Many modern
door locks
thoughtfully
combine elec-
tronic com-
ponents with
tried-and-true
mechanics.A LOOK
AT L O C K SFingerprint and retina scanners fall into a field of access control referred to
as biometrics. Aside from feeling like James Bond and winning the admiration
of the neighborhood children, biometric locks do provide some useful advan-
tages. For starters, it’s much harder for someone to hand over an eye or a finger
than a key or a card. This all but eliminates the possibility of someone gaining
access by stealing someone else’s credentials ... when it works.
The major pitfall with biometric locks is dirt. These locks have to be incred-
ibly precise in order to grant access to one person’s fingerprint or eyeball and
not another, but this precision can also make biometrics very finicky. How
many times have you repeatedly tried to unlock your phone with a fingerprint
only to be continually denied
access, to the point you gave up
and entered your security code
manually? A small amount of
dirt on the glass where some-
one is supposed to place their
finger usually results in curse
words and frustration when the
scanner doesn’t recognize them.
This can be negated to some
extent if the lock is indoors and
the facility is clean, but a small
cut on someone’s finger could
still pose some problems.but it’s plagued by the same weaknesses. The Kwikset
electronic deadbolt also uses a very common key, and
their cylinders also only use five pins. In addition to this,
the Kwikset cylinders are also made from cast metal, as op-
posed to Schlage’s machined cylinders, making the Kwikset
version even easier to pick due to the lack of precision one
finds on machined pieces. Both of these locks utilize top-
notch materials, such as stainless steel, to make brute force
attacks more difficult, and they’ll both likely contain security
pins that’ll make picking slightly more difficult, but they’ll
still be no match for an experienced picker.
Quality Padlocks
You should also consider a good padlock if you have
the need to lock up anything that doesn’t live behind a
door. Trailers, storage containers, and firearm cases all
warrant a quality padlock to protect them from burglary.
Besides the regular brute force attack, or a smart attack
like picking, padlocks can fall victim to shimming. This
technique involves a thin piece of metal that’s manipulat-
ed and inserted between the body of the padlock and the
shackle until it passes the latching mechanism and allows
the shackle to be freed.
Commercial-grade padlock shims are, like lock picks,
becoming easier to buy, and it’s no secret that they can
be easily made from some common household items.
There are plenty of videos floating around the internet
showing how to chop up a soda can and open a simple
padlock with it. A disc padlock design, such as the Abus
Diskus, negates the threat of shimming by using a shackle
that rotates when the key is turned, rather than popping
up and out of the padlock body. This means there’s no
latch to bypass with a shim, and its fully stainless steel
construction makes a brute force attack a tall order as
well. However, keep in mind this extra security has its
drawbacks. Having a shackle that rotates into the body of
the lock and no spring-driven latch means you can’t lock
this padlock without using the key, and its unconventional
shape might not fit a wide variety of applications.
The Medeco Protector II padlock has a much larger
shackle and will therefore fit a larger variety of applica-
tions. It’s also made of case-hardened steel so it’s incredi-
bly strong. Unfortunately, this increase in capability comes
at a price. This lock, like most padlocks, uses spring-load-
ed ball bearings in order to lock the shackle down when
it’s pushed into the lock body. This makes it lockableBiometrics
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