Picking Locks with Cryptology

Computer security and cryptology take much of their basic philosophy and language from the world of mechanical locks, and yet we often ignore the possibility that physical security systems might suffer from the same kinds of attacks that plague computers and networks. This talk examines mechanical locks from a computer scientist's viewpoint. We describe attacks for amplifying rights in mechanical pin tumbler locks that are at least as serious as those that can occur in computing systems. We end with future directions for research in this area and the suggestion that mechanical locks are worthy objects of our attention and scrutiny.