NYC Master Keys

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[Bruce Schneier summarizes in a blog post][0] a disturbing topic regarding a New
York City locksmith selling ``master keys'' on eBay, providing access to various
services such as elevators and subway entrances.

[A discussion about this blog post on Hacker News][1] yielded some interesting
conversation, including an [even more disturbing article describing how simple
it may be to create master keys][2] for a set of locks given only the lock, its
key and a number of attempts.

I'll let you ponder the implications of both of these topics. Here's something
to get you started: organized crime could use these keys to effectively evade
law enforcement or break into millions of ``locked'' homes. Crackers could gain
intimate access to various city systems whereby they may be able to further
obstruct or infect systems. A security system is only as strong as its weakest
link. Keeping citizens in the dark about these issues gives them a dangerous and
false sense of security.

[0] http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/10/master_keys.html
[1] http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4654777
[2] http://www.crypto.com/masterkey.html

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Mike Gerwitz 2012-10-16 21:56:24 -04:00

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