The most insecure thing about this lock is that it can be decoded in full view of witnesses without arousing suspicion. It just looks like you are entering the combination legitimately.
All you have to do is say your eyesight is not the greatest, so it takes a few tries get it right. On these type locks, the 8-9-0 all together can be easily confused, as can the 5-6.
@@wictimovgovonca320 That would be suspicious if you feel you have to excuse yourself for not getting in. Nobody will pay attention to you as you decode it. Yes, if someone asks then you can explain your poor eye sight or you could just tell them to not look at your code.
At a school where I worked they had this thing called BreakoutEdu which is an educational "escape room box" puzzle thing that uses multiple locks that you're supposed to solve using clues to figure out the combination. When the company came in to demonstrate the device, our box was locked with 3 different wheel locks with numbers/symbols/etc that we were supposed to solve using clues hidden in the room. We were paired up with another individual and then set to race to see who could solve their lock box first. I asked my partner if they wanted to do it the hard way of finding clues and solving it or if they wanted me to just open the locks. We agreed that I'd just open the locks and it went pretty much like this video. We were done in under 2 minutes and the demo team were a bit annoyed at us. Edit: To clarify, we went back and did it the right way later on. I ended up using BreakoutEdu in my classroom later on and just added a rule that no picking or brute force solving was allowed. It was all good in the end.
I don’t know. Solving the puzzles and working out the clues sounds like a fun game. It’s not like they planned to test pick proof locks, they planned to design a game and what you did sounds like a bit of a jerk move.
@@glockenrein Yes, but looking out for exploits (and patching them as deemed necessary) is also a part of game design. Though, personally, I would go back and solve legitimately later because that sort of puzzle is my kind of thing.
@@floopyboo No. The problem was either: - you for being there, when you had no intention of doing it properly - your teachers or parents forcing you to be there, when you had no intention of doing it properly Not the demo team, that likely lacked the legal justification to _prevent_ you from being there.
This guy should be in jail making locks for his ass belt cover not to be raped. These videos should be considered illegal. But u stupid look at him like a God.
I read the comments and its obvious that a lot of people do not understand what just happened. LPL changed the combination while the lock was in the default combination of 0-0-0-0 by turning the reset on the bottom of the lock. You can only turn the reset if you have the right combination which was 0-0-0-0 before he changed the numbers.
Something perhaps less obvious, is that eyes aren't even needed for this decode. He could have reopened the lock after setting the new combo without ever turning it back over.
He opened the shackle before he changed the combo. That is super obvious and the entire reason he scrambled the lock. Of course he's going to change it from the default combo. Otherwise, what good is the video?
It's amazing how often when I scramble my gym locker, I reach every time close enough to the right combination (like -1, 0, -1 or +8, +8, +8 for example)! Apparently I move each wheel the same amount of time!
I've sometimes had trouble explaining how a *tiny* change in a piece of software can have a *disastrous* and large security implication. I think this is the first lock that provides a direct mechanical demonstration of the same principle...
You might try pointing people at the Debian OpenSSL fiasco, if they still don't believe you. "Hey, I fixed this compiler warning in OpenSSL and upstream rejected the patch. Let's see if anyone notices."
From what I can see, it looks like Abus actually made the spaces between the wheels and the lock body extremely tight. I'm guessing that the wheels are also of the "stepped" design where the part behind the case is a bit wider. Which means it's probably difficult if not impossible to get a tool in there to pull the bar against the wheels. So if Abus hadn't messed up by making the spring too strong, that lock probably would have been about as good as it gets for that style of combination mechanism. That's probably the most infuriating thing- they got SO close... then screwed up on one detail. This being Abus, a company known for making pretty good locks at most price points, I'll bet they correct that problem soon enough. I'm sure they watch these videos.
Would a weaker spring have disadvantages? For instance, is it possible to hit the lock hard enough for the bar to move exactly as you pull the shackle?
“I now have a lock to which I do not know the combination.“ I‘ve no doubt that other phrases have been spoken more often, however, I doubt that any have been spoken with more irony or less meaning than this. The skill that LPL shows almost daily amazes me, even after years of watching his videos.
This just jarred a memory for me. As a young kid, I had a cheap inline bike lock with a similar wheel-combo setup. I distinctly remember fidgeting with it often and being able to feel the difference in play in the wheels, and soon discovered that if I did it enough it would accidentally open. I know realize I was inadvertently using this technique 40 years ago! :)
I had one of those super cheap bike locks they sold like crazy back in the 70s-80s, with the cheap chain inside the semiclear color plastic "anti scratch" tube, with the four big wheels on the outside middle of the lock. You could tension those by simply pulling on the chain, and spin the wheels till you felt them "fall into place". So easy to decode!
I remember being an asshole 5th grader who figured out how to decode those cheap 4 number inline bike locks on my own (around 1994).... everybody had them so I would find two people who had the same color lock, decode both, swap them and relock the bikes....
@@wrlprchnx I was slightly more advanced, I had modified a masterlock key by filing the wards and sanding it flat, and so it basically opened any masterlock it would fit into. And I did the same thing, switching kids' padlocks. Stand back and watch as all the kids got on their bikes and left, eventually leaving just those two. They'd get to talking, and try each others' keys, and wow it works! So they'd switch KEYS. (not LOCKS) *shrug* Harmless entertainment.
I found if you put tension on the many of the cheap combination locks you could easily feel the click when you found the right digit. I also did that around 40 years ago as I am 51 now.
This channel inspired me to take up lockpicking during the 2020 lockdowns. Which is a good thing because I was at a long distance range day a couple weekends back, and forgot my keys to my ammo box. Luckily I was able to get a paperclip off another shooter and turned that into a pick and tensioner and picked the lock open on my ammo. THANKS LPL!!
We have an enclosed trailer here that someone had the keys to but was out of town. Needing tools that were inside, I ground down a screw, found a small flat piece of metal to apply pressure and picked it in about 2mn thanks to you!!!
When I was at school in the 1970s a lot of bike locks were combination locks where the end of the wire was a "comb" that formed part of the lock mechanism. I discovered how to open them by gently pulling and turning the wheels - just like this really. My only foray into active lock picking (rather than just watching the channel).
I remember I had a generic bicycle combination lock where you could do the same thing, this would have been in the mid to late 80's. For some reason I stopped using the bike chain, then had to start using it. And by then, I had forgotten the combination. But just like in this video, I learned the feel when each wheel was binding or feeling looser, and determined the code. I also remember telling a few mates what I did, and they didn't believe me, until one of them brought in a similar bike chain and I managed to unlock it without being told the combination. 😂
@@willemsma well, if it's any consolation, I'm unaware of any burglary of a residence that was done by picking a lock. Usually, they kick in a back door or break a window.
@@spvillano I know people (wouldn't call them friends) who steal stuff by picking. Picking doesn't leave behind evidence (well, you can find evidence of picking as marks on pins, but no-one is checking that. People usually just don't know how they got robbed, think they left a door unlocked, etc.
@@sophiophile a quick Google search showed that around 2 - 4 % of burglaries involved lockpicking. Given the annualized loss expectancy and exposure factor, figuring out how much to spend to protect my property is trivial and I actually spend a bit more than necessary to protect my property by rekeying with security pins. Home invasions are fairly common for burglary, so protecting against that with a peephole helps, a camera or two might be worthwhile, as I own a few anyway and a few knives will do if the worst happens. Guns aren't as intimidating as a knife, as few have been shot, but everyone's been cut before. That's a lesson learned in crowd control in Somalia. Basically, if I replace my long ago stolen during a move firearms, it'll be for anything other than home protection, a quality lock and visibility plus camera are far more effective deterrents and a final, last ring defense being my fighting knifes, aka my Sicilian Express cards. But then, I already have those as well, an occupational risk of being a career soldier that exclusively served in combat units.
@@spvillano I wasn't arguing that it is common. You said you were unaware of any burglaries that involved lockpicking. So I was just sharing that I am aware of many. The reason I am aware of them is because I taught a bunch of people how to both make their own lockpicking tools, and how to pick- naively. I thought they would use it for dumpster diving and stuff, but at least 2 of them just became thieves. You are absolutely correct that most instances involve forced entry. I was just sharing that it still happens, and that it actually makes it really hard to get insurance money because of the lack of evidence left behind.
This reminds me of a time I was able to pick a Swiss brand luggage lock. All I had to do was literally just listen for the pins to fall into place when operating the combination.
I recently did an escape room where we had a 4 digit combination lock and couldn't find the code... So I let everyone else keep looking and did this on the combo padlock. Saved us a bunch of time.
amigo i like your voice and presentation very much it is always very relaxing to listen to you .. with your style i could even watch surgical things without getting sick
They also keep unknowing people , including otherwise dishonest people, from entering, which is the large majority of people. Most people don't carry a lockpick with them and watch LPL videos.
bought my first lockpick from you got it today. practice lock picked twice to get teh hand of it and took at 20 year old master lock i lost the key too and picked in in the time it took to watch this video. thank for all the tutorials
*Opens lock in under 20 seconds by just thumb scrolling* "Okay folks, it's not the fastest way in..." Righto. The only way it could be faster is if you watch the owner input the combination. LPL is the man of understatements when it comes to cracking codes. :D
Yes we used to do something similar with the combination locks when I was a kid, we just pulled the lock apart a little and felt the easy spot on each wheel.
that takes me back to the early 80s at school, i was revered as a lock expert because i could open chain locks easily :) , swapping them across bikes was always a giggle.
I have been watching his videos for almost 2 years now, and I still would not know what to get for any type of lock. I really wish he would showcase at least a few locks that are not terrible.
@frankbauerful yes. I want to see him actually make those changes is what I'm saying. Maybe he makes one in collaboration with one of the many very skilled machinists here on YT.
He often cites that security is not simply a linear scale of "already open" to "unbeatable security". Security usually comes at the cost of convenience (and vice-versa) and usually the most secure system is having no system at all to compromise in the first place. What does exist, however, is "secure enough", which is what LPL often talks about. "This lock is bad but also cheap, don't use it for anything that is worth more than the lock itself"
You bloody bastard! I have just opened my 1st padlock ever! It took me about 3 minutes to figure out how. GF is mad at me and she thinks that from now on I'll be able to open any lock without a key. GJ mate.
In a perfect world lock manufacturers would have someone monitoring this channel in case one of their products comes up so they can improve them. The shame is we don't live in a perfect world and I firmly believe that lock manufacturers really couldn't care less about the vulnerabilities in their locks just as long as they keep selling.
It’s always interesting to see how he treats a respectable brand who had a small oopsie (Abus) compared the the big red crayon developers (master lock).
"It's not the fastest way", my man you literally popped it open while I was thinking that you were still looking for the *first* wheel that was binding the hardest.
@Matt Weger - It's possible you're right. Bought a beginner kit from LPL and have an old weather beaten Masterlock. It's not as easy as he makes it look. I had to add a bit of lubrication but I've managed to rake it open several times now, just to demonstrate it's not a fluke. Haven't been able to pick it yet though.
Not a bad video idea… spray with vinegar, salt, & H2O2 mixture, then try picking it the next day. FWIW, if you spray the lock with a thin, wicking oil, my experience is that there’s very little difference (unless the lock is totally seized up).
@@wickedcabinboy I couldn't even rake a brand new masterlock #3, so it's having me wonder if I'm doing something wrong and there's some subtle technique to raking that I'm just not comprehending or something.
Uh I don’t think you listened to the video. He wasn’t using brute force. He said the spring was to stron which eliminated the need for the notch decoder tool. There is no need to pull up on the shackle either because he was able to decode using the tension the lock already has by default.
For some reason this reminds me of an old combo bike lock bypass. It was the kind where the wheels were all next to each other. You could decode it as there was a gap between the wheels that would move to the next wheel every time you got a number correct. Wish I could remember the brand.
I remember back when I was about 8 years old, in the sixties, I did something similar with a combination bike lock at school. I didn't steal the bike but I did take the lock. Hopefully they got a better one to replace it.
I noticed one thing from this lock: You can change the number combination while this lock is attached onto something. Basically a troll can go to this lock and change the number combination into something that he also doesn't know. And then the owner has a new combination and wonders why he can't open that lock. Or do I miss something and this doesn't work?
Taking advantage of the Fourth of July sale and pick me up the genesis set and a set of rakes. Super excited to get started in my lock picking journey.
Did I just see you change the combination without having the lock open?! If so, wouldn’t it be even easier to just change the combination to anything you want?
I used a similar method to pick locks where I grew up (AFB) and then change the combination. You didn't need a tool to put it in change combination mode. I just know that the maintenance guys were pissed every time they came upon my mischievousness. Unless they knew the same trick, of course.
I live in the Netherlands, and Arbus is the most widely used brand here on bikes. Indeed, if you get bike insurance here, oftentimes the policy will only cover you if you have an Arbus lock - as most are considered to be a "standard" best level of security. I hope Arbus see this video and immediately recall and remove it from their line. That was absolutely shocking how easy it was to crack.
*ABUS. August Bremicker und Söhne KG. And do the NL insurance companies really recommend/require ANY lock as long as it's made by ABUS? Many of the bike locks recommended by our Swedish insurance co:s are from ABUS, but not all, and all locks by ABUS aren't among the recommended ones.
I have opend lockes like this by pulling on the shackle and turning the each weel untiil it binds then turning it one more untill it feels loose this works on almost every code weel padlock i have ever come across
Likely even a person with lesser skilz could have opened the lock but Lpl has years of “feel” developed from picking and therefore makes it look exceptionally easy.
i recall finding old bike chains and decoding their combination like this with a little tension on the chain. weirdest thing was i would then use the same chain i had found and decoded easily to lock my bike up. sometimes you only need the illusion of security
![[1541] Abus “Super Code” Padlock (Model 158CS)](/img/logo.svg){kind=logo}
