Jimmy to defeat electromagnetic door locks

[nbk2000]

I've been hanging out with a fellow who works at another gas station when I'm not working to keep the same hours. This guy's cool since he lets me basically take anything I want from the store for free. I've gotten disposable cameras, bags of beef jerky, etc worth $30 a night for just shooting the shit with him while he's bored out of his mind alone all night at the store.

Anyways, the store he works at has electromagnetic locks on the doors to keep them locked while the clerk is occupied cleaning the store at night so robbers can't ambush him while he's out from behind the bulletproof glass. These locks have around a 1,500 pound hold strength so it's impossible to force them open manually.

But you can open them from inside easily without the clerk having to buzz you out because there's a circuit that detects when a person touchs the exit bar that de-energizes the electromagnet. This is a simple touch sensitive circuit that detects a change in capacitance when a conductive body (like yours) drains it.

It won't work if you touch it with gloves since they'd insulate you from the circuit. But touch it with a bare metal object... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

So, with the co-operation of my associate for testing, I figured out how to open these locks from the outside. :)

I took a flat piece of steel about 2 feet long and 3/8" wide and bent it with a curve on the end in a half-circle 4" in diameter.

Now, by simply slipping the curved part through the gap in the doors, I can touch the bar on the inside with this conductive metal and fool the lock into thinking I'm inside and unlocking. :D Takes all of 3 seconds to insert this jimmy and unlock the doors.

Pictures to come next week when he next works on my day off.

Anyways, it's something to keep in mind for raiding a store while the clerk is on the shitter or otherwise occupied. Empty the register, snatch cases of cigarettes, snag the money order machine, all without any confrontation or witnesses.

Sorry if this turned into a crime topic, but that's basically all I think about nowadays, what with the PDF and all.

[mongo blongo]

No evidence of forced entry either. :)

[AfterRain]

HAHAHA i like this NBK, GOOD JOB... NO Wait GREAT JOB @!

[drstrangelove]

We have those credit card shaped computer keys over here on most high rise buildings and government buildings and other tastey places, I was at a website called "hackertronics" and they claim to sell hackers for these locks.

[AfterRain]

drstrangelove you stil on its 9:15est ... whats that url ? &lt;--- DUH... Didn't fully read it
Any/drstrangelove/nbk, do you have urls for this type of topic, such as b&e.... thanks

<small>[ June 17, 2002, 09:27 PM: Message edited by: AfterRain ]</small>

[xhale]

<a href="http://www.hackertronics.com" target="_blank">www.hackertronics.com</a> Makes sense :)

[AfterRain]

NBK : Can i copy what you said and put in on my webpage, but it will have your name on it for credit, i dont want credit , i just want the info on my page, iight is it cool, yea or no? thanks

Useless posts...?!? Some people dont like there texts gettin' passed with out knowledge
and as for the gift of email, it also help to have the other persons email, in which i did try to obtain NBK's email address but to which i tryed i got <a href="http://www.roguesci.org/cgi-bin/ewforum/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=email;ToWhom=00000010" target="_blank">nbks profile e-mail</a> but what ya know it was not there... so uhm.. im not tryin' to start a flame war but blow me

<small>[ June 20, 2002, 10:16 PM: Message edited by: AfterRain ]</small>

[kingspaz]

afterain stop making shit useless posts and you were given the gift of email for a reason.

[nbk2000]

Spread the knowledge. That's what the Forum is all about.

As for Hackertronics, they're overpriced (majorly!) but they do serve the purpose of letting you know what's out there (for less) if you look hard enough.

[PYRO500]

I have reason to doubt that Hackertronics is an over glorified information unlimited type site, some of the stuff like the ATM REPEATER DEVICE witch claims to "hack" all atm's witch is bs along with their card slot hacking devices the locks on hotel doors are designed to have a lockout period that won't allow input for a second or two, this may seem insignifigant but a few seconds counting in binary is a very long time to sweep the codes. a better way is to find the ones with the external exposed recharging jack (bottom of the lock) and short them out to drain the battery with a plug that fits in the jack hole witch will short the battery and will open with the default reset card see this article (http://www.parallaxresearch.com/dataclips/pub/physical_security/locks/Hotel%20Locks) they also have cards that are programmable like the magnetic ones and if you have one programmed type you can simply program a master card witch in most older ones is universal but now they are programmed by a computer that has to be told what the dip switch settings inside the lock are set to. although it would be easyer to unscrew the lock from the front beacuse most of the ones I've seen have ordinary phillips screws holding the cover on the battery compartment and once in there you can simply hook up a battery and alligator clips to the solenoid leads to open the door or you could just take the lock off the door. this is assuming you have a large hotel with no one walking around.

[drstrangelove]

I wonder if anyone has the down low on the rolling security codes on auto alarms.
I cannot find away to defeat these no matter how I try but I know thats its possible as criminals are running amok in my town with funky ass autos ripping off everything in sight and the cops cant catch em.
I heard the cop on tv saying that they wait for 2 hours untill the immobilizer times out and the security light goes out then just plug as usual.
I tryed this no joy.
I looked in the car repair manual for that model and it basicly said the "body control module" or bcm recieves coded messages from a transponder in the key or ignition barrel witch prevents theft.
The crims on the news were just kids 16 17 yrs old the point is these kids look like dumb fucks armed with nothing more that a screwdriver but they are still grabbing top of the range cars.
Sorry for going off topic but I didnt want to start I new post for a crime topic as some folks around here dont like the criminal mind.

[nbk2000]

Earlier tonight the night clerk of the filthy dog competitor store :p down the road locked himself out! The electromagnetic lock was to blame. So anyways, he was outside for about an hour before he turned off the power for the store to unlock the doors.

Now, this tells me a couple of things. One, that the locks don't have a battery backup. Two, that the power boxes in back are unlocked and subject to tampering.

The latter I already knew about from scouting it out, but I'd have thought they'd have a battery backup for the electrolocks. Obviously not. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

As for the cars, the kids are punks working for a more organized organization that supplies the equipment. The punks are just pawns that are disposable if caught.

[probity]

The rolling code algorithms are just for the car alarm and the transmitter, so that the signal couldn't be snagged out of the air while the "victim" is using his/her transmitter to unlock their door.

[nbk2000]

I promised pictures and here they are.

This shows what an electromagnetic lock looks like. Basically a flat steel plate attached to the door with the electromagnet attached to the frame. These have a pull force of several thousand pounds, thus impossible to manually pull open.

<img src="http://server3001.freeyellow.com/nbk2000/Electromagnetic_Lock.jpg" alt=" - " />

Here's the jimmy being inserted into the gap between doors.

<img src="http://server3001.freeyellow.com/nbk2000/Jimmy1.jpg" alt=" - " />

Here we see how the jimmy curves around to touch the door handle, thus fooling the lock into releasing.

<img src="http://server3001.freeyellow.com/nbk2000/Jimmy2.jpg" alt=" - " />

The end must touch the bare metal of the bar in order to conduct. You have to be holding the jimmy with a bare hand too, because it won't work if you're wearing gloves.

<img src="http://server3001.freeyellow.com/nbk2000/Jimmy3.jpg" alt=" - " />

[drstrangelove]

Great pictures.
Many of the high class gold and diamond shops over here have those type of locks on the doors.
Very interesting.
I wish I had a friendly store owner to test little tricks like that out.

[pyromaniac_guy]

NBK,
such electromagnets as the ones you are looking at have a rated 'pull' when the pull is in a direction perfectly perpendicular to the norm... ie when you are pulling striaght away from the magnet... not at even a slight angle.... case in point.. if you have any very large magnets, try and seperate them by pulling straight apart.. it cant be done.. but if you slide one magnet over the edge of the other just a tiny bit, and apply force to one edge, ie seperating the magnets at a slight angle, things become much easier.... i wounder what the several thousand pound pull rating really is.... if you ahve a good buddy at this gas station, why not try this.... insert a pry bar between the doors near where the magnet is (down lower the door frame will flex too much) push with all you got.... you may be able to brute force the magnet open (would be nice for mag doors that dont have such a handy exit sensing device)... The reason why I suggest this is a place i used to work for had mag lock doors that only opened when you pushed a button on the wall... the mag locks were increadably strong... even though the door handels on the outside were big enough for 3 guys to pull at the same time, it couldnt be brute forced... However we found out that by taking a running start at the door (it opened out obviously) from the inside, they poped with a fair bit of ease....

[nbk2000]

The fact that the plate is mounted on a fixed pivot (the door) means there is no way to "slide" it off the magnet. And, yes, the locks are actually pulling a ton+ since it's in perfect contact with a thick iron plate.

I suppose if you could get a long enough pry bar into the gap, and the opposite door was strong enough to act as a pivot, you might be able to create enough force to pry the plate off the lock.

Now, if you didn't have a way to jimmy it like shown, you could try to short out the lock with a conductive fluid since it is electrically powered. I wonder if they're water proof?

Could an even more powerful electromagnet negate the pull of the first one?

Or simply break the glass. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Wink]" src="wink.gif" />

[Nico]

Damn, this is fun to read. :D Posts like this are what make me eagerly anticipate the re-opening of Lockdown - I'm happy to pay a monthly fee for such unbridled discussion.
I used to work night shift at a gas station ... I wish I'd seen this post then, it would've been good to try. Come to think of it, the graveyard-shifters always seem to be deabeats (not knocking graveyard folks, just the ones at this particular station) - I could probably get them to try it just for the hell of it.
On a side note, we had an automatic buzzer for the bathroom doors ... I took the switch plate off because I was tired of buzzing people in and wanted to rig it open. Anyway, I touched a wire to the wrong place and the whole thing shorted out. The bathrooms couldn't be opened at all then. Oops. :)

[maurice pyro]

Let's see: First post. Existing topic? Check. Lamer question? Nope, Check. Additional useful info? I think so.
NBK, to improve on the electronic "jimmy", I suggest you bend it up out of approx 10-12 Ga. copper wire. Bend it into a "U" with a long
leg (the end you hold) and a short leg to insert in the gap between the doors. Make the bend wide enough to reach from the gap to the actual sensor bar/plate on the inside.
Rationale: It's conductive, being 10-12 Ga. allows you to insert it into a narrower gap and if you need to leave in a hurry, you just yank it out, straightening the bend and you're gone. Wad it up and toss it, and it's deniable.
In use, slide it through the gap with the bend vertical, rotate 90
degrees to touch the bar and voila!
Hope this wasn't too long of a post for a complete novice, be kind.

[Jackal1412]

My college has doors similar to these doors. They are magnetic doors with a sizable amount of force to keep them closed, but they are not released with the aid of a button or by touching the handle. This door has a small camera-like sensor just above the door to notify it of people coming near it, and thus unlocks the door. But that only works for people exiting the building. For people entering the building, we must swipe our RF card. Seeing as I am rather scatter brained, I forget my card a lot, and to top that off, the school food service killed my card (broke it and now the RF chip doesn't work), so it doesn't matter if I do remember it. Anyways, to the beneficial part of information in this post.

You can have a yardstick or flexible piece of metal, as described above, and attach some paper to it, slip it through the door and wave it in from of the camera. The camera will think that someone is walking towards the door and thus unlock, enabling you to open it from the outside.

[timo]

Being a newbie and seeing all the slams you give on idiots that posted, I thought I had you when I saw this thread. I remembered a pdf I had on this.

I figured you had stole the idea. The thing is, the date on the pdf is June 24, 2002. I see this thread was a day before this June 23, 2002.

When you've got your shit together, I guess it's OK to be a hardass.

Fucking joke's on me, right?

[Jacks Complete]

In response, belated, to Jackal, it's a PIR.

timo, what are you on about?