Craftsman opens handcuffs enhanced security keys from a 3D printer

_{Handcuffs, copies of 3D printing and laser cutting}

As the report of the German enthusiast at the Hackers On Planet Earth conference, HOPE in New York, showed, 3D printing technology can be used not only in a few mediums distant from ordinary life, such as copies of fossilized remains extinct animals or the creation of detailed models of the circulatory system. From now on, relying on the shape of an object as a key would be a wrong decision: Germany’s computer security consultant, Ray, as he called himself, showed cheap copies of plastic keys capable of opening the handcuffs of Bonowi and Chubb.

As you know, both companies are doing everything possible to limit the entry of their keys only into the hands of their own clients, as a rule, law enforcement services. Ray spoke about the problem of some manufacturers of handcuffs, whose devices have one key form, which allows one person to chain a suspect, and another to release him without thinking about the uniqueness of his sets of keys. Before each set of handcuffs has its own key, the security of such a system can be questioned.
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But, unlike ordinary handcuffs, the keys to which are used by interested persons, the keys to the products of Bonowi and Chubb are very difficult to acquire. Ray managed to buy a key for Chubb handcuffs on eBay, where, he noted, they appear from time to time, and received a copy of the key for Bonowi handcuffs from a source he refused to name. Then, on the basis of carefully obtained measurements with a caliper, the craftsman created a computer model that was used to recreate multiple copies of the keys from Plexiglas on his friend’s laser cutting machine and from ABS plastic on a 3D printer. As you know, this equipment is relatively cheap and common.


_{From top to bottom: original Bonowi key, universal copy, original Chubb key}

Ray sold several dozen copies of the keys to Chubb's handcuffs for $ 4 over the weekend, and this week she plans to upload the computer model files to Thingiverse, a service for exchanging 3D printing schemes.


_{Received copies of keys}

An enthusiast tried to create plexiglass copies of the keys of the German manufacturer of handcuffs Clejuso, but found that the material is not strong enough to open the locks, so laser cutting of more durable materials seems reasonable.

The goal of Ray’s work is not to create the conditions for reducing the reliability of handcuffs, but to demonstrate their insecurity. Such equipment has long been mastered by criminal structures, and the cost of equipment for them is not a problem. The police must monitor the behavior of the chained person, but very often they ignore this prescription, relying on the reliability of the handcuffs. A plastic copy can be easily carried on board the aircraft, where the handcuffs are limited to the freedom of movement of special passengers. The well-intentioned craftsman caused the refusal to publish models of keys Bonowi and Clejuso, since the keys to the handcuffs of these firms are harder to get.

This is not the first demonstration of the weakness of handcuffs; Back in 2009, Ray showed at another conference in Vierhuten a copy of the keys of the handcuffs of the Dutch police, who showed no interest in Ray's remarks.