Hackers Turn To Lock Picking For Sport

[Raistlin]

Police handcuffs can't restrain them. High security locks can't keep them out. Very little can thwart the lock picking and safe cracking skills of an elite group of Dutch hackers known as Toool.

But far from being some shadowy criminal fraternity, The Open Organisation of Lock pickers (Toool) is nothing more sinister than a sports club that meets in a pub once a week.

There is a long tradition of lock-picking among computer experts and hackers, said Jos Weyers, a senior member of the club.

"Computer hackers like getting into areas of a computer that they are not supposed to, and lock-picking is really just analogue hacking - working out how a device works and opening it in a way that you are not meant to.

"A closed lock is a challenge - it's a red rag to a hacker."

Occasionally "suspicious" people do turn up at the club's open nights hoping to learn how to gain entry to places that they should not, he said, but they are usually put off after about half an hour when they discover that lock picking is far from easy.

"Learning to pick a lock takes a lot of time and practice, and it's much quicker and easier for a burglar to force their way in with a crowbar," said Mr Weyers.

The friendly, animated forty-something Dutchman who works in IT security says most other lock-pickers - or "door hardware" enthusiasts are also middle-aged men.

"Most Toool members are involved in IT security, but we also have people ranging from aircraft mechanics to lawyers. And there are even a few women," he added.

As a sport, lock-picking is relatively inexpensive to take up.

That's because all a person needs to get going is a set of lock picks and a lock to start practising on.

Despite the name, door hardware sportsmen never tackle locks while they are still fitted to doors, preferring to pick them on their laps or on a table, said Mr Weyers.

"That way it's much more comfortable.

"You can sit down and practice your lock-picking while you watch TV, for example."No sport is complete without a competitive element, so at Toool meetings, members pick locks against the clock.

The club has a set of 26 competition locks, and members can attempt any of them as many times as they like, with the fastest times for each lock recorded on a leader board.

For elite door hardware sportsmen there's also the annual Dutch Open championships where top lock pickers from the Netherlands, Germany, Britain, France and even countries as far-flung as Australia and the USA compete to open a particular lock in the fastest time.

The tables at Toool's stall at the recent Hack in the Box hacker convention in Amsterdam were strewn with locks of all shapes and sizes, including ones that have been cut open so that learners can see the internal workings.

Picking a lock like this is relatively easy as the lock-picker can see what his pick is doing inside the lock, rather than having to rely on the sense of touch.

After just a few moments of tutoring and getting used to the feeling of using a pick to move pins inside the lock, most people are able to pick what would be regarded as a low security "beginner's" lock in five or ten minutes.

Of course there is more than one way to open a lock.

One Toool member demonstrated the use of a thin metal spike with irregular edges that can be inserted into a lock and moved in and out ten or so times until the lock's internals are jiggled into the right position for the lock to open.

The technique doesn't work on all locks, but when it does it requires little skill.

For that reason many door sportsmen don't bother with such tools, preferring the challenge of successfully picking one open.

To open a cheap padlock, another Toool member produced another set of tools - basically thin curved sheets of metal that are wrapped around the hasp of a padlock.

When these are pushed down into the body of the padlock and rotated it pops open without causing any damage.

In fact it's not just cheap locks that are insecure. Another Toool member demonstrated how police handcuffs could be opened in seconds using a thin strip of metal.

But the biggest thrill in door hardware sports comes from picking a lock, and doing so in a record time.

"Some locks I can pick in five or six seconds, and one I can actually pick in less than a second," says Weyers.

"If you think about it, it can be quicker for me to pick a lock that to pull out a key and unlock it normally

[Bizarra]

Can they do Chastity Belts ?

Can they be contacted on line for an urgent contract, money no object?

[Raistlin]

So you need a better Toool

[Bizarra]

So you need a better Toool

Chastity belts are impregnable against all "toools" even overextended ones

Are you Kynan's locum while he is away?

[Raistlin]

Good to see you read the above post, The Open Organisation of Lock pickers (Toool)

[cheetah1]

Well, the locks on a pair of cuffs are in fact very simple in design, it is meant to be easy to pick (if someone were to misplace the key). However, if it the cuffs are put on correctly, it is virtually impossible for the wearer to reach the keyhole without breaking his own wrists.

Curiosa: Another virtually impossible thing, unless you are incredibly agile, is to pull the cuffs under your buttocks to get your hands in front of you. I, wheighing in at a nimble 200 lbs, can't do it, for sure (I've tried).

[Bizarra]

Good to see you read the above post, The Open Organisation of Lock pickers (Toool)

I knew you would pick your way out of that one

How are you on Chastity belts, though?

[Bizarra]

Well, the locks on a pair of cuffs are in fact very simple in design, it is meant to be easy to pick (if someone were to misplace the key). However, if it the cuffs are put on correctly, it is virtually impossible for the wearer to reach the keyhole without breaking his own wrists.

Curiosa: Another virtually impossible thing, unless you are incredibly agile, is to pull the cuffs under your buttocks to get your hands in front of you. I, weighing in at a nimble 200 lbs, can't do it, for sure (I've tried).

Being extremely diplomatic & tactful I'm not about to enquire as to the circumstances of why you had the handcuffs on, & felt the need to try to escape

[Raistlin]

SEX GAMES

[Bizarra]

SEX GAMES

Trust you to think of the correct explanation Never crossed my mind

Of course you had a "head" start having nothing else on your mind :lol2:

[Raistlin]

What else is there...