Electronic Lock Picking—
Abusing Door Locks to
Compromise Physical
Security
One of the oldest known locks dates back to 4,000 years ago, within the ruins of
the ancient Egyptian empire. This lock came to be known as the Egyptian lock because of its
popularity in the area. The lock was made of wood and contained wooden pegs of different
lengths. A slot in the door provided access to a wooden key with pegs of complementary
lengths. The key needed to be inserted into the lock and lifted up to align the pegs evenly at
the top of the bolt, thereby allowing the door to open.
Since the Egyptians, we’ve had influences from the Greeks and Romans, and various east-
ern implementations from China, Turkey, and India. Later influences from Britain and the
US have brought us to the various types of locks we rely upon today, which include a combi-
nation of movable levers, cylindrical keys, and pin tumblers to make it a little harder for the
locks to open without the correct keys.
We depend upon locks in our homes for our physical safety, even while many of us are
aware of how easy it is to pick locks using different techniques. Many states and countries
have attempted to combat the prevalence of lock-picking tools by issuing regulations that pro-
hibit the possession of these tools. But as you can imagine, the mere existence of regulations
is unlikely to deter a malicious entity who might want to gain physical access to a given
premises.
Looking into the future of IoT-enabled devices, it becomes important for us move beyond
concerns about traditional physical lock picking and analyze electronic mechanisms that can
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