Lock Impressioning

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Presented at BSidesSeattle 2017 by

We've all seen lockpicking explained on several security venues. You might even have tried it yourself. But what if you need to open a lock a number of times? Wouldn't it be great to have an opening technique that would supply you with a working key in the process? A method to do this has existed for quite some time, but until recently it has remained quite unknown. Some time ago impressioning locks got "re-invented" by the lockpick community and the skill evolved to the level now shown at several international championships. Unlike lockpicking, impressioning creates a fully working key for the lock which can be used to lock and unlock the cylinder at will. With practice, this technique can consistently open a lock in 10-15 minutes (and potentially faster)! What is it? How does it work? What skill is involved? Why is it the most interesting way to open a lock? These questions, and more will be answered in this talk.