Revision as of 16:35, 28 June 2009

Security Ratings and Standards

Locks and safes are standardized and rated by their ability to resist attack from pre-defined compromise techniques. The rating given to a particular lock or safe is a measure of the level of protection it is meant to provide, usually measured in time. Many government and law enforcement agencies use these ratings to select their own locks as well as recommend them to the public.

Various ratings and standards organizations around the world develop standards for locks, lock cylinders, and associated hardware, such as bolts and latches.

In the United States, Underwriters Laboratories (UL), Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA), and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) are the primary ratings organizations. In Europe, the European Committee for Standardization (Comite European de Normalisation) (CEN) provide rating and testing systems for security devices.

Recently, security ratings have come under increased scrutiny by security professionals and locksport groups for failing to include "real-world" compromise techniques and scenarios. Much of this criticism began with the media attention surrouding key bumping.

History

In the United States, the Safe Manufacturers National Association originally tested safes and vaults. In 1921, Underwriters Laboratories began testing burglar alarms and locks. In 1923 they began testing safes, and in 1925 they began testing vault doors.