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Workshop : The Art Of Lock Picking
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About this session
Maxime Nadeau, Director of Ethical Hacking at GoSecure, opens this workshop explaining that lock picking is rarely how physical testers get in, since it is slow and noticeable compared to easier tricks, but covers it because it is fun and requested. He breaks a pin tumbler lock down to its core, plug and spring-loaded pins, explains why the shear line lets a cut key turn the cylinder, and shows how manufacturing tolerances let a pick find the one binding pin at a time (single pin picking) or let a rake set several pins at once for speed, disallowed in competitions but common in real engagements. He then moves to door hardware: the misunderstood latch-locking pin that should sit flush against the frame, defeated through latch slipping when installers get the cutout wrong, plus under-the-door and over-the-door tools that manipulate a handle from the unlocked side of a fire-code door. A closing section on safes covers the drive cam, gated wheels and the fence that must align with each gate, and graphing contact points per wheel to recover a combination. A co-presenter, Tim, runs a parallel safe-opening station for the hands-on portion in a separate room, not part of this recording.
Cet atelier est une introduction au crochetage de serrure. Du fonctionnement interne d'une serrure à la façon de la défaire, il s'agit d'un atelier pratique où vous pourrez mettre en pratique vos compétences dans un environnement sécurisé. Les passionnés de serrures sont également invités à venir discuter avec des personnes partageant leur intérêt.
Key takeaways
- Do not rely on visible lock hardware as your main physical control; testers usually skip the lock and use faster tricks like latch slipping or door-gap tools.
- Check that door latch-locking pins sit flush against the frame; a misaligned cutout leaves them retractable with a simple hook, defeating the door with no lock-picking needed.
- Remember fire-code rules force most commercial doors to stay unlocked from one side, which under-the-door and over-the-door tools exploit to open the handle remotely.
- If you run physical red team engagements, learn single-pin picking for precision entries and raking for speed, knowing raking is banned in competitions but realistic in the field.
- For safe audits, expect non-destructive manipulation to be slow (graphing contact points per wheel); most locksmiths will simply drill rather than manipulate a safe open.
Speakers
Maxime Nadeau
Maxime is currently the Director of Ethical Hacking at GoSecure. Jack of all trades, master of some, he does have a pronounced interest in adversary simulation and physical security. Originally a software engineer, he is now conducting intrusion… Read moreRead less
Maxime is currently the Director of Ethical Hacking at GoSecure. Jack of all trades, master of some, he does have a pronounced interest in adversary simulation and physical security. Originally a software engineer, he is now conducting intrusion tests and built service offerings that include physical security intrusion and testing. He is a returning presenter at the GoSec conference, cybersecurity competition winner and NorthSec challenge designer.
