But what’s so special about lockmaker Schlage’s Primus Keys? Well, unlike other keys, you couldn’t just walk down to the hardware store to pick one up – you had to go directly through Schlage themselves, keeping the keys secure.
However, thanks to David Lawrence and Eric Van Albert, the once difficult-to-make keys can now be created with a flatbed scanner, a software tool and a 3D printer. But before anyone gets any wild ideas of duplicating bank vault keys, Forbes cautions that the MIT crack won’t give anyone access to previously restricted areas. “Lawrence’s and Van Albert’s software tool, to be clear, doesn’t let its users open any random door secured by one of those locks. It merely enables anyone to copy a key they couldn’t easily copy before.”
Once it’s been run through the MIT key software, the key can easily be sent off to a company like Shapeways, where it can be printed in metal for around $150.
While there are numerous methods for creating keys without ever owning them, the MIT method didn’t discuss that type of sabotage. In their announcement, the two students discussed how they were able to decipher Schlage’s key algorithms by studying the manufacturer’s manuals.
According to David Lawrence, “Our message is that you can do this for any high-security key... It didn’t take that much work. … In the future there will be models available online for almost any kind of key you’re looking for.”
Image Courtesy of Forbes