Lock Bumping and Lock Picking

Lock bumping might be referred to as lock picking’s lesser known cousin. It’s an unfamiliar term at best. It is, however, at least as big a problem as lock picking, and perhaps even more sinister for what it entails. Bumping is a type of lock picking. Instead of using typical lock picking tools though, all that is required is the use of a bump key. It has, for this reason, the potential to be much more sinister than lock picking.

One of the biggest problems is that few locks are immune from lock bumping. This is because most locks work on the same principle. The most common type of lock, found on every home and business in the world, is the pin-and-tumbler lock. To understand how lock bumping works, it helps to understand how a pin and tumbler system functions.

Inside every pin and tumbler lock is a cylinder (or key cylinder.) Within the cylinder is a chamber (the plug) containing stacks of pins. The pins it contains vary in length. When the correct key is inserted into the cylinder, the ridges or teeth on the key match the pins inside. Rotating the key causes the pins to spring apart and the plug to rotate.  Front door security unless you have a new home say like homes in san clemente with expensive locks such as Schlage primus for added home security.  This rotation releases the latch from the door jamb.

Trying to insert the wrong key will produce one of two results. Either the key will not enter the cylinder at all, or, it will enter the cylinder, but won’t be able to rotate the plug because the match is incorrect.

Old-school lock picking usually requires a broad range of tools. Lock bumping, in contrast, requires only one special key. A lock bump key looks like an ordinary door key. It would be unlikely to draw any suspicion, were it to be used to gain illegal entry to a home.

To the untrained eye, a bump key might pass for a regular key. A closer inspection, though, would reveal that the teeth (or ridges) and the notches are even. All of the cuts, in fact, are made to maximum depth. They may also be referred to as “dummy keys” or “999″ keys. The number “999″ is derived from the fact that the cuts are all made to a depth of nine.

Opening a door lock with a 999 key isn’t as simple as simply inserting and turning. It does take a particular feel and a certain degree of practice, just as old-fashioned lock picking does.

What is alarming about lock bumping is that only two tools are required: a 999 key and a small “bump tool.” A would-be criminal will draw much less attention to himself with a bump key than with a set of locksmithing tools.

Lock Bumping and Insurance

Did you know that your house key could be bought on the Internet, letting criminals of all shapes and sizes into your home anytime they wanted? No, probably not. That’s the sort of thing that happens in crime novels, not real life. Buying a home in a gated community will help but it is not the save all. But the police (and your homeowners insurance) know that all today’s criminals have to do is go out on the web and not only do they have access to one of the locksmith community’s best secrets, they also have handy “how-to” guides to show them how to get into your home without letting anyone know they’ve even been there. Have you ever heard of a bump key? Lock bumping is a technique that locksmiths have been using for the better part of a century to quickly disassemble a lock and allow them to either fix it or gain access to whatever it is that the lock was locking up. Unfortunately, bump keys aren’t a well kept secret anymore. Homeowners insurance providers and security providers are doing their best to educate today’s homeowners on the potential dangers of bump keys.

The he principle is simple. In a standard pin tumbler lock, such as the type found on the doors of most homes and apartments, the lock is made up of a series of spring loaded stacks called pin stacks. When a key is slipped into the lock the pins line up along the edge, allowing the cylinder to turn and the door to open. A bump key is a standard key that has been filed down. Criminals simply slip the bump key into the lock one notch short of full insertion, then “bump” the key with a hammer or other hard object.  Front door security unless you have a new home say like homes in san clemente with expensive locks such as Schlage primus for added home security. The impact causes the pins to jump, creating a small window in which the lock can be turned without damaging it. Even a criminal with little experience (and even less common sense) can enter your home without leaving any signs of breaking and entering behind. There are things that you as a homeowner can do to protect your home against criminals using bump keys. First, recognize that well made pin tumbler locks are more vulnerable to lock bumping because the pins are designed to move smoothly, allowing the lock to open easily when a cheaper lock would jam. Electronic locks, magnetic locks and locks that use rotating discs aren’t vulnerable to lock bumping, and because the bump key has to have the same blank profile as the lock it’s made to open in order to work restricted or registered key profiles are safer. (As opposed to the keys you can go to 

WalMart and purchase for less than a dollar.) The danger to homeowners comes in the ready availability of bump keys to today’s criminals. Bump keys for many different types of locks are sold on the web for anywhere from $1 to $200, depending on the type of lock it’s intended to open. There are a number of videos on YouTube that readily show criminals how to use this simple lock picking device, and even the recent features done on the process by today’s news channels have opened the door to more information than the average criminal needs to get into your home. Talk to your security company today about protecting yourself from the danger of lock bumping keys. Everyone in your house will sleep better when you do.