– A few days ago, I received an E-mail discussing “Key Bumping”. It said that many common locks could be opened with a special key and a simple technique. Then a linked YouTube video showed how it was done. Frankly, I was a bit doubtful that the whole subject might be a hoax so I fired off an E-mail to the snopes people ➡, the folks who report on the truth or falsity of various urban legends. I’ve often received an amazing E-mail warning of claim from one friend or another, gone to Snopes to check it out, and had to write back to my sincere but slightly gullible freind that they’d been had. It’s a good site – check it out.
Well, after a few days, Snopes published a report on the Key Bumping matter ➡ and it turns out that it is true which is both amazing and worrying to me – and it should be to you as well.
Here’s some text from security.org ➡ to give you the drift:
A “999” or bump key can be any key that fits a particular pin tumbler lock and that has been modified so that all of its cuts (or grooves) are made to the deepest allowable position as defined by each manufacturer. The term “fit” means that the key will enter the keyway (the front of the lock) but will not unlock it. For example, assume all of the locks in a particular apartment complex are produced by the same manufacturer and have the same keyway. The key for
apartment 101 can enter the lock ofapartment 207 (or any other apartment) but will only unlock the apartment for which it was cut (i.e.,apartment 101). Any key cut for any apartment in this example could be modified to act as a bump key and then could be used to open any other apartment within the complex (or potentially any other complexes where the same manufacturer’s locks were installed).The term “bumping” refers to the process of forcing the key to interact with the pin tumblers by “bumping” or rapping it with a plastic mallet while it is inserted into the lock. This process entails hitting the head of the key, causing it to rapidly move forward. When the key is struck correctly, each of the bottom pins is “bumped” upward for a brief instant, thus allowing the lock to be opened.