Hacker thwarts handcuffs with 3D printer

Published July 17, 2012 8:56pm

Handcuffs, meet your match: the 3D printer: A hacker has demonstrated how the new device can print a key that would unlock even high-end handcuffs.

A German hacker and security consultant demonstrated the technique at a hackers' conference in New York last week, Forbes.com reported.

The hacker managed to unlock the German-made Bonowi and UK-made Chubb handcuffs with plastic copies of the keys, using a laser cutter and a 3D printer.

Bonowi and Chubb are noted for trying to keep their products secure by limiting the distribution of their keys. However, handcuff makers design their cuffs to be opened by standard keys in the possession of law enforcers.

“Police need to know that every new handcuff they buy has a key that can be reproduced. Until every handcuff has a different key, they can be copied,” the hacker said.

The hacker said he got hold of the Bonowi and Chubb keys from online auction site eBay. He then used calipers to make CAD models of the keys, and plexiglass duplicates using a friend’s standard laser cutter.

He also produced a copies of the keys in ABS plastic with a Repman 3D printer.

On the other hand, the Forbes.com report said the hacker tried to make duplicate plexiglass keys for the cuffs by German maker Clejuso - but the plexiglass was not strong enough to overcome the cuffs' internal springs.

Tools already available to criminals

Forbes.com quoted the hacker as saying his tools are already available to criminals and the public.

“If someone is planning a prison or court escape, he can do it without our help. We’re just making everyone aware, both the hackers and the police,” he said. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: printer, threedimensional, handcuffs, hacker