Locksport

Locksport

Locksport is the practice of lockpicking as a hobby, usually in a group.

The popularity of locksport has dramatically increased in recent years.

History of Locksport

The origins of locksport date as far back as the 1850s, when lock manufacturers began to take security seriously. There were public competitions held to tout the security of new locks. Of course, lock makers expected their locks to be unpickable, and often offered substantial rewards for a successful picking. The Bramah company was one of these manufacturers, and had an outstanding open challenge dating back to 1801.

In 1851, American locksmith Alfred C. Hobbs was sent to London's "Great Exhibition of 1851" to advertise the Parautopic Lock on behalf of New York lock maker Day & Newell. Hobbs claimed that he could easily defeat the best lock at the time, one made by the Bramah company. Bramah eagerly accepted his challenge in the hopes that the security of their lock would be proven by Hobbs inability to pick it. Hobbs was given a sample lock, a collection of blank keys, and thirty days to pick the lock. After 24 days, in front of both judges and spectators, Hobbs opened the Bramah lock with a key he had made. When challenged as a fluke by judges, Hobbs proceeded to lock, unlock, and relock the Bramah with the same key. The manufacturer was very clearly upset; until then the lock was thought impenetrable. They claimed Hobbs had used a trick, just got lucky, or that the lock was damaged in some way. Regardless of their claims, Hobbs proved his claim, and gave the lock industry a clear goal: develop better locks. Though the event would plant the seeds for later generations of lockpickers, it would take over a hundred years for locksport to return.

In the 1980s the hacker and computer security industry was born. People began communicating via computers, and eventually the Internet was made available to the public. While all this was happening hackers and security professionals began to organize communities both online and offline. Security conferences began to emerge in the early 1990s and the challenge of breaking digital security was a popular pastime for many. Out of this a curiousity for locks naturally developed, and many hackers began to explore locks, safes, and security. These conferences would become the base of a large community of people dedicated to lockpicking and phsyical security. Eventually, many of these same people would create the locksport community.

In 1994, while attending the HOPE security conference, Steffen Wernéry bought his first pick set at a nearby spy shop. Wernéry was not a complete stranger to lockpicking; he had made a crude pick set at the age of 12. Together with his friend Juergen Dreessman he began learning the theory and application of lockpicking. Wernéry and Dreessman grew increasingly interested in locks, both learning a great deal about lockpicking and the peculiarities of certain locks models. The two would go on to give a lecture on lockpicking at the 1996 Chaos Communication Congress, a German security conference. In 1997 the pair founded Sportsfreunde der Sperrtechnik, the first established locksport group, in Hamburg, Germany.

Between the security conferences in the US and the newly established locksport groups in Europe the idea of lockpicking as a hobby gained ground.

LSI founded in 2005.

TOOOL US founded in 2006.

Legal Issues

Most groups state their unwillingness to associate with or assist unscrupulous individuals. Locksport groups encourage learning and entertainment rather than criminal activity. The level of skill and training required for professional lockpicking often deters most criminals from joining locksport groups. In addition, most locksport group members are vigilant in watching for people with malicious intent. Some groups go as far as requiring all new members to be introduced by existing members. One such group is TOOOL (European branch only).

Industry Impact

Many locksport groups have had a positive impact on the lock industry by disclosing (publicly and privately) vulnerability information to manufacturers. While many locksmith organizations frown upon this practice, disclosure has led to improved designs of many locks and increased consumer awareness of the security risks present in certain locks.

Locksport Competitions

• DEFCON
• HOPE
• Gringo Warrior
• Lockcon

Locksport Groups

United States:

• Locksport International (LSI)
• The Open Organization of Lockpickers (TOOOL)
• The Fraternal Order of Locksport (FOOOL)

Europe:

• Sportsfreunde der Sperrtechnik - Deutschland e.V. (Sport Enthusiasts of Lockpicking) (SSDEV)
• The Open Organization of Lockpickers (TOOOL)
• Lockpicking Sport Comuninidad Hispana
• Lockpicking in France
• Lockpicking i zabezpieczenia (?)
• OpenLocks Österreich (?)
• Schlösser picken als Schweizer Sport (?)