If using a cell phone to scan a key, then picking a copy of it up at a kiosk and using it to break into a home or drive away a luxury car sounds like fictional espionage from a James Bond film, here's a reality check: that is completely possible today.
And Greenberg at Wired put some of the key scanning apps to the test and the results are a little terrifying.
"When I broke into my neighbor's home earlier this week, I didn't use any cat burglar skills. I don't know how to pick locks. I'm not even sure how to use a crowbar. It turns out all anyone needs to invade a friend's apartment is an off switch for their conscience and an iPhone," he explained in a story published July 25.
To be clear, Greenberg spoke to his friend about the experiment and they knowingly allowed him to attempt to break into their home. Using KeyMe, a New York City startup which enables users to copy keys and then pick them up at a number of kiosks in the city, Greenberg succeeded.
In fact, within 30 minutes of visiting his friends apartment, unbeknown to his friend, he had a working key to his apartment.
Greenberg printed it at a kiosk but he also could have chose to have it delivered and in a number of novelty shapes, including a bottle opener to Kanye West's head.
For those intending to lawfully use the app, its pretty amazing. Within the KeyMe App scans user's keys and if they need a copy, or lose the existing key, there is one readily available. It takes seconds to create the digital copy.
Competitors like KeysDuplicated and the Belgian Keysave function the same way.
However, the apps are potentially opening more doors to theives as well.
"Such services also enable jerks like me to steal your keys any time they get a moment alone with them. Leave your ring of cut-brass secrets unattended on your desk at work, at a bar table while you buy another round, or in a hotel room, and any stranger-or friend-can upload your keys to their online collection. The trick is far easier than having them copied at a hardware store," wrote Greenberg.
Developers and others in favor of the apps argue they are bringing awareness to security situations.
"People are now starting to understand that it only take a couple of seconds to duplicate a key," Jos Weyers, a Dutch lockpicking guru and security consultant, told Wired. "We lock nerds already knew that. Now the normal public is catching on."
The full story at Wired, which includes more details of key making from security professionals, is worth chekcing out. You can read it here.
