Padlocks are a convenient way to keep your stuff safe from opportunistic kleptos, but they're not invincible. When it comes to Master Locks, you don't even need a bolt cutter to get through. These locks have a mechanical quirk that makes it easy to guess the code in eight tries or less.

The technique, developed by prolific hacker Samy Kamkar, is a little involved but still relatively simple to understand. By lifting the lock's shackle and slowly turning the dial, it's possible to identify a pair of specific points where the lock's internals rub up against each other in a certain way. With the help of an algorithm and a website Kamkar set up to demonstrate his hack, you can narrow down the lock's combination to just eight options. Then it just takes a few minutes of trial and error to crack the lock.

Kamkar explains the process in detail in a YouTube video:

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This kind of exploit isn't entirely new; it's built on the shoulders of a similar strategy that uses the same techniques but gives about 100 possible solutions—too many to try without getting caught or bored.

For now, Kamkar has shared only the basics of his method, but he also cut open a lock to see the vulnerability in action, and actually created a little robot that will power-crack Master Locks automatically, promising more details in the coming days. So maybe don't keep any stacks of cash behind a single Master Lock at the gym. But your sweaty shorts will probably be fine.

Source: Samy Kamkar via Ars Technica

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