Open any Kryptonite bike-lock with a Bic Pen in 2 seconds
Ouch. This article from Wired Magazine confirms that the 50 year old barrel lock design used in all Krypto bike locks and in many other applications, can be opened with a Bic Pen. The funny part is that this has been known for at least twelve years. This story illustrates so many things.
• locks are funny things in that they are lousy, and we know they are lousy, but they are adequate so we continue to buy and use them – not because they’re GOOD – but because they make us FEEL GOOD.
• there is an interesting cross-over point in this story. Real computer security professionals know that “security through obscurity” is a doomed strategy and that if there is a security hole, you are better off to report it and patch it, than to hope it goes under the radar. It’s funny to watch that ethos play out here in the meatspace world.