# TSA Master Keys Leaked **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 10, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538 "2015-09-10T18:33:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/1 "2015-09-10T18:33:38Z")
[The Keystone Kops of the airport strike again](http://www.wired.com/2015/09/lockpickers-3-d-print-tsa-luggage-keys-leaked-photos/), with help from an idiot _Washington Post_ story editor: > [@](#): > > The TSA is learning a basic lesson of physical security in the age of 3-D printing: If you have sensitive keys – say, a set of master keys that can open locks you’ve asked millions of Americans to use – don’t post pictures of them on the Internet. > > A group of lock-picking and security enthusiasts drove that lesson home Wednesday by publishing a set of CAD files to Github that anyone can use to 3-D print a precisely measured set of the TSA’s master keys for its “approved” locks – the ones the agency can open with its own keys during airport inspections. Within hours, at least one 3-D printer owner had already downloaded the files, printed one of the master keys, and published a video proving that it opened his TSA-approved luggage lock. > > Those photos first began making the rounds online last month, after the _Washington Post_ unwittingly published (and then quickly deleted) a photo of the master keys in an article about the “secret life” of baggage in the hands of the TSA. It was too late. Now those photos have been used to derive exact cuts of the master keys so that anyone can reproduce them in minutes with a 3-D printer or a computer-controlled milling machine… :smack: :smack: :eek: :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Diceman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Diceman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diceman)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/2 "2015-09-10T19:03:22Z")
Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. You know that half the baggage handlers at the airport already have copies of those keys, and use them to steal things out of people’s luggage. Now the TSA can’t hide the fact that those locks are worthless. It’s like the locking wheel nuts people use to protect expensive rims. They sound like a good idea, until you realize that every tire shop on the North American continent has a copy of that key… ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/3 "2015-09-10T19:09:19Z")
It was just a matter of time. I’m not sure why they even needed to see the key to create a copy. I would think hackers could just get a lock from the store and reverse engineer a key. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/4 "2015-09-10T19:11:36Z")
Err, context? What are these “approved” locks and why are there so many that fit the same master key? Never heard of such a thing. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/5 "2015-09-10T19:14:01Z")
I’ve always operated under the assumption that those locks were borderline useless, so I honestly am not terribly upset by this. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/6 "2015-09-10T19:16:03Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Err, context? What are these “approved” locks and why are there so many that fit the same master key? Never heard of such a thing. I’m guessing you haven’t bought any new luggage in the past few years. I have a rolling bag with a built-in three number dial combination set by me; this lock has a hole for a TSA key on the end. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Bravo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_bravo/32/493_2.png) [@Johnny\_Bravo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Bravo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/7 "2015-09-10T19:16:43Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > Err, context? What are these “approved” locks and why are there so many that fit the same master key? Never heard of such a thing. If you don’t have [TSA-Approved deals like these](http://www.amazon.com/Master-Lock-4683Q-TSA-Approved-Luggage/dp/B000HWPJRU) on your luggage, which are numbered so that TSA agents can open your bags easily, then they’ll cut your locks if they feel they need to get into your stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/8 "2015-09-10T19:21:24Z")
People put locks on their luggage? Really? Do they pay baggage fees with personal checks, too? And bring along extra quarters in case they need to use a pay phone? ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/9 "2015-09-10T19:33:58Z")
Yep. I took a trip last year and got a TSA combination lock. Before that, on a trip Ivylad and I took, we used a combination lock to close his duffel bag. We got it back with a tie-wrap instead. Pissed me off. That was the lock I used at the gym. ---
**Author:** ![DataX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@DataX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DataX)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/10 "2015-09-10T19:40:09Z")
This is really a non story - I thought this was going to be keys to get places at airports. Any lock with a master key is in theory easier to pick (as you have two Cleave points instead of one). No one seriously believed these locks were secure. I haven’t personally tried picking it, but being that I was able to pick open a master lock within minutes of buying a pick set at a security conference - I’m pretty sure these would pose no challenge to anyone interested. I thought I had already seen sets for sale that opened these, but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/11 "2015-09-10T19:44:58Z")
> [@DataX](#): > > Any lock with a master key is in theory easier to pick (as you have two Cleave points instead of one). No one seriously believed these locks were secure. I haven’t personally tried picking it, but being that I was able to pick open a master lock within minutes of buying a pick set at a security conference - I’m pretty sure these would pose no challenge to anyone interested. There’s actually a way to make your own master key if you have a regular key for the lock. It’s not the easiest thing to do, but determined criminals would be able to make their own master and open any door they wanted. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/12 "2015-09-10T20:05:47Z")
I guess I had just assumed that the master key had long ago been cracked by anyone who wanted to do so. That said, releasing the 3D cad model of the key is kind of a dick move. It has no effect on the TSA but to slightly embarrass them, but makes everyone’s luggage that much less secure. So good job there, guys. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/13 "2015-09-10T20:21:45Z")
Really? Luggage locks? As if the pulls on the zipper would withstand a twist with a pliers… ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/14 "2015-09-10T20:30:07Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Yep. I took a trip last year and got a TSA combination lock. Before that, on a trip Ivylad and I took, we used a combination lock to close his duffel bag. We got it back with a tie-wrap instead. > > Pissed me off. That was the lock I used at the gym. I flew out of a LA a few weeks ago and they cut my TSA lock. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/15 "2015-09-10T20:36:38Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > Really? > Luggage locks? As if the pulls on the zipper would withstand a twist with a pliers… The whole world has not converted to soft-sider luggage. I have two hard shell clam lock cases that would take more than a pliers to get into, yet they have TSA accessible locks. Not that i ever trusted them anyway. At least the clam locks seemed more likely to hold up under rough baggage handling. And people wonder why no one wants to check their baggage. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/16 "2015-09-10T20:47:50Z")
Luggage locks are the least of the problems. As someone who used to work for Diplomatic Security, I would bet that I could get access to “authorized personnel only” areas of many airports, including airplanes, without much of a problem. That they have not gone completely to proximity cards with photo ID is a mystery to me. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/17 "2015-09-10T20:57:20Z")
State approved physical locks is an actual thing? Bloody hell. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/18 "2015-09-10T20:58:49Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > People put locks on their luggage? Really? Do they pay baggage fees with personal checks, too? And bring along extra quarters in case they need to use a pay phone? If you are checking expensive or sensitive equipment such as scuba gear or camera lenses, or transporting a firearm in luggage, then yes, you would want to use a lock to help secure the luggage. A Pelican-type case with a lock is about as secure as any mobile storage could be, requiring cutting off the lock hasp or hinges to open. Last time I travelled with dive gear (internationally) I put a couple of padlocks, open, on my box with the assumption that TSA would inspect and then secure the box, which they did. However, this is when you still had to take your bags to the inspection station. I’m not sure what the protocol would be now but given all of the stuff that has “disappeared” out of my luggage during TSA inspections (mostly just innoculous stuff, but once it was an entire folder of dress shirts that I had to replace the evening before a presentation) I pretty much assume that even if the lock were secure (which it isn’t; I could beat one of those TSA locks with a Bic pen cap and a thin paperclip in under a minute) one of the poorly screened future felons that TSA likes to hire could steal freely from my possessions regardless. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![somepumpkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@somepumpkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/somepumpkin)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/19 "2015-09-10T21:03:28Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > People put locks on their luggage? Really? Do they pay baggage fees with personal checks, too? And bring along extra quarters in case they need to use a pay phone? Okay. That cracked me up! ---
**Author:** ![Scoobysnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Scoobysnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scoobysnax)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2015, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538/20 "2015-09-10T22:32:51Z")
> [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](#): > > (snip) > > I pretty much assume that even if the lock were secure (which it isn’t; I could beat one of those TSA locks with a Bic pen cap and a thin paperclip in under a minute) one of the poorly screened future felons that TSA likes to hire could steal freely from my possessions regardless. > > Stranger If you have a BIC pen you don’t need to open the TSA lock. You can separate the teeth of the zipper with it and open 99% of suitcases without leaving a trace. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tsa-master-keys-leaked/730538.md?page=2)