Marc Tobias
Encyclopedia
Professional Background
Tobias is an American investigative attorney and author. His law practice specializes in technical fraud and related investigations that require the use of special interviewing and interrogation techniques and polygraph testing. Tobias has conducted or reviewed investigations involving locksLock (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....
, safe
Safe
A safe is a secure lockable box used for securing valuable objects against theft or damage. A safe is usually a hollow cuboid or cylinder, with one face removable or hinged to form a door. The body and door may be cast from metal or formed out of plastic through blow molding...
s, security and locking products and technologies for both public and private clients. He also consults with corporations and government agencies with regard to the analysis of locks, alarms and security hardware for bypass capabilities and defective product designs that could lead to breaches in physical security.
Tobias is recognized as one of the foremost security experts in the world and has authored one of the leading references on the subject. He has provided expert testimony in patent infringement lawsuits and defective product litigation with regard to product design and security defects, and in criminal trials.
He was trained as both a lawyer and criminal investigator and has been a certified polygraph
Polygraph
A polygraph measures and records several physiological indices such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration, and skin conductivity while the subject is asked and answers a series of questions...
examiner for the past twenty years. He has conducted thousands of polygraph examinations in both criminal and civil investigations involving cases of kidnapping and murder to employee theft from commercial businesses.
Security Analysis
Tobias has analyzed and released numerous security alerts with regard to the security flaws in locks, ranging from high security, state-of-the-art systems that are installed in the White House and the Pentagon to the basic pin-tumbler cylinder locks that are commonly used around the world. He has been responsible for the disclosure of such security defects as the bypass of tubular locks with ball point pens, the insecurity of gun locks that are relied upon to protect children, many popular consumer security devices, lock bumpingLock 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...
in the United States, and most recently the security flaws in one of the most recognized high-security locks in the United States.
As a lock expert he has demonstrated the vulnerabilities of the security products of many lock companies, including Kwikset
Kwikset
Kwikset is a lock and lockset manufacturer owned by Black and Decker Hardware and Home Improvement Group , a Division of Black and Decker. Kwikset was founded in 1946 by Adolf Schoepe and Karl Rhinehart. The name was derived from the company's first locks, which pioneered the then-revolutionary...
, Medeco
Medeco
Medeco is a lock manufacturer. Both the factory and administrative offices are located in Roanoke County, Virginia near Salem. Medeco is a subsidiary of the Swedish Assa Abloy Group.- History :...
, Targus
Targus
Targus may refer to:Names*Targus, a company which makes computer accessories.*Targus, a name of Anastasia Targus in Star Trek: Borg and a planet in the Star Hero RPG world.Other uses*Targu-Mures / Târgu Mureş*Targu-Jiu / *Tîrgu-Jiu...
, Master Lock
Master Lock
Master Lock is an American company primarily known for developing and manufacturing padlocks, combination locks and related security products. Now an operating unit of Fortune Brands Home & Security, Inc., Master Lock Company LLC was formed in 1921 by locksmith-inventor Harry Soref, and is...
and others. Revealing the security flaws in locks with techniques as simple and effective as lock bumping, his work has forced many companies back to the drawing boards. In 1994, Tobias hacked one of the early hotel room card key systems, the company no longer does business in the United States.
Patents
Tobias has been granted five U.S. and several foreign derivative patents regarding bypass tools and techniques for opening or protecting locks locks. These include: 7,441,431 PC GUARDIAN, 5,355,701 VINGCARD, 5,277,042 CLUB, 7,775,074 MEDECO.Lectures
Tobias has lectured on security in the United Kingdom, Germany, Israel, Sweden, Bulgaria, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates, Russia, Israel, Hong Kong, Austria, Netherlands, Canada and the United States.Literature
He has published five police and security textbooks including:- Locks, Safes, and Security (First edition) 1970, 350 p, Charles Thomas Publishers
- Locks, Safes, and Security (Second edition) 2001, 1408 p. Charles Thomas Publishers
- Pretrial Criminal Procedure, 1973, 400 p., Charles Thomas Publishers
- A Field Manual of Police Procedures, 1972, 300 p. Charles Thomas Publishers
- Police Communications, 1975, 650 p. Charles Thomas Publishers;
- LSS+ Multimedia Edition of Locks, Safes, and Security, 2002 (10 volumes).
Associations
Tobias is a member of several professional organizations including: American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS); American Association of Police Polygraphists (AAPP); American Polygraph AssociationAmerican Polygraph Association
The American Polygraph Association was established in 1966 and includes 2,500 members in the polygraph field.The stated goals of the APA are:*Serving the cause of truth with integrity, objectivity and fairness to all persons...
(APA); American Bar Association
American Bar Association
The American Bar Association , founded August 21, 1878, is a voluntary bar association of lawyers and law students, which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. The ABA's most important stated activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation...
(ABA); Associated Locksmiths of America
Associated Locksmiths of America
The Associated Locksmiths of America , Inc., is the world’s largest organization for locksmiths and other physical security professionals....
(ALOA); and Safe and Vault Technicians Association
Safe and Vault Technicians Association
The Safe and Vault Technicians Association is North America's largest organization of safe and vault technicians. Established in 1986, it provides technical training at the annual SafeTech convention and offers two levels of certification...
(SAVTA).
Tobias writes a feature column on security and travel for Forbes.com.