Breaking Into A Home Is Easier Than Ever

As technology gets more advanced, burglars have new and unexpected ways of entering homes.

In recent years, a number of websites such as keysduplicated.com have made it shockingly easy to copy keys. All you have to do is photograph images of the key and upload them. The online locksmiths then use these images to create a physical copy of the key, which is then sent back to you.

Photo credit: Keys Duplicated

While the intention behind this idea is to reduce the inconvenience of being locked out, it brings about quite an impact on security. If you leave your keys unattended for a while on your table in the office, nothing is to stop a cleaner or colleague from taking a photograph and duplicating your key.

In fact, this method of copying keys is exactly how a Wired.com journalist let himself into his neighbour's home -without the need for any fancy tools or stealth gadgets. He describes the whole process here.

This makes us concerned. It means that thieves do not even need a physical copy of your key to get access to your home. Although keysduplicated.com is no longer available to the public as of the end of last year, and now serves only enterprise customers, the idea has already been seeded. KeyMe.com, a similar website, is still around. It has security measures in place, such as the creation of user accounts, but we would not be surprised if people find ways to get around this.

Photo credit: ABC7news

In truth, it does not take much to duplicate a key if the intention to do so is there. Keys can be copied in seconds. With the rise of relatively affordable 3D printing, anyone who wishes to can now make a replica of any key. Of course, while currently the keys created using such a method are not yet strong or detailed enough to unlock real doors, it seems that it is only a matter of time before things change.

But the good news is that there is still a way to protect your home. As mentioned by CBS news, smart locks let you enter your house via PIN codes and other means, thus saving you the risk of your key being unknowingly copied.

Take security up a notch – use a system that allows you to set validity periods for your PIN codes and de-activates the codes once the period is over, so that no one enters your home uninvited. This way, you can rest easy at night knowing that you and your property are safe.