How to Protect a Home Against Lock Bumping

How to Protect a Home Against Lock Bumping

 

Imagine a method of defeating the vast majority of American locks that can be learned in under an hour, uses tools that can be acquired on the Internet for less than $50 and, if done right, can be performed in less than a minute, leaving little or no trace of a break in.

 

What is lock bumping?

 

Lock bumping is a way of opening a lock using a specially filed key that is the same size and shape as the key normally used in the target lock. This special "bump" key is inserted into the target lock and then struck with a tool made of rubber or plastic. The impact of the bump key on the tumblers inside the lock temporarily pushes them up, allowing the lock's cylinder to turn. This method, if done correctly, can open a lock quickly and with relatively little noise.

 

To know if your lock is vulnerable, just look at the key to your front door. Some of the most popular locks by manufacturers such as Schlage, Master, Yale and Kwikset may be susceptible to lock bumping. Other potential targets include recently built condos, apartments and subdivisions or gated communities, where one lock manufacturer often supplies similar locks for every house in the community. A thief would have to gain access to only one key to be able to make a bump key that would open all the locks in the neighborhood.

 

Find out how to protect your house against lock bumping…

 

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