How dangerous is this bump key threat to our security to our houses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hr23tpWX8lM

You can buy a bump key set for less than $100 on the internet.

Very. The bump keys have proven to be such a threat that manufacturers are scrambling to design cylinders resistant to bump keys in hardware sold by mass merchants. Locks available through security professionals (locksmiths) have been bump-proof for years.

So far, Master Lock and Kwikset have bump resistant hardware and their packaging is marked to ID them.

Your best bet is to stick with ASSA, Medeco, Schlage Everest and Primus, and Multi-lock just to name the more popular high security brands.

As an aside, not everyone that has bump keys in their possession can effectively use them. It takes a greater-than-passing understanding of how locks work and lots of practice to make them deadly on locks.

Just this past week, I opened a padlock with a bump key. Two raps and DONE!

Personal note: We use a keyless lock on the main door of our home and restricted keyway cylinders on the other doors.

HEY TIMEWARP

WELL THANK you for this information

dgrimm60

I have been looking at one of those biometric locks that require a key to lock the door but a fingerprint to unlock the door. Cost is $200 though. Can hold up to 50 fingerprints and you can program what time of day the fingerprint can open the door.

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/sequiam-fingerprintlock-biolock.html

HEY CYBERGUY

WELL this in an interesting article and video

dgrimm60

In my experience, biometric locks are not quite ready for the mass market.
1. You hit the first one...too expensive, yet the prices are continually getting more affordable.
2. Offshore manufacturers selling direct to consumers or online retailers mean the products are more difficult to support. No one stocks parts, you'll have to remove and ship the lock somewhere even for a warranty claim.
3. Average consumer cannot grasp install and operating instructions. They are not only more involved than a simple door installation, the translation of directions to English is sadly hilarious.
4. Electronic locks, not designed for commercial use, still very prone to some failure. The electronics could become faulty, causing the bolt retracting motor to fail, the batteries to prematurely drain, the the print reader to malfunction, the processor to fail, etc. Want it fixed? See #2.

I have seen many of these products come to market, mostly from Korean mfgrs. This market is still in a 'shake-out' stage where brands come and go 'til a few will rise, like cream, to the top. Then the better ones would be the ones to choose from. There just isn't a decent track record surfacing yet.

What about a lock where you punch in a numeric password like this one.

http://www.brickhousesecurity.com/outdoor-keyless-lock.html

Then there is the antibumpkey solution. Put in a gel into your lock to absorb the bump and prevent the locks to slid into place on a bumpkey.

http://www.banthebumpkey.com/

Problem with this is it is a temporary solution. You do not know when the gel will stop working after a few years.

Oh my word.....
My first impression of that product is that one should NEVER put any foreign material in a lock cylinder.

How do you know if you put in too much fluid? How do you know if time will make the fluid brittle, gummy, etc? And what about American-made locks where the cylinders typically have the pin-tumbler springs in the upper part of the cylinder, not the lower?

I'll pass on this until I see reports of actual field tests conducted by the locksmith industry.

As for combination locks, I have addressed them in previous posts on this forum. I recommend combination deadbolts for residential doors, and further prefer mechanical (non-battery) products as being more dependable.

As seen all over the net

Again, important points:
1. Bump keys do not work in EVERY lock. Most house locks are vulnerable, but auto locks and high security locks are not.
2. Bumping takes practice. Just because someone has a bump key, it doesn't make them an expert.
3. Bumping makes noise. If your neighborhood is staying aware of strange activities and strange noises, crime can be prevented.
4. Bumping is a crime.

I have a question.

What is a left hand lock versus a right hand lock. I assume that means the door lock in on the left or right side of the door but is that talking about the OUTSIDE coming into the house or the INSIDE going outside the house.

According to the news reports a 13 year old could do it and has. So that rules out it takes experience. Sounds like one could learn it very quickly.

As to noise. A quick bump from the little hammer that comes with those bumpkey sets hardly makes that much noise. With people away at work during the day there would be few if any people home to hear it and they would be inside with the doors closed. Even if they were outside they would be mowing or doing other noise creating stuff and would not hear someing bumping a lock or even know what that sound was if they heard it.