Think your keys are safe on your desk? Think again. Computer programmers at UC San Diego have created some software that can pose a serious threat. Dubbed “Sneakey”, it can analyze an image (not even a good one) of a key from almost any angle and create an exact replica. In the picture above, the team successfully reproduced a key using an image that was shot with a telephoto lens from 200 feet away.

“You only need to click a few control points in the image of the key and the ‘Sneakey’ program does the rest,” programmer Benjamin Laxton told a UCSD reporter, “It normalizes the key’s size and position so that each pixel then corresponds to a known distance. From this information the height of each of the key cuts can easily be computed and likewise the bitting code can be extracted.”

What can you do to protect yourself? Apparently not much. Keep your keys in your pocket at all times and you should be safe.

Duplicate Keys From An Image originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/11/06. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2008 | Permalink | Comments | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, cat, computer, control, ds, ea, hack, hacking, key, keys, lens, locksmith, os, photo, picture, pocket, rod, telephoto, time | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit

I won’t comment on any moral issues that comes with the video. I will say, remember that using a bump key on a door that isn’t yours is considered illegal.

How To Open Any Door With A Single Key originally appeared on tech.nocr.at on 2008/02/04. Reproduction of content not allowed without consent.

© tech.nocr.at 2008 | Permalink | 5 Comments | Read more in Hacking And Security | Explore more in: ac, bump, door, hack, hacking, id, key, keys, lock, locksmith, make, mit, open, pen, time, video | Add to del.icio.us | Stumble it | Reddit