How to Pick a Doorknob Lock Put the tension wrench in the doorknob's keyhole and press it against the side where the bottom. Turn the tension wrench to find out whether you need to rotate it clockwise or counterclockwise. Insert the pick above the tension wrench and feel for the pins. Set the combination to '0000' (the factory preset combination for many laptop locks) or to the current combination if you have changed it since purchasing it. Insert a screwdriver or an included reset tool into the reset screw or pin. Rotate the reset screw or pin to the appropriate position.
Forgot your Master lock combo? Or want some incentive to not use a Master padlock? There’s a website for that.
The video above from Samy Kamar shows how you can crack any Master combination lock within eight tries. It’s a bit long, but here’s Ars Technica’s explanation if you don’t want to sit through the video:
The exploit involves lifting up a locked shackle with one hand while turning the combination dial counterclockwise starting at the number 0 with the other. Before the dial reaches 11, there will be three points where the dial will resist being turned anymore. One of them will be ignored as it is exactly between two whole numbers on the dial. The remaining two locations represent locked positions. Next, an attacker again lifts the locked shackle, this time with less force, while turning the dial clockwise. At some point before a full revolution is completed, the dial will resist being turned. (An attacker can still turn through it but will physically feel the resistance.) This location represents the resistance location. The two locked positions and the one resistance position are then recorded on a Web page that streamlines the exploit.
The page responds with the first digit of the combination and two possible digits for the last digit. By testing which of the possible last digits has more “give,” an attacker can quickly figure out which one is correct. By eliminating the false digit from the Web form, the page will automatically populate the eight possible numbers for the second digit of the combination. Now that the attacker knows the first and last digits and knows the second digit is one of eight possible numbers, the hack is a simple matter of trying each possible combination until the correct one opens the lock.
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We’ve previously seen an illustrated guide to cracking a Master lock, but the online tool makes it much easier and in many fewer tries.
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Break open any Master Combo Lock in 8 tries or less! | YouTube via Ars Technica