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Sneakey software can dup keys from images even bad ones

dvice.com — Computer programmers at UC San Diego have whipped up software that poses a serious threat. Called "Sneakey," it can use an image of a key from almost any angle to create an exact replica. It doesn't have to be a good image, either

Who dugg this? Made popular Jul 16, 2009

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48 Comments

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  • mattgilberg, on 07/16/2009, -1/+38I can save myself a whole lot of work by just using a bumpkey.
  • xero69, on 07/17/2009, -0/+15Locks only keep the honest people out
  • WarPirate, on 07/16/2009, -2/+15Cool technology.
  • wjappe, on 07/16/2009, -2/+14Kind of Mission Impossible type of stuff
  • SoCalDissident, on 07/17/2009, -0/+10Enhance.
  • miggyb, on 07/17/2009, -0/+9Enhance.
  • gtrob, on 07/16/2009, -4/+11They misspelled sneaky.
  • Sabin8, on 07/17/2009, -0/+7Because those don't have security issues right? :S
  • piemcgee, on 07/16/2009, -3/+9What the hell was the original resolution of that photograph?
  • jadez03, on 07/17/2009, -0/+6I googled "Mul-T-Lock" and got several video results "bump key on Mul T Lock" "how to pick a Mul T Lock in 1 minute", all kinds of stuff. Doesn't seem that impregnable.
  • SystemicThought, on 07/16/2009, -1/+7Of course, a lot of the "do not duplicate" keys have a special shape or cut in the middle that is hard to identify and very hard to duplicate. I'm with MattG up above. Bump keys probably pose more of a risk.
  • bentrinh, on 07/17/2009, -0/+5Enhance.
  • megaton, on 07/16/2009, -0/+5They took two photos; one showing the view, the other zoomed in.

    That wider-angle photo is not a telephoto lens. (Unless, I suppose, they were taking it from a satellite.)
  • 07dcolem, on 07/17/2009, -0/+5Download link or it doesn't exist.
  • SystemicThought, on 07/16/2009, -0/+4Didn't they use clay in the original series?
  • darkwater37, on 07/16/2009, -1/+5You have no secrets! Or security either.
  • ushere, on 07/17/2009, -0/+4well thank god for that - all i have to do is take a pic of my keys and when i next lose them, simply get them recut.

    good work batman
  • Spire3660, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3This is news?

    You can make a copy of a key from a decent picture of it??? NO ***** WAY!!!


    /s


  • Dustmuffins, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3That's what the "digg" button is for.
  • darkcthulhu, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3Put Mul-T-Lock's on your house and business. Can't be bumped and can't be "Sneakey'd". No, I don't work for Mul-T-Lock. :)
  • Tiptup300, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3Enhance.
  • NegativeDigg, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3Not really, If you know how a tumbler works it's pretty easy. I had a job making keys and re keying locks. It's pretty easy work and it doesn't take a lot to copy a key. Most common are kwikset keys but you can just really find blanks of any lock anywhere. The older the locks the easier it is to open because the springs are worn and a bump key would most likely work.
  • mikejones1983, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3Enhance.
  • yacks, on 07/17/2009, -0/+3who needs to make a key when you can just break a window?
  • Super6, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2Sounds like a good reason to switch to RFID locks
  • wjappe, on 07/16/2009, -2/+4True but I was thinking more of a modern MI, back then they didn't have much (at all) in portable computers
  • JeSTeRSeVeN, on 07/17/2009, -0/+2You have got to be kidding me, Digg. I fully expect to see a story about the hamster dance make the front page next.
  • Klamath9, on 07/16/2009, -2/+4This doesn't seem like that big of a deal to me; it just automates what you could do with Photoshop and a little patience...
  • tylerjwilk, on 07/17/2009, -1/+3this ***** is old.
  • darkcthulhu, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1According to my research Mul-T-Lock has shown that all of those videos were using locks that were modified before being bumped or picked.
  • Antialias, on 07/16/2009, -2/+3One of the comments on the article made a good point also. The people at stores that copy your key when they physically have it often made duds(I've taken back at least 3 keys from 3 different key places over the years that didn't work, probably a 20% failure rate in my experience). I can't see how this would give the same success rate but I suppose even a 10-20% chance of the Sneaky copy working is enough to pose a threat.
  • nyxerebos, on 07/17/2009, -0/+1If you take ten photos you can average the pattern and get a more exact copy, reducing the effect of noise in the image.
  • seclife321, on 07/17/2009, -0/+1And this is a huge security threat because it's currently impossible to get past a lock without a key.

    /s
  • HonoredMule, on 07/17/2009, -0/+1I'm more interested in ways to stay OFF that crap.

    /one pissed StarCraft II non-buyer
  • socrates17, on 07/17/2009, -0/+1Photoshop can make copies of keys?

    I knew photoshop had a lot of features, but that is a very surprising one.
  • DaviDTC, on 07/16/2009, -1/+2Thought this was old and then I saw it was in the archives portion of their site.
  • darkcthulhu, on 07/20/2009, -0/+1Such as?
  • nyxerebos, on 07/17/2009, -0/+1Or perhaps some form of electronic key that doesn't broadcast, that does not have a magstripe and requires physical contact?
  • TaylorSPL, on 07/17/2009, -0/+1They aren't as good as you think they are. There are many other high security options that are much better for the money.
  • tbttfox, on 07/16/2009, -2/+2I did this once with a copying machine for my high school master key!!
    That said, most new locks come with halfpin in the last position to keep you from bumping.
    But that won't keep you from using one on almost any other lock in existence.
  • gtrob, on 07/19/2009, -1/+1No, a combination of "sneak" and "key" would be "sneakkey", which would have been a funny pun, but clearly they made a mistake and don't know how to spell "sneaky" properly.
  • Super6, on 07/17/2009, -4/+3*whoosh*
  • GorfTron, on 07/16/2009, -4/+3These are not key hacks, they are Key Kittens.
  • milkmage, on 07/17/2009, -2/+1yeah, with those precision grinding machines operated by the uberskilled key cutter you'd expect fewer failures. there's no way a well written piece of software and computer controlled cutting machine can do any better than that.

    /s
  • Wildthing, on 07/17/2009, -6/+4Sneakey is a combination of "sneak" and "key". I assume that's what they were going for.
  • TBombadil, on 07/17/2009, -3/+1can save, or have saved? =P
  • simpleyute, on 07/16/2009, -4/+1Very cool
  • Kashman58, on 07/16/2009, -7/+1Am I the only one who thought/hoped the article was referring to sneaking a way onto battle.net?

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