To many hackers, locks are just another security system with flaws to explore – helping them understand what attackers do to exploit their vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n
Who better, then, to demonstrate and explain how lock picking works than a hacker in the information security field who also studies physical locks.<\/p>\n
Ian de Villiers, a security analyst and researcher at SensePost, said lock picking makes use of slight imperfections in the barrel.<\/p>\n
A lock pick will use these imperfections to hold the pins of the locking mechanism in place without the correct key being inserted.<\/p>\n
If all the pins are in the correct position, it will unlock. If a pin is pushed too far, it will not be possible to pick the lock without relieving some tension on the barrel and starting again.<\/p>\n
In the video below, de Villiers shows the basic principles of lock picking, along with the tools used to pick locks.<\/p>\n
These tools include the torsion (or tension) wrench, half-round picks, double ball picks, half-diamond picks, and rake picks.<\/p>\n