The crux of every good heist movie comes down to a state of the art safe versus the perfect burglar. But really how accurate are these movies when it comes to safe cracking? Have you ever wondered how exactly it is that thieves are able to break into a top of the line safe without the Hollywood movie magic? It may not surprise you that there are numerous different ways to crack a safe with more methods being innovated regularly to match growing security features. In this constant race for the upper hand it may interest you to know some of the more common techniques used to break into a safe. Here we’ll look into some basic methods for cracking a safe. Which methods can your safe stand up to?
Lock Manipulation
In this process a rotary combination lock is manipulated by feel or sound to determine the combination for the safe. This is one manner of safe cracking that does not damage the safe. Luckily there are a number of different resources in order to prevent lock manipulation. Modern locks are built with lightweight materials (less sound) and false tumblers to reduce vulnerability by lock manipulation. Additionally, in theory any combination lock can be opened with enough time by trying every combination. Some locks also allow for ‘slop’ when entering a code in that it doesn’t need to match up exactly on the number but just within one or two. This can drastically reduce the amount of time needed to break into a combo lock with this method.
Weak Point Drilling
In this method of safe cracking a drill is used to gain access to a safe. There are two main methods used with drilling: observation and bypass. In the observation drilling method a small hole is drilled so that the safecracker can view the combination locking mechanism and manually adjust the lock until he or she sees that the tumblers are in the correct position to allow access. Bypass drilling is used to directly access the bolt mechanism to bypass the lock and grant access to the safe.
Most modern safes are built with hard plate steel to discourage weak point drilling. This is also where glass plate relockers come in handy.
Brute Force
This is one way of getting into a safe with a little less finesse. Using the brute force method of safe cracking relies of physically damaging or destroying the safe until its contents can be reached. This method often utilizes explosives, blowtorches, and manual labor to break into a safe. There is some risk of damaging the contents with a brute force attack and often this method requires a safe to lifted out of a house or business in the first place.
These are just a few of the more common methods for breaking into a safe but there are more out there and more being innovated regularly. Next time you are interested in
buying a safe you can bear in mind some of these methods to make an informed decision about the right safe for you.
