Not a great many people know that I’m actually into Lock Picking as a hobby. This will not be a tutorial on how to do it, or I won’t really talk about how I do it; I would like to write about something completely different. So if you came here for that, here are a few very good resources:
http://www.lockpicking101.com/ - Tutorials
http://www.ukbumpkeys.com/collections/lock-picking - Tools ( UK )
http://www.reddit.com/r/lockpicking/ - Reddit
For my post, click on.
So, why is lock picking like testing? I saw a great many posts which where trying to compare software testing to some activity. I even knew somebody who compared it to dancing. Because.? I don’t know, maybe he was trying out a talk material maybe? And he said - “I was in this club and watched a couple dance, and I was thinking, wow, this is like software testing.” - I couldn’t really react to that. But hey, kudos for out of the box thinking I guess.
But let’s see some of the similarities in picking and testing:
Thinking
It requires logical, critical thinking. It’s a puzzle that you have to solve. A puzzle which you basically solve by testing out solutions and see if they work. You can achieve this by trial and error, something testers face on a daily basis. After awhile you acquire something called finesse. Which will help you identify breaking points more easily. Since you have experience with a certain lock type, you already have a wast knowledge to rely on when you are trying to solve a new lock with the same build. You did your research you know its weaknesses hence you immediately have an attack vector on your hand.
Tools
Lock picking has a wast number of tools. Each tool is design for a specific purpose. You can reuse tools but they are rarely a fit for other locks. Unless it’s a similar one. There are delicate tools and then there are brute force tools, which are very hard to use at first but after you get used to it and know how to handle it, it becomes massively helpful. You can build your own tools or use tools that are built for you by tool experts.
Solving Process
When can you test an application to its fullest extend and capabilities? How can you achieve the most and best testing ever possible? You have to know how the application works. You have to know its components, its abilities, its capabilities and **limits. **For Lock Picking to be the best at what you do and to be able to move to a completely new lock and try to pick it, you have to know its flaws. You have to know when, and how it was built. You have to know what makes it tick, how it works, what it uses, how the inside mechanics look like in order to try to exploit them.
After you acquire this knowledge you will be able to build, or purchase a tool which will help you in solving the puzzle. But you were only able to do that because after you researched its manufacturing procedure you know that the last pin is hard to get to and that it has an anti drilling shield, so drilling is out of the question, and that it has a safety spring which locks the lock permanently upon tampering. If you would not be in the possession of this information you could have made a fatal error and could have made the client lost money ( since at that point they pretty much need to break down the door, unless the key is found again ( assuming the picking took place because the key was lost ) ).
Last Words
There you have it folks. That’s why Lock Picking is like software testing. Knowing structure, inside workings and the proper tools will help to achieve your goal. Just like in testing when you know your field, you know what to use, when, and how. Knowledge makes you the Best.
Good luck,
Happy Picking,
Gergely.