Medeco not so secure after all

[unixronin]

Medeco locks are immune to bumping, right?

Well ... actually, now that you mention it, not so much.  Marc Tobias reports on a successful compromise of a Medeco M3 lock mechanism using a dummy key blank and a paper clip.

To make matters worse, we were able to create a bump key with our simulated blank, that would open an m3, (although bumping is, in fact, much more difficult in this scenario).  This capability may raise serious security concerns, especially in commercial and government installations where master keying may not be allowed.

Medeco lock bumping video here.

Comments

[bfudlmint.livejournal.com]

So what lock can I use to secure my house?

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

Well, the key question to start out asking is, "How secure does your house need to be?" Or, in other words, "How determined and professional a thief do you expect to need to keep out?"
Once you answer that question, then you're in a much better starting position to determine how to achieve that level of security. Keep in mind that the casual thief always has the option of just breaking a window to gain entry, unless you replace all the windows with bulletproof glass or put bars over them.

[sierra-nevada.livejournal.com]

Have you been following Matt Blaze (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Blaze)'s adventures in locksmith land (http://www.crypto.com/hobbs.html)? He's also had some fun with safecracking. One thing he found interesting to report: federal government ratings for safes are done in "time it will take to crack this safe" (i.e. how long will it delay a determined attacker). Commercial safes don't really talk about that ...

[unixronin.livejournal.com]

*nod* Yup, I was aware of that. Given unlimited access, a sufficiently determined and well-equipped safecracker will always be able to gain access to any safe or vault.