For Better Security, Learn To Pick Locks

A wide array of locks, including a pair of handcuffs, are laid out for members to choose from. Photo: Elizabeth Parrish

Bike locks are among the easiest locks to pick -- and break -- open, according to the Longhorn Lockpicking Club. Formed in 2006 and sponsored by the University of Texas, the club aims to educate people about lock security, while also providing a fun and challenging activity.

“Our main mission is to teach people more about physical security so they can make more informed decisions about what kinds of locks they buy,” Bryan Hill, co-organizer for the group, said during one of its bi-monthly meetings at Spider House Café.

Hill color-codes locks based on how easy they are to pick, with levels ranging from easy to expert. The easiest? Average, everyday bike locks. According to an investigation by KXAN, nearly 800 bikes were stolen in 2017 alone, most of which occured in the 78704 zip code.

After bike locks, Hill says, residential locks are one of the easiest to pick.

“We don’t want you to trust a brand or a product more than it needs to be,” Hill said. “We find vulnerabilities in things so that people can patch those vulnerabilities and make them better.”

J-Gore, a founding member of the Lockpicking Club, demonstrates how to pick a lock. He asked that his last name be withheld due to personal security concerns. Photo: Elizabeth Parrish

It’s extremely rare for thieves to learn lockpicking, he says, and anyone who would go through the trouble of picking a residential lock probably knows the target personally.

Hill says most of the people who show up to the meetings work in the information security field and are there to improve their skills at keeping information and other valuable items secure for businesses.

Ryan Gooler joined the Lockpicking Club after moving to Austin from Berkeley, Calif., two months ago. He’s been practicing lockpicking for more than six years.

“It’s like solving brain-teaser puzzles, but you don’t get to see any of the pieces,” he said. “You have to feel your way through.”

Gooler, an independent contractor, says he uses his lockpicking skills to show companies how to keep the locks on the doors to their server rooms from being picked by thieves looking to steal company information. Occasionally, individual customers ask him to pick open their locks for them to help them decide if their locks are secure enough or if they need to invest in a more advanced lock.

Not everyone with a love of lockpicking works in the security field. Blake Bahrenburg is a pet tech at an animal hospital, but has been a member of the lockpicking club for two years.

“It’s like solving a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded,” he said.

Although Bahrenburg says he eventually wants to go into the information security field, his love of lockpicking comes from a place outside the professional realm.

“Every guy’s fantasy is to be that guy in the heist movie that’s picking the safe,” he said.

Last year, Bahrenburg won LockFest, a national lockpicking championship. Now considered an expert on the topic, he spends a lot of his time teaching others.

“I love seeing their face when they learn something and it sticks,” he said.