Awesome Lockpicking

A curated list of awesome guides, tools, and other resources relating to the security and compromise of locks, safes, and keys.

Lock picking is the art of opening a lock without the key and without damaging or destroying the lock or its door. If you want to contribute, you are highly encouraged to do so. Please read the contribution guidelines.

Contents

• Books
• Contests, conferences, and events
• Hobby projects
• How-to lockpicking guides
• Locksport associations and organizations
• Novel lock attack techniques and research
• Online communities
• Online resources
• Vendors

Books

• Eddie the Wire books
• Expedient B and E: Tactics and Techniques for Bypassing Alarms and Defeating Locks - Carl Hammer
• Keys to the Kingdom by Deviant Ollam, 2012
• Lock Picking: Detail Overkill by Solomon
• Locks, Safes and Security: An International Police Reference - Information on locks, safes and security by Marc Weber Tobias.
• Practical Lock Picking by Deviant Ollam, 2012
• Practical Lock Picking: A Physical Penetration Tester’s Training Guide - Detailed instructions and exercises designed for professional physical security specialists, consultants, and red teams.
• The Use of Locks in Physical Crime Prevention - James M Edgar and William D Mclnerey

Contests, conferences, and events

• Chaos Communications Congress (CCC) - CCC hosts the German Lockpicking Championships.
• DEF CON - Annual infosec industry conference which is popular with many lockpickers featuring a locksport contest.
• Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE) - Annual conference often featuring a locksport competition and presentations on physical security.
• OzSecCon - Open community event focusing on physical security in Australia, which hosts a lockpicking and handcuff evasion competition.
• LockCon - Annual, invitation-only international conference about locks for members of respected locksport organizations.

Hobby projects

• 3D Printed Lock Picks - Print lock picks made of plastic materials that, while weak, will survive at least several uses. (Find more digital models.)
• DIY Lock Pick Set from a Windshield Wiper - Illustrated guide to building a custom lock pick and tension wrench from windshield wipers.
• How to Make a Set of Lockpicks! (using street sweeper bristles) - Instructions for using discarded street sweeper bristles as material for dual-sided turning tools and picks.
• Making Tension Wrenches/Turning Tools From Old Windshield Wiper Blades - Instructions for turning old windshield wipers into any of a variety of lock pick types and turning tool styles.
• Under Door Tool Kit Instructions - Short guide to constructing an under-door (“lever opening”/“Mule”) tool using material available at a typical hardware store.
• Lock Dice - In this dice-based locksport game, as a budding lock maker you have set out to test your designs against your peers.

How-to lockpicking guides

• Art of Lockpicking - Educational website with animations detailing the process of picking locks.
• Beginner’s Guide to Security Pins - Short article guiding beginners comfortable with picking padlocks towards an understanding of more complex locks.
• BosnianBill’s Lock Picking for Beginners - YouTube playlist of selected instructional videos sorted in order from first principles to techniques for specific locks.
• CIA Lock Picking Field Operative Training Manual - Guidebook covering terminology, tool use, and techniques for picking the vast majority of pin and wafer tumbler locks.
• Deviant Ollam’s Lockpicking Video Presentations and Advisories - Collection of physec talks and locksport advice for all skill levels from a world-reknowned expert.
• Easy Pickings - Mini Lockpicking Manual - Widely-distributed beginner’s manual with diagrams showcasing how to pick various entry-level locks.
• MIT Lock Picking Guide - Famous introductory text by Ted the Tool.
• Lock Picking: Detail Overkill - Exceptionally thorough guide “for those who want more than just the basics.”
• LockLab’s Lock Picking Course - Complete start-to-finish course from basic tensioning to speciality lock techniques.
• Locksport International Guide to Lock Picking - Locksport primer in the style of a comic book, with photographs and speech bubbles.

Locksport associations and organizations

• Fraternal Order of Lock Sport (FOOLS) - Lock picking club established to serve Bloomington, Indiana and surrounding areas.
• The Open Organization Of Lockpickers (TOOOL) - Worldwide association of lockpickers with national, regional, and local chapters.
• Locksport International - International association of lockpickers who offer help starting new locksport clubs and groups.
• Sportsfreunde der Sperrtechnik - Deutschland e.V. - German lock picking sports club who hosts the german lock picking masters and offers workshops on how to pick locks.

Novel lock attack techniques and research

• SpiKey - Acoustic-based physical key inference.

Online communities

• Keypicking.com - Bustling online forum for the discussion of lockpicking and locksport.
• Lockpicking101.com - One of the longest-running online communities “dedicated to the fun and ethical hobby of lock picking.”
• LockWiki - Community-driven reference for both beginners and professionals in the security industry.
• /r/lockpicking Subreddit - Subreddit dedicated to the sport of lockpicking.

Online resources

• Dark Sim 905’s Lockpicking pages - Personal website of a knowledgable hobbyist discussing a variety of picking and bypass tools.
• Lockpicking Forensics - Website “dedicated to the science and study of forensic locksmithing.”
• Raking Techniques - Raking techniques illustrated with awesome animations.
• Schuyler Towne channel - Lockpicking videos and security talks.
• The Amazing King’s Lockpicking pages - Hobbyist’s website with detailed pages about locks, tools, and picking techniques.

Vendors

• Learn Lockpicking - Retailer of speciality practice locks, lock stands, and more.
• Lock Pick Canada - Canadian retailer carrying a wide range of manufacturers, including Souber dimple lock picks, a manufacturer that only sells to other businesses.
• Lockpick Extreme - Retailer notable for their lockpicking accessories featuring earrings and other jewelry that also function as sturdy tools.
• Peterson Locksmith Tools / Peterson Manufacturing, Inc. - Manufacturer of precision lock picking tools and accessories; their top-of-keyway turning tools are famous but overpriced (you can make your own).
• Safe Ventures, Inc. - Retailer for safe-opening tools who also offer paid training courses.
• Security Snobs - Retailer of numerous high-security, collector, and cutaway locks who also maintain some informational pages about locksmithing.
• Southern Ordinance / Exit 10, Inc. - SouthOrd® is a manufacturer of lock picks and professional locksmith tools; individual replacement picks as low as $1.50 USD.
• Southern Specialities - Retailer of numerous lockpicking sets, pick guns, and more.
• Sparrows Lock Picks - Manufacturer of specialty and quality lock pick tools; their King Pin pinning tweezer is particularly useful.
• Spooxe - German retailer of lock picking tools, tool cases and locks.