MIT Guide to Lock Picking
Ted the Tool
September 1, 1991
Distribution
Copyright 1987, 1991 Theodore T. Tool. All rights reserved.
Permission to reproduce this document on a non-profit basis is granted provided that this copyright and distribution notice is included in full. The information in this booklet is provided for educational purposes only.
August 1991 revision.
Chapter 1
It's Easy
The big secret of lock picking is that it's easy. Anyone can learn how to pick locks.
The theory of lock picking is the theory of exploiting mechanical defects. There are a few basic concepts and definitions but the bulk of the material consists of tricks for opening locks with particular defects or characteristics. The organization of this manual reflects this structure. The first few chapters present the vocabulary and basic information about locks and lock picking. There is no way to learn lock picking without practicing, so one chapter presents a set of carefully chosen exercises that will help you learn the skills of lock picking. The document ends with a catalog of the mechanical traits and defects found in locks and the techniques used to recognize and exploit them. The first appendix describes how to make lock picking tools. The other appendix presents some of the legal issues of lock picking.
The exercises are important. The only way to learn how to recognize and exploit the defects in a lock is to practice. This means practicing many times on the same lock as well as practicing on many different locks. Anyone can learn how to open desk and filing cabinet locks, but the ability to open most locks in under thirty seconds is a skill that requires practice.