works for outward opening doors. Ok, here we go....
-
Realize you are not working with the actual lock, but that thing that sticks between the door and the wall.
-
See how that thing is curved on one side? Well, that is what we will be making use of.
-
Acquire a large paper-clip. If it is too short, it won't work. You have to also have a shoelace. Now, onto the construction...
-
Straighten the paper-clip.
-
Loop one end of the paper clip around the shoelace. The shoelace should be about 4/5 on one side of the clip and 1/5 on the other. Let's see if I can draw it.
------------------************************************* -* *******
--- is the paper clip *** is the shoelace
That's not very good, but I hope you get the picture.
-
All you have to do now is curve the paper clip (no, I won't draw it)
-
With the curved paper-clip, stick it between the door and the wall, behind the metal thing that sticks between.
-
Feed it through with you hand, until you can grip both sides of the shoelace.
-
Now, simply pull the lace and the door at the same time, and VIOLA! the door is open.
I prefer this over regular lock-picking if the door opens outward, because it is a lot quicker. Lock picking can take 5 minutes... When done correctly this only takes 30 seconds! So, if you can, use this.
another addition to the mighty cookbook by
ACID FLESH
So you want to be a criminal. Well, if you want to be like James Bond and open a lock in fifteen seconds, then go to Hollywood, because that is the only place you are ever going to do it. Even experienced locksmiths can spend five to ten minutes on a lock if they are unlucky. If you are wanting extremely quick access, look elsewhere. The following instructions will pertain mostly to the "lock in knob" type lock, since it is the easiest to pick.
First of all, you need a pick set. If you know a locksmith, get him to make you a set. This will be the best possible set for you to use. If you find a locksmith unwilling to supply a set, don't give up hope. It is possible to make your own, if you have access to a grinder (you can use a file, but it takes forever).
The thing you need is an allen wrench set (very small). These
should be small enough to fit into the keyhole slot. Now, bend
the long end of the allen wrench at a slight angle (not 90
degrees). Now, take your pick to a grinder or a file, and smooth
the end until it is rounded so it won't hang inside the lock.
Test your tool out on doorknobs at your house to see if it will
slide in and out smoothly. Now, this is where the screwdriver
comes in. It must be small enough for it and your pick to be used
in the same lock at the same time, one above the other. In the
coming instructions, please refer to this chart of the interior of
a lock:
______________________________
\ K
| | | | | | / E
| | | | \ Y [|] Upper tumbler pin
^ ^ / H [^] Lower tumbler pin
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ \ O [-] Cylinder wall
/ L (This is a greatly simplified
\ E drawing)
______________________________/
The object is to press the pin up so that the space between the upper pin and the lower pin is level with the cylinder wall. Now, if you push a pin up, it's tendency is to fall back down, right? That is where the screwdriver comes in. Insert the screwdriver into the slot and turn. This tension will keep the "solved" pins from falling back down. Now, work from the back of the lock to the front, and when you are through, there will be a click, the screwdriver will turn freely, and the door will open.
Do not get discouraged on your first try! It will probably take you about twenty to thirty minutes your first time. After that, you will quickly improve with practice.
Add to TACIV, '94. -= Exodus =-
If it becomes necessary to pick a lock to enter a lab, the world's most effective lockpick is dynamite, followed by a sledgehammer. There are unfortunately, problems with noise and excess structural damage with these methods. The next best thing, however, is a set of professional lockpicks.
These, unfortunately, are difficult to acquire. If the door to a lab is locked, but the deadbolt is not engaged, then there are other possibilities. The rule here is: if one can see the latch, one can open the door. There are several devices which facilitate freeing the latch from its hole in the wall. Dental tools, stiff wire ( 20 gauge ), specially bent aluminum from cans, thin pocket knives, and credit cards are the tools of the trade. The way that all these tools and devices are uses is similar: pull, push, or otherwise move the latch out of its recess in the wall, thus allowing the door to open. This is done by sliding whatever tool that you are using behind the latch, and forcing the latch back into the door.
Most modern doorknob locks have two fingers. The larger finger holds the door closed while the second (smaller) finger only prevents the first finger from being pressed in when it (the second finger) is pressed in by the catchplate of the door. If you can separate the catch plate and the lock sufficiently far, the second finger will slip out enough to permit the first finger to be slipped.
(Ill. 2.11) ___
| } /__
Small -> (| } \ The large (first) finger
second |___} <
finger
Some methods for getting through locked doors are:
- Another method of forced entry is to use an automobile jack to force the frame around the door out of shape, freeing the latch or exposing it to the above methods. This is possible because most door frames are designed with a slight amount of "give". Simply put the jack into position horizontally across the frame in the vicinity of the latch, and jack it out. If the frame is wood it may be possible to remove the jack after shutting the door, which will relock the door and leave few signs of forced entry. This technique will not work in concrete block buildings, and it's difficult to justify an auto jack to the security guards.
- Use a screwdriver or two to pry the lock and door apart. While holding them apart, try to slip the lock. Screwdrivers, while not entirely innocent, are much more subtle than auto jacks, and much faster if they work. If you're into unsubtle, I suppose a crowbar would work too, but then why bother to slip the lock at all?
- Find a set of double doors. They are particularly easy to pry apart far enough to slip.
- If the lock is occasionally accessible to you while open, "adjust" or replace the catchplate to make it operate more suitably (i.e., work so that it lets both fingers out, so that it can always be slipped). If you want, disassembling the lock and removing some of the pins can make it much easier to pick.
- If, for some odd reason, the hinges are on your side (i.e., the door opens outward), remove the hinge pins (provided they aren't stopped with welded tabs). Unfortunately, this too lacks subtlety, in spite of its effectiveness.
- If the door cannot be slipped and you will want to get through regularly, break the mechanism. Use of sufficient force to make the first finger retreat while the second finger is retreated will break some locks (e.g., Best locks) in such a way that they may thereafter be slipped trivially, yet otherwise work in all normal ways. Use of a hammer and/or screwdriver is recommended. Some care should be used not to damage the door jamb when attempting this on closed and locked doors, so as not to attract the attention of the users/owners/locksmith/police/....
- Look around in desks. People very often leave keys to sensitive things in them or other obvious places. Especially keys to shared critical resources, like supply rooms, that are typically key-limited but that everyone needs access to. Take measurements with a micrometer, or make a tracing (lay key under paper and scribble on top), or be dull and make a wax impression. Get blanks for the key type (can be very difficult for better locks; I won't go into methods, other than to say that if you can get other keys made from the same blank, you can often work wonders with a little ingenuity) and use a file to reproduce the key. Using a micrometer works best: keys made from mic measurements are more likely to work consistently than keys made by any other method. If you us tracings, it is likely to take many tries before you obtain a key that works reliably. Also, if you can 'borrow' the cylinder and disassemble it, pin levels can be obtained and keys constructed.
- Simple locks, like desks, can be picked fairly easily. Many desks have simple three or four pin locks of only a few levels, and can be consistently picked by a patient person in a few minutes. A small screwdriver and a paper clip will work wonders in practiced hands. Apply a slight torque to the lock in the direction of opening with the screwdriver. Then 'rake' the pins with the unfolded paper clip. With practice, you'll apply enough pressure with the screwdriver that the pins will align properly (they'll catch on the cylinder somewhere between the top and bottom of their normal travel), and once they're all lined up, additional pressure on the screwdriver will then open the lock. This, in conjunction with (7) can be very effective. This works better with older or sloppily machined locks that have a fair amount of play in the cylinder. Even older quality locks can be picked in this manner, if their cylinders have been worn enough to give enough play to allow pins to catch reliably. Even with a well worn quality lock, though, it generally takes a lot of patience.
- Custodial services often open up everything in sight and then take breaks. Make the most of your opportunities.
- No matter what you're doing, look like you belong there. Nothing makes anyone more suspicious than someone skulking about, obviously trying to look inconspicuous. If there are several of you, have some innocuous and normal seeming warning method ("Hey, dummy! What time is it?") so that they can get anything suspicious put away. Don't travel in large groups at 3 AM. Remember, more than one car thief has managed to enlist a cop's aid in breaking into a car. Remember this. Security people usually like to help people. Don't make them suspicious or annoy them. If you do run into security people, try to make sure that there won't be any theft or break-ins reported there the next day...
- Consider the possibilities of master keys. Often, every lock in a building or department will have a common master (building entrance keys are a common exception). Take apart some locks from different places that should have common masters, measure the different pin lengths in each, and find lengths in common. Experiment. Then get into those places you're really curious about.
- Control keys are fun, too. These keys allow the user to remove the lock's core, and are generally masters. (A pair of needle nose pliers or similar tool can then be used to open the lock, if desired.)
The best material we've found for slips so far is soft sheet copper. It is quite flexible, so it can be worked into jambs easily, and can be pre-bent as needed. In the plane of the sheet, however, it is fairly strong, and pulls nicely. Of course, if they're flexible enough, credit cards, student IDs, etc., work just fine on locks that have been made slippable if the door jamb is wide enough. Wonderfully subtle, quick, and delightfully effective. Don't leave home without one.
(Ill. #1)
The sheet should then be folded to produce an L,J,or U shaped device that
looks like this:
________________________________________
/_______________________________________|
| |
| | L-shaped
| |
| |
||
(Ill. #2) _____________________________ / ____________| | | | | J-shaped | | | | _|
(Ill. #3) _____________________ / | | | | | | | U-shaped | | | |_ ____________________|
We hasten to add here that many or most colleges and universities have very strict policies about unauthorized possession of keys. At most, it is at least grounds for expulsion, even without filing criminal charges. Don't get caught with keys!!! The homemade ones are particularly obvious, as they don't have the usual stamps and marks that the locksmiths put on to name and number the keys.]
we should also point out that if you make a nuisance of yourself, there are various nasty things that can be done to catch you and/or slow you down. For instance, by putting special pin mechanisms in, locks can be made to trap any key used to open them. If you lose one this way, what can I say? At least don't leave fingerprints on it. Or make sure they're someone else's. Too much mischief can also tempt the powers that be to rekey.
-= Exodus =-
[ Touched up by V.T - The Editor ]
First of all, let me tell you about the set-up of a lock. When the lock is locked, there is a curved piece of metal wedged inside the little notch on the horseshoe shaped bar (known as the shackle) that is pushed in to the lock when you lock it.
To free this wedge, you usually have to turn the lock to the desired combination and the pressure on the wedge is released therefore letting the lock open. I will now tell you how to make a pick so you can open a lock without having to waste all that time turning the combination (this also helps when you don't know the combination to begin with).
To bypass this hassle, simply take a thinned hairpin (file it down) or a opened out piece of a collapsing antenna (the inside diameter of the curved piece of metal should be the same as the diameter of the shackle- if the metal is too thick, use fine sandpaper to thin it down.
Once you have your hair pin (make sure it's metal), take the ridged side and break it off right before it starts to make a U-turn onto the straight side. The curved part can now be used as a handle. Now, using a file, file down the other end until it is fairly thin. You should do this to many hairpins and file them so they are of different thicknesses so you can jimmy various locks.
Look at a lock to see which side the lock opens from. If you can't tell, you will just have to try both sides. When ya find out what side it opens from, , take the lock pick and stick the filed end into the inside of the horseshoe-shaped bar on whichever side the lock opens from.
Now, put pressure on the handle of the lock pick (pushing down, into the crack) and pull the lock up and down. The lock will then open because the pick separated the wedge and the notch allowing it to open.
Also, this technique works best on American locks. I have never picked a Master lock before because of the shape a pressure of the wedge but if anyone does it, let me know how long it took. Also, the Master lock casing is very tight so ya can't get the shim in.
-------Exodus
by The Jolly Roger
Have you ever tried to impress someone by picking one of those Master combination locks and failed?
The Master lock company made their older combination locks with a protection scheme. If you pull the handle too hard, the knob will not turn. That was their biggest mistake.
Get out any of the Master locks so you know what is going on.
While pulling on the clasp (part that springs open when you get
the combination right), turn the knob to the left until it will
not move any more, and add five to the number you reach. You now
have the first number of the combination.
Spin the dial around a couple of times, then go to the first number you got. Turn the dial to the right, bypassing the first number once. When you have bypassed the first number, start pulling on the clasp and turning the knob. The knob will eventually fall into the groove and lock. While in the groove, pull the clasp and turn the knob. If the knob is loose, go to the next groove, if the knob is stiff, you have the second number of the combination.
After getting the second number, spin the dial, then enter the two numbers. Slowly spin the dial to the right, and at each number, pull on the clasp. The lock will eventually open if you did the process right.
This method of opening Master locks only works on older models.
Someone informed Master of their mistake, and they employed a new
mechanism that is foolproof (for now).
The older models are from 1988-1990. The newer models are being cracked on as we speak..
-= Exodus =- '94