Locksport
Encyclopedia
Locksport refers to the sport or recreation of studying and learning to defeat locking systems
. Its enthusiasts learn a variety of skills including lock picking
, lock bumping
, and a variety of other skills traditionally known only to locksmiths
and other security professionals. Locksport followers enjoy the challenge and excitement of learning to defeat all forms of locks, and often gather together in sport groups to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and participate in a variety of recreational activities and contests.
(1754–1793) was a keen designer, picker and manipulator of locks, physicist Richard Feynman
picked the locks for fun in the 1940s while employed on the Manhattan Project
, and the notes of the MIT Roof and Tunnel Hacking
community were made widely available in 1991 as The MIT Guide to Lock Picking.
However, as an organised hobby lock picking is a relatively recent phenomenon. The earliest known organized group of lock picking enthusiasts is the German club SSDeV (Sportsfreunde der Sperrtechnik - Deutschland e.V. or, translated Sportsenthusiasts of Lockpicking – Germany). SSDeV was founded by Steffen Wernéry in 1997. As the group grew in Germany, another group was founded in The Netherlands in 1999. This group, originally called NVHS, and currently called TOOOL (The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers), has also helped to pioneer the collaborative hobby of lock picking.
The term locksport was adopted by lock picking enthusiasts as a way of differentiating what they do from locksmiths, as well as from those who might choose to pick locks for nefarious purposes. As of early 2005, the term had been suggested, but not widely adopted. The creation of the sport group Locksport International in July 2005, founded by Josh Nekrep, Kim Bohnet, and Devon McDormand of LockPicking101.com, helped to solidify the term within the community, and today the term is widely adopted in North America by those who practice the craft of lock picking for fun and sport. Locksport International is now under the direction of Doug Farre.
that is common within the locksmith industry, as well as among lock manufacturers. Those who choose to participate in locksport often seek to discover security vulnerabilities and notify lock manufacturers as well as, in some instances, the public, in an effort to promote improvements in the field of physical security
and to aid consumers in making better, more informed decisions about their own security. This philosophy is contradictory to that held by many locksmith organizations, and locksport enthusiasts have come under attack for releasing information about lesser-known vulnerabilities. Nonetheless, locksport enthusiasts persist in discovering weaknesses in all forms of physical security.
One such activity is known as the Padlock Challenge, where members each start with a predefined number of padlocks linked together. As participants pick a lock, they attach the lock to the chain of padlocks of another participant. The goal is to be the first to rid oneself of all one's locks. Another common activity is some form of speed challenge, where members are given a limited time to pick a lock, or compete for the best time on one or more locks.
Convention every second year. Rules and format of contests vary from event to event.
and HOPE
are the most notable. At each of these conventions a dedicated area called The Lock Picking Village is set up where contests and presentations are held, and attendees can learn to pick locks and watch others practice and compete.
In an effort to keep lock picking skill away from those who would abuse it, members of locksport groups uphold a zero-tolerance for illegal or immoral lock picking, bypass, or other forms of entry. Though accounts of lock picking being used for crime are statistically very low, locksport enthusiasts feel they must uphold such strict standards to repudiate the often held misconception that they are participating in illegal activities.
Lock (device)
A lock is a mechanical or electronic fastening device that is released by a physical object or secret information , or combination of more than one of these....
. Its enthusiasts learn a variety of skills including lock picking
Lock picking
Lock picking is the art of unlocking a lock by analyzing and manipulating the components of the lock device, without the original key. Although lock picking can be associated with criminal intent, it is an essential skill for a locksmith...
, lock bumping
Lock bumping
Lock bumping is a lock picking technique for opening a pin tumbler lock using a specially crafted bump key. One bump key will work for all locks of the same type.-History:A US patent first appears in 1928 by H.R. Simpson called a "rapping" or bump-key...
, and a variety of other skills traditionally known only to locksmiths
Locksmithing
Locksmithing began as the science and art of making and defeating locks. A lock is a mechanism that secures buildings, rooms, cabinets, objects, or other storage facilities. A key is often used to open a lock...
and other security professionals. Locksport followers enjoy the challenge and excitement of learning to defeat all forms of locks, and often gather together in sport groups to share knowledge, exchange ideas, and participate in a variety of recreational activities and contests.
History
Lock picking has been around for as long as locks have, and recreational lock picking has been an obscure recreation for some for much of that time. King Louis XVI of FranceLouis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
(1754–1793) was a keen designer, picker and manipulator of locks, physicist Richard Feynman
Richard Feynman
Richard Phillips Feynman was an American physicist known for his work in the path integral formulation of quantum mechanics, the theory of quantum electrodynamics and the physics of the superfluidity of supercooled liquid helium, as well as in particle physics...
picked the locks for fun in the 1940s while employed on the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
, and the notes of the MIT Roof and Tunnel Hacking
Roof and tunnel hacking
Roof and tunnel hacking is the unauthorized exploration of roof and utility tunnel spaces. The term carries a strong collegiate connotation, stemming from its use at MIT, where the practice has a long history. It is a form of urban exploration...
community were made widely available in 1991 as The MIT Guide to Lock Picking.
However, as an organised hobby lock picking is a relatively recent phenomenon. The earliest known organized group of lock picking enthusiasts is the German club SSDeV (Sportsfreunde der Sperrtechnik - Deutschland e.V. or, translated Sportsenthusiasts of Lockpicking – Germany). SSDeV was founded by Steffen Wernéry in 1997. As the group grew in Germany, another group was founded in The Netherlands in 1999. This group, originally called NVHS, and currently called TOOOL (The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers), has also helped to pioneer the collaborative hobby of lock picking.
The term locksport was adopted by lock picking enthusiasts as a way of differentiating what they do from locksmiths, as well as from those who might choose to pick locks for nefarious purposes. As of early 2005, the term had been suggested, but not widely adopted. The creation of the sport group Locksport International in July 2005, founded by Josh Nekrep, Kim Bohnet, and Devon McDormand of LockPicking101.com, helped to solidify the term within the community, and today the term is widely adopted in North America by those who practice the craft of lock picking for fun and sport. Locksport International is now under the direction of Doug Farre.
Philosophy
At the core of locksport is the philosophical belief in responsible full disclosure. Locksport enthusiasts target security through obscuritySecurity through obscurity
Security through obscurity is a pejorative referring to a principle in security engineering, which attempts to use secrecy of design or implementation to provide security...
that is common within the locksmith industry, as well as among lock manufacturers. Those who choose to participate in locksport often seek to discover security vulnerabilities and notify lock manufacturers as well as, in some instances, the public, in an effort to promote improvements in the field of physical security
Physical security
Physical security describes measures that are designed to deny access to unauthorized personnel from physically accessing a building, facility, resource, or stored information; and guidance on how to design structures to resist potentially hostile acts...
and to aid consumers in making better, more informed decisions about their own security. This philosophy is contradictory to that held by many locksmith organizations, and locksport enthusiasts have come under attack for releasing information about lesser-known vulnerabilities. Nonetheless, locksport enthusiasts persist in discovering weaknesses in all forms of physical security.
Activities
At locksport meetings, members regularly participate in a variety of activities such as lock challenges, lock relay races, standardized tests, and many other such activities dreamed up by the members themselves.One such activity is known as the Padlock Challenge, where members each start with a predefined number of padlocks linked together. As participants pick a lock, they attach the lock to the chain of padlocks of another participant. The goal is to be the first to rid oneself of all one's locks. Another common activity is some form of speed challenge, where members are given a limited time to pick a lock, or compete for the best time on one or more locks.
Contests
There are several organized lock picking contests that are held each year. Both SSDeV and TOOOL.NL hold a major contest each year, and hobbyists travel from many different countries to participate. In North America, contests are held at the Defcon Convention in Las Vegas each year, and the HOPEH.O.P.E.
HOPE is a conference series sponsored by the hacker magazine 2600: The Hacker Quarterly. Held biennially in the summer, there have been eight conferences to date with the next scheduled for 13 - 15 July 2012.- HOPE: Hackers On...
Convention every second year. Rules and format of contests vary from event to event.
Conventions
Though there are currently no conventions exclusive to locksport, enthusiasts have found acceptance among a variety of hacker conventions. DEFCONDEF CON
DEF CON is one of the world's largest annual computer hacker conventions, held every year in Las Vegas, Nevada...
and HOPE
H.O.P.E.
HOPE is a conference series sponsored by the hacker magazine 2600: The Hacker Quarterly. Held biennially in the summer, there have been eight conferences to date with the next scheduled for 13 - 15 July 2012.- HOPE: Hackers On...
are the most notable. At each of these conventions a dedicated area called The Lock Picking Village is set up where contests and presentations are held, and attendees can learn to pick locks and watch others practice and compete.
Ethics
Because lock picking is sometimes viewed as a nefarious craft, locksport enthusiasts uphold a very rigorous standard of ethics. The credo of locksports has often been described as:You may only pick locks that you own, or those to which you’ve been given expressed permission to pick by the rightful owner.
In an effort to keep lock picking skill away from those who would abuse it, members of locksport groups uphold a zero-tolerance for illegal or immoral lock picking, bypass, or other forms of entry. Though accounts of lock picking being used for crime are statistically very low, locksport enthusiasts feel they must uphold such strict standards to repudiate the often held misconception that they are participating in illegal activities.