Author: Bjørn Madsen

I often tell my residential customers that they don’t have to worry too much about their locks getting picked, that criminals will usually just break a window or kick your door down. I may have to revise that opinion. I recently had to unlock a job box for some construction workers whose key box was…

Emtek makes a fine lock and they stand behind their locks with a lifetime warranty. I like working on Emtek locks because they are made with quality. I recommend them to customers willing to pay extra for nicer looking locks and a lifetime guarantee. I have few reservations about them except for a few annoyances:…

Bumpkeys or bumping a lock are very rarely used in crime and most information about them is alarmist in nature. That being said, they represent a well-known vulnerability in pin tumbler locks all around us (search for bumpkeys on youtube and see, they are widely used and discussed by hobbyists) and people who have seen…

The last thing I want to do is sell snake-oil to my customers. For the price of a decent lock though you can get a lot of assurance here in the city of Seattle where the number of police is dwindling as the population shoots up dramatically! Consider, is it worth it to secure your…

So you came back home or to the office and put your key in to your lock to unlock the door. Except… your key won’t go into your lock! You look at the key hole and see the unmistakable signs of glue or silicone sealer or something! Why were you so short with the missionaries/girl…

Your key worked fine yesterday! If it isn’t turning today it is probably because the steering lock is engaged. Try turning the steering wheel hard to one side and the other while trying to turn the key. Try sticking your key in the ignition  and tap it on the end with a hard object like…

The world wide web has set information free.  Good information and bad information. Recently the Washington Post publicized photos of the TSA’s keys on their website and that was all that was needed for people to start replicating them. When the physical key is displayed then you can mathematically deduce the cuts that need to…

There are lots of interesting security models in the lock manufacturing industry, and most of them are based on complicated machining of either keys or pins or both.  This, along with patent protections, prevents illicit key blank production. Somebody could study a key blank and make a production run of them but it would be…

Just got my cloning device in the mail.  I am now in the cloning business.  You are not limited to getting more keys from the dealership. I can clone your key for less money. I can’t do remote head keys with the buttons on them (though my friends at Broadway Locksmith can) but I can…

Today a customer asked a very good question of me: how do you prevent somebody from hiring a locksmith to open your door?  Most locksmiths have a list of prerequisites to fulfill before they will open a door for somebody including challenge-response authentication or by address on a state-issued license, but how do you help…