Tempest is a sly reference to the storm of different electromagnetic (EM) radiation that comes out of a typical computer system. You see, every time an electron moves, there is an electric and magnetic feild that results. For a room temperature metal object, there is radio emmission in the millimetre range. (This is now being used for “see through your clothes” imaging cameras. I’ll post about that another day.) Warm things give off infra-red radiation. Very warm things glow.

Beyond that, to move the electrons around your PC and send signals, the electrons move back and forth, and give off some EM radio waves. These are longer wavelength, and travel through walls and air just fine, though they are very weak. The wires on your keyboard act just great as an aerial, so some people have been working on methods for reading these signals.

The videos below show this being done.

Compromising Electromagnetic Emanations of Keyboards Experiment 1/2 from Martin Vuagnoux on Vimeo.

Compromising Electromagnetic Emanations of Keyboards Experiment 2/2 from Martin Vuagnoux on Vimeo.

This isn’t something the “average person” should worry about, is what you normally hear when something like this is revealed, but who among us is average? As to the answer, well, currently there doesn’t seem to be one. Fortunately the range is short, so keep an eye out for people pointing satellite dishes at your house, and you should be fine. The other option is to make it a little harder for anyone trying. Buy a good keyboard, with a shielded cable, and make sure your PC case is done up properly. This will reduce the EM that is able to escape, and so make reading it even harder.

We noticed it. It was about as dramatic as someone slamming the front door. So yes, we are fine.

Bumpkeys are designed to open a specific brand of lock. Sadly, in the UK the standard rim cylinder and euro locks found on an estimated 65% of homes are all the same profile, meaning that, unless you have an upgraded, treated lock (and you won’t unless you have specifically obtained one from a locksmith) you are vulnerable. Even higher security locks, if made more than a few years ago, are generally vulnerable. Call or email us for more information.

http://www.banthebumpkey.co.uk/ - you can also sign the on-line petition here.

Things like good locks and having the keys for your window locks add to your peace of mind. On commercial property, things such as steel grilles over windows and steel plates over doors are frequently a requirement, as are anti-ram bollards.

Please call us to arrange a security survey, with no obligation. A professional eye will help ensure that you are as safe as you feel you should be.

If you lock your keys inside, you can smash a window (and pay the insurance excess!) to get them back, or you can call a locksmith. If you’ve locked them in the boot, or lost them entirely, smashing a window won’t help. You won’t be able to open the boot from inside, nor even the doors, as the deadlocking means only a key will do.

If your key has been stolen, then you need not just a new key, but you also need to have the old key removed from the system, before the thief comes and takes your car away using it.

Currently we are trying to gauge the returns on investment of getting the latest programmer equipment for car keys. The kit is very, very expensive and we would need significant investment in order to do on-site key programming. However, we have just invested in the latest tooling for non-destructive picking of the latest car locks. If your keys are locked in the boot, then we can attend and pick the lock without damage using the correct tools for the job, and do so at a reasonable price, and get you on the road again. We can also do a “next day” service for additional car keys

Please call and ask for details, should you need a spare key for your car.

Once inside the alarm tripped. And that brings me to the real subject of this post.

I silenced the alarm within 20 seconds. I used most of the time the trigger gave the normal user to punch in the code to insert my ear plugs, and still had it quiet within 10 seconds of the sounders going off. It wasn’t some amazing magic trick, nor anything destructive. Take a look at the alarm panel, and see if you, too, can work out the code digits. (Again, you can click on the image for a larger version, but you might not need to!)

I figured that 4, 6 and 0 figured in the code, and since most codes are 4 digits, the fourth try turned it off. Not really rocket science on this one!

If you get into the habit of changing your alarm code every time you notice the digits you are using are starting to wear or get dirty, then you will effectively stop this trick cold. And, if you have an alarm or safe that are insurance rated, you should get your codes changed every 6 months regardless, to comply with the insurance requirements.

Discreet Security Solutions offers this service, along with many other locksmithing and security related services. We will probably find security issues you weren’t even aware of, but that could be exploited to leave you and your business or home in a far worse state than when you locked the door and went on your way. And, normally, there are low-tech, low-cost solutions to your security problem. Give us a call on 0845 355 0945 or drop us a line today.

Well, in the US at least, some locksmith associations are fighting back. The Associated Locksmiths of America, Inc. (ALOA) have a “Report a phony locksmith” link on their website.

“This is a great tool for consumers to fight back against these scam artists,” says ALOA’s Executive Director, Charles W. Gibson, Jr., CAE, “We were asked by the state Attorneys General to help them identify consumers who have been defrauded. Being linked directly to their complaint procedure will ensure a quick response from the state’s top law enforcement agency, and faster convictions for these unscrupulous companies.”

Full story at:

http://www.therealyou.org.uk/go.pl?id=180018

Give your tired old HPC, with its dying batteries, the upgrade of a lifetime. Save a fortune over buying a Wendt, and get a tool that is even more powerful. And, dare we say it, rather more reliable.

It’s just £120+VAT* for the upgrade of your existing HPC EPG, so a considerable saving. Drop us a line or give us a call. Numbers are strictly limited, & locksmiths only please.

*Includes UK shipping. Happy to quote for overseas delivery.

About 10:30 I am walking around the town centre,  toolbox in hand. At 10:40 I am on the phone, and at 10:50 I’m back in the van driving down a very small alley. Great, so I’m now already looking at being late even if things are easy. I park on a loading bay about 100 yards away, and cross my fingers. I walk to the job site, and find that 15 minutes before I’d been standing 20 feet from the door, on the phone with the guy I’m meeting! Bah!

So I get onto the opening part, and find that it is a pair of right facing lever locks, both to the latest standards, and it is a brand new, as yet un-painted door which is mostly glass, and properly fitted to a new shopfront. Alas, although I have the tools and ability to pick over 95% of the British Standard insurance rated lever locks without issue, this was a new one, and I have yet to beat this type on the door or bench! Great. (Though I have only had to open, er, two this year, and they are the subject of this post!)

So sadly, it was the drill first. This is quite a challenge on the right, especially if you don’t want to destroy the lock entirely. I wanted the original keys to work too. I set to drilling the middle lock first, as it was easier to reach. About 20 minutes later, I had got through, and 5 minutes after that the bolt came back with a nice click. On to the top one.

I had to get help with this one. I simply couldn’t reach high enough and push hard enough for the drill to bite, so I had to get a brace for my back! Once it started, though, it was fine, and again, after another short while I was nearly there. However, because of the angle and height,  and the difficulty of driving this type of lock, it took another 15 minutes before that opened.

Once in, I quickly stripped down and sorted out the locks, but then the big issue is how to re-lock them? This required drilling another hole. However, without the door or hardplate anti-drill protection in the way, this went quite quickly.

Handsfree kits are great for this work, too, as I was able to keep everyone updated on my progress, and my ETA for the second job, without slowing down. This was hampered more than slightly by the agent I was meeting at the next job having a mobile number that didn’t seem to work, though.

When I finally signed the job off, I’d been there for almost 2 hours! Typical…

However, it turned out I didn’t need to help out at the second job, as the customer was in for that. Also glad that I didn’t wipe out the van as it fishtailed on a wet bend on the way home. That would have made a bad day far worse!