3 digit lock

[theLEDman]

im sorry for posting such a simple question here but when i try searching it turns up a debug message...i know it isnt firefox either cuz i tried it on my IE and it didnt work either.

I've only picked the normal cylinder lock for quite some time and i've decided to try picking deadbolt...
but i cant seem to find any information on the web on how to pick the normal 3 digit dial locks without breaking them online.

im sorry for posting such a noob question but its really irking me why i cant figure it out.
thnaks

[digital_blue]

Do you mean a combination lock with a single dial that uses a three number combination, or a lock with three wheels?

db

[theLEDman]

a lock with 3 individual dials with 0-9 inscribed on each
its infact the same exact lock they have on oldschool breifcases

[digital_blue]

Most of these locks can be opened by "feel". Try applying pressure on the shackle and turn the first wheel. Pay attention to the amount of tension on the wheel as you turn. When you feel the least amount of pressure on that wheel. Then move on to the next wheel repeating the same steps. Once on the third wheel you can just roll through the 10 possibilities and see if it opens. If not, you need to go back and feel out the first two wheels cause you missed one or both.

This will not work on all locks. Bear in mind though that there are only 1000 possible combinations. I have tested this, and I can run through all the possibile combinations in about 6 minutes. That means that, on average, you can open one of these in about 3 minutes simply by rolling through all the possible combinations. Roll them like an odometer in a car rolls.

There is something called a sesame decoder for these types of locks, but for info on that you can search it out when the seach engine is back up and running.

Good luck!

db

[NKT]

Another way is to look down the side of the dials, and look for the flat or odd looking one. Get all three aligned, and try it. Then spin all three together to the next combo, and so on. It is normally offset by two or three, but the most you need to try is nine more.

[kodierer]

Actually I have a way to open them, and it is surprisingly simple, and it works on many of these locks. Simply pull the shackle extremely hard, if you have a cheap lock you might break it, and then spin the first wheel until it stops, and go down the line. This doesn't work on all brands, but it is effective on some, and does require quite a bit of pull.

[p8ntbller]

Wow that feel method definately works, im surprised normal people havent noticed how amazingly obvious it is. When you pull on the shackle you will feel VERY light resistance on the dial when it's the right number. I tried this out during school on these master lock 3 digit small padlocks for the filing cabinets because I was bored. I got all 4 locks using the feel method, then I became really bored and scrolled through all the combinations which go's by pretty fast if you keep pressure on the shackle while simply spinning the dials in order. Both methods worked superbly, definately the fastest/easiest way of lockpicking.

[digital_blue]

Wow that feel method definately works, im surprised normal people havent noticed how amazingly obvious it is.

Many "normal" people have, but many more have not. It is almost silly to me that manufacturers still make these. I have a friend managing a store for a national electronics retailer who was using a 4-wheel master lock on a braided steel wire to secure a $900 flat panel tv. He was pretty disturbed when I opened it up on him in about 16 seconds and even more disturbed when I taught him to do it in about 30 seconds - especially because he paid about $40 for the thing. Ah well, there will always be a market for inferior products. Ask china, they thrive on it.

db

[p8ntbller]

I was thinking the same thing, why would any company continue making these.

[vector40]

Same reason for classic round Masterlock combos, or the privacy locks on bathroom doors. They serve a purpose; it's just not a very serious one.

[digital_blue]

Same reason for classic round Masterlock combos, or the privacy locks on bathroom doors. They serve a purpose; it's just not a very serious one.

But you have to admit that the industry has a way of misleading people into a false sense of security. Take, for example, the situation I mentioned above. I am certain that when my friend shelled out $40 (albeit not his own money, but the point still stands) for this "contractors grade" master combination lock with all of its implied and experessed marketing of security features on the package, that he really felt that he was getting a quality product which would, if nothing else, slow down a potential thief to the point that he'd be noticed in the store. I am equally certain that he would not have expected that *anyone* with even a little bit of knowledge on the subject could bypass this lock without even a second glance. Now, I personally find this extremely disturbing.

This is different from the issues associated with Kensington Mircosavers and Kryptonite locks in that the exploits of these locks are reasonably new developments whereas the "feel method" for multi-wheeled combo locks has been around at least as long as I've been able to tie my shoelaces. It is not as if the industry has not had sufficient time to correct the problem, nor is it simply the case that the product is being sold "on the cheap" in dollar stores for low-security applications. With the Kensingtons and Kryptonites, I would hope that manufacturers will recognize the problem, and in a reasonable amount of time, address it. I don't know if they will, but here's hoping.

db

[vector40]

Yes, I agree. If you confronted someone in the industry and forced a response out of them, it would probably be something like, "Well, it's the consumer's responsibility to ensure that the product he's buying is what he needs, not ours. These locks do serve a purpose; it's just not a very high-security one."

Which is true, in a way. But you can't expect everyone to be an expert at everything.

[digital_blue]

Well, I suppose that "truth in advertising" is a bit much to ask. I actually don't have a problem with crappy products being available to cheap people for a low price. My complaint is when crappy products are represented as quality products and sold for an inappropriately high price. That's when I get mad. It so happens that I am aware of these master locks and how useless they are, so I would not fall into the trap of buying one expecting quality. But how many times have I made a purchase expecting that the claims made on the packaging would be true only to be sadly mistaken?

What is a guy supposed to do with 15 gallons of "Wang Enhancement Cream" anyway?

db

[vector40]

I hear you. But what do you want them to say? "This lock sucks. Use it on lousy things you don't care about."

If someone's got a serious security concern, they ought to research what a decent answer would be -- you don't listen to ADVERTISING for your information, heaven forbid. If that were true we'd all be buying EVERYTHING because EVERYTHING is the best and greatest and vital to our continuing happiness... so I hear. (Watch this video: http://www.mercola.com/2005/mar/30/drug_cartoon.htm)

[NKT]

But D_B has a point!

Unless you really do your research, you are just trading off luck. An expensive lock with a trivial bypass is worthless.

Of course, things like snap guns & bump keys have changed the nature of that game too, over time.

Given that there is usually only one lock on a modern front door, if it can be opened in 30 seconds without noise, the people protecting their lives and property with them need to have some idea!

Some locks are utter carp, and yet are sold for good money, and others are stuffed by the lockie, who puts in a £4 lock and charges £30 for a "high security" lock - we all know there are cowboys who do this! - and I was happy to find that the expensive locks I have on my doors are high security! I was less happy to find they were the wrong size, and so were almost worthless...

...but how many people out there know this? The criminals do, the locksmiths do (mostly), but the people going about their lives have no idea at all... They look on lockpicking the same way as I do movie gunplay and shoot-outs. Complete fiction, 99% of the time. They don't realise that there is more than a grain of truth in a lot of what you see!