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23 January 2003
locksmithing lesson
Being able to pick a lock has always seemed like an attractive talent to me. Not one that you'd advertise or put to use very often, but a nice arrow in the talent quiver. Makes me think of the Sherlock Holmes story in which we learn that if Holmes hadn't turned to detective work he would've made the best cat burglar in London.
In the same vein, I've sometimes wondered how master keys work. Why is it that my key only opens certain doors, but the maintenance guy has a master key that opens every door. How does that work?
Puzzle no longer: a recently published article not only explains this, but explains how to make a master key from a non-master key. Is this useful information, or what?
Many thanks to LawMeme for bringing this to my attention. The topic, posted today, is entitled "Computer researcher finds vulnerability in real-world locks."
(Makes me think we should have an "information you might use" category on this site...)