Disclaimer: This transcript is auto generated and is not manually checked for errors.  It more than likely contains very significant errors.
LSC_82 Toyota Backpedaling, Thieves with Keys, Another Unpickable Lock  

[00:00:00] Charles Current: Welcome to The Lock Sportscast, your weekly source for Locksports news. This is episode 82 recorded December 26th, 2021. I'm your host, Charles current in today's episode. Toyota backpedaling building automation systems attacked another unpickable lock candidate lock noob in business week. These with mailbox key. 

[00:00:17] Toronto auto theft ring, busted products, sales, giveaways, and more. 

[00:00:37] Remember, you can subscribe to the audio version of this show on most podcast apps and at The Lock Sportscast dot com. If you don't already have one, you can find a podcasting 2.0 compatible app@newpodcastapps.com. You can subscribe to the video version on YouTube or Odyssey links to stories discussed will be in the show notes, full show notes with all of the links can be found at The Lock Sportscast dot com. 

[00:00:59] And of course there is less than a week remaining before nominations open for the lucky awards. The 20, 21 year. So please keep that in mind. And hopefully my website doesn't break in the middle of it. I have a quick correction from last week's episode. Last week, pocket woman had mentioned bare bones lockpicking and that they were having a sale. 

[00:01:22] And I said, I couldn't find any indications of a sale on their website. And evidently that's just because I'm blind or I didn't look hard enough. She says, thank you very much for mentioning bare bones. Lockpicking in your show lists. Just to clarify, the sale is still on. Sale is written in the top corner of the picture of the pick sets in a green box that says sale. 

[00:01:44] You can also tell the sale items by the original price being small and in gray scale and the sale price in large bold text, not the whole product line is on sale. Buyers need to look through the site and check out what is on sale, such as the pick sets. There is no end date as yet for the sale that she knows. 

[00:02:05] And she has done some more reviews of their products that I will cover later in the product section. And last week I covered the story that Toyota was charging a subscription fee for continued use of the remote start functionality of your key fob. And this week, Toyota is backpedaling pretty hard because of a public backlash in an article in the drive. 

[00:02:27] They did some investigating and actually got some comments from Toyota. About what the situation was. And I will cover just a bit of that here. The article was written by Rob stump on December 23rd, the byline was a spokesman, told the drive that making the key fob remote start part of the subscription plan was an unintentional move. 

[00:02:52] He says that Toyota had previously declined to give a detailed answer on why it chose. A feature that doesn't need an internet connection to function and move it behind a paywall. However, Toyota now claims it never intended to market the key fob. Remote start as a real feature. It also says that the subscription requirement was an inadvertent result of a relatively small technical decision related to the way its new vehicles are architectured. 

[00:03:18] Finally, Toyota has heard the outrage over the last week and a spokesman told us the company was caught off guard by the. And his executive team is currently examining whether it's possible to reverse course and drop the subscription requirement for key fob. Remote start, the article goes into a little bit of detail about how the system works and why Toyota claims that it was tied into the subscription. 

[00:03:42] So drivers that subscribe to Toyota's remote connect plan can perform remote. Start in a few different ways. One is by using the app on their phone. The other is a connected service like Amazon. The third is by using their key fob, but no matter which method is used, the command must always flow through. 

[00:04:01] What's called the vehicles, data communications module, or DCM, which is a piece of hardware that has the cellular modem and facilitates the cars connected services. It also contains a bit of software logic according to Toyota that checks whether or not the customer has an active subscription or trial to connected services. 

[00:04:23] And it's programmed in a way that the remote start is either enabled or disabled. It's either on or off as a whole. This means that if the driver attempts to start the car using the key fob, the request is first sent to the DCM for approval and denied. If there's no active subscription or trial, even if it's coming from the proximity key fob and not running through the cellular network. 

[00:04:48] And they have a diagram in the article that. Shows how that's supposed to work. So that's, Toyota's explanation of how we ended up in this spot, but Toyota says that lumping the key fob, remote start into the subscription service. Wasn't intentional. According to a spokesman, a lot of Toyota employees were unaware of how the setup worked and were caught off guard by the first stories that the fobs were going to stop. 

[00:05:15] Further a claims that the key file remote start function as it exists today by pressing the lock button three times is more like an unofficial user hack that Toyota no longer advertises. Hence the lack of a separate remote start button on the. If that's the case that this was not an intended feature, that the remote start was not even supposed to be on the fob. 

[00:05:37] Why is it in the fob? Why is it the case that you can press the button three times? And why is it that dealerships and salesman promote this as a feature? I think frankly, that's just an excuse. I think they knew what they were doing all along. And I think they got caught with their pants down. When people got really outraged, they weren't expecting the bad press. 

[00:05:58] They were expecting to just slip it in. And people would have to start paying. And now they're trying to save face because if it wasn't supposed to be in there, why is it on the fob? And if it was supposed to be in there, why was it automatically linked to the subscription check? Because it was supposed to be that's my interpretation of that. 

[00:06:18] They knew that it was going to be in there. They knew that it was going to have to go through the subscription check. They designed it that way and they got. In another news, a building automation engineering firms suddenly lost contact with hundreds of its KNX based building automation system devices also known as BAS devices. 

[00:06:37] These include lights, switches, motion detectors, shutter controllers, and others. This happened after a cyber attack, lock the company out of the BAS. It had constructed for a large office building. According to Lyme security. The problem, the engineering company faced could easily be described. As someone had gotten access to their building automation control system over the internet and lock the owners out of it. 

[00:07:04] The building contained several hundred of KNX components and three-quarters of them were no longer operational due to the attack control system devices that are publicly accessible on the internet have been a known problem that security experts were pointing at for a decade. Right. What made this attack campaign interesting was that it was executed using unique control system technology specific aspects. 

[00:07:29] The attackers just needed to understand specifics of KNX technology and how specific features could be abused. One specific function was very important among others for the attack in KNX. It is possible to set a so-called bus coupling unit key or BCU. Which was designed as a protective function, into the standard to prevent unwanted changes to the devices. 

[00:07:56] When a BCU key is set all the KNX devices in the engineered project that support this feature will be locked during the engineering process, using a password once enabled devices protected with a BCU key, therefore cannot be changed afterwards unless the password is known, although different implementations. 

[00:08:18] Most devices will not allow a reset of the password, even with physical access to the device. The firm located in Germany discovered that three-quarters of the BAS devices in the office building system network had been mysteriously purged of their smarts and locked down with the system's own digital security key, which was now under the attacker's control. 

[00:08:39] The firm had to revert to manually flipping on and off the central circuit breakers in order to power on the lights in the. The BAS devices, which control and operate lighting and other functions in the office building where basically bricked by the attackers, everything was removed completely wiped with no additional functionality for the BAS operations in the building. 

[00:09:01] I'm security who's industrial control system. Security firm was contacted in October by the engineering firm in the wake of the attack. Ultimately retrieved the hijacked BCU key from memory in one of the victims. But it took some creative hacking. The engineering firm was then able to reprogram the BAS devices and get the buildings, lighting windows, shutters, motion detectors, and other systems back up and running. 

[00:09:27] But it appears that attack was no anomaly. Lime security has been getting reports of similar types of attacks on BAS systems that run on KNX. Recently, lime security was contacted by another engineering firm in Europe that had suffered an eerily similar type of attack. Well, I'm security researchers. 

[00:09:45] Meanwhile, have set up a honeypot system to see if they can lure the attackers into going after their phony BAS as a way to gather Intel on where the attacks are originated so far though. No one has taken the bait and there'll be a link to two separate write-ups on the attacks in the show notes. If you want to know. 

[00:10:05] And I received an email from a gentleman who has designed what he thinks is an unpickable lock. That should be simple, cheap, and easy to manufacture. He says the advantage of my Lock is that it's relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture and can use standard key. The email provided a link to a video on his channel that demonstrates a 3d model of The Lock. 

[00:10:30] He designed along with an explanation of how it works and how it decouples the setting of the wafers in this case, from the actual rotation of the core, therefore trying to deny you the ability to tension and set the. At the same time having looked it over, I saw what I think could be a couple of, well, one that I know was a fault and one that I think could be exploited, but without a physical model and just looking at 3d renderings, uh, can't be sure, but I did send him an email back. 

[00:11:08] I'll read that email here real quick. I said that's cool design and I think it could be very difficult Lock. Since you are claiming unpickable I have to be a bit critical. Please. Don't take this the wrong way. I really liked the way you were thinking here. However, unpickable is a claim that rarely holds up issues. 

[00:11:26] I see, as currently designed in the design you show in the video, the plug doesn't have a lip overlapping the outer body. This would leave it susceptible to shaming from the front, making it trivial to pick your design is going to be very dependent on manufacturing tolerances. If they're too tight, it's going to give users problems with those. 

[00:11:46] On the side, not aligning when the keys and wafers were too loose and it could lead to being able to individually set the way for as well picking, possibly by working the core forward and back to test for wafers that are binding, then carefully place thin, carefully pulling the core back until you can just force that one way for up one notch, maybe not, but it seems like what I would try anyway, as I say, cool design and with the swimming attack. 

[00:12:14] Would likely be a very difficult lock to pick. And it's hard to go into what I mean without you visually seeing the video. So I recommend you follow the link in the show notes, go check out the video and then see if you can figure out what I'm talking about. But basically there's a two part core and an outer shell. 

[00:12:32] One part of the core contains the wafers and has a channel milled into it that a peg on the side of the outer box. Slides into keeping it from rotating until the chorus pushed back against the spring, where that pin can enter a groove that goes around the core. So allowing it to then rotate in that push-back position, pushing back that core also causes serrations on the side of the wafers to engage with serrations in the second part of the block core. 

[00:13:08] Then if all the wafers are pulled in where they're supposed to. The whole core can rotate together to release The Lock. My contention is that if you push the core back check for a binding wafer, then very carefully, when you, uh, allow the spring to push the core back out the wafer side, if there's enough tolerance, the wafer is going, the wafers are going to be dragging again. 

[00:13:39] The second part of the core, those serrations that are engaged and that will cause that side of the wafer to slightly shift towards the back. So if you hook your pic under the front side of the way for you on a pick, as you pull it forward, you may be able to get it to disengage from the serrations ever so slightly before the others do set it up, uh, one notch, push it back in and test it again and just work at it. 

[00:14:04] It's very slowly that way. Again, depends on the tolerance. And the manufacturing in the, The Lock, whether that would even work. But that's just something that struck me as a possibility early on from looking at a 3d model. But if you're interested in link will be in the show notes. I recommend you go check it out, give him some feedback, but please be polite. 

[00:14:25] Um, I really appreciate people trying to come up with better Lock. Something the industry has needed for a long time. And so I really want to encourage this behavior, but I also want to be realistic about whether a lock is unpickable or not. And a couple episodes back, we talked about the bypass that was discovered on some of the Schlage model locks using nothing but a simple zip tie. 

[00:14:50] And also the solution to that. And there has been an article written up in Bloomberg business week about that exploit and Dominic villain knew probably pronouncing that wrong. Uh, the gentlemen who figured out the exploit and his responsible disclosure says Dominic Villeneuve figured out a simple way to bypass a widely used door lock. 

[00:15:13] And he told the manufacturer how he did it a year and a half later. He's telling the world, and I liked the quote from the end here. It says for. Going public was less about sensationalizing, anything than making sure the locks get fixed. It's okay to find a vulnerability, to make it public, to make some reputation he says, but if showing the way I handled it motivates people to communicate with manufacturers. 

[00:15:39] That's the goal to make things more secure. And the article also mentions lock new, which is how this article came to my attention was through people sharing lock names, tweet about it. And he said, see, you tell the world about that one weird trick with the zip tie. Next thing you know, you're in a major publication. 

[00:16:00] So anyway, link in the show notes. If you want to go take a look at the article, the article also contains a video. So if you don't want to read about it, you can just watch the video. And we have an update on the Lock Pickers, United raffle. They say, thank you so much to everyone that has contributed to this year's raffle prizes, as well as all the early donors. 

[00:16:19] The month of December is rapidly approaching its end. So I've got some updates and reminders for everyone prize contributions and on December 31st, unless your pot is positively mindblowing and cannot be revealed to me until after the deadline. For some crazy logistical reason, please get me informed on what you want to contribute as soon as possible. 

[00:16:40] I would very much appreciate it. If we could avoid the last minute rush on prizes, as that makes the job of organizing them much more difficult at the. And early donations and submission forms donations before the official start of the raffle are still being accepted. If you would prefer to make your donation before the new year, for any particular reason, you're more than welcome to do so. 

[00:17:03] And you can distribute your tickets later. I would also like to take this opportunity to do a test run of our new fangled submission form Cardi C of. For early donations, you can leave the section on your ticket distribution empty, and we can fill that in later. It is definitely better that we figure out potential bugs before the rubber hits the road next month. 

[00:17:28] So I invite anyone who is submitting early donations to give it a shot. You will need to upload your donation proof to an image sharing website, like imager to. If you would like any charities added to the list in the forum, please contact correct genes or donate to the raffle. And for any of you new listeners that are still questioning, whether lockpicks are illegal lock, judge.com. 

[00:17:55] It's latest article is about the legality of lockpicks in the U S specifically. They say you don't have to be a lawyer to understand the legal code or statutes for your state to understand the legality behind lockpicking lockpicks and Locksports, but not surprisingly. Some people who are interested in the hobby may be dissuaded by misinformation and confusion about lockpicks being illegal after conducting our own thorough research of each state's laws, codes, and statutes on lock picks, or pick locks as commonly known under legal. 

[00:18:30] We have created an easy to digest interpretation of the legality of lockpicking. We are going to walk you through the different ways that lockpicks are seen by state law. And it is a good article. Well, it's a lot of different information in there, so I will have a link to that in the show notes. If you want to know more moving on to videos, first up, we have a video by Gill Gaines, my road to Blackbird. 

[00:18:57] The description says, this has been my journey to black belt. Hope you enjoy my ramblings. You can hear my cat EMU in the background as usual. She doesn't tolerate closed doors. I forgot to mention the amount of challenge locks I picked along the way. They definitely were a big part of advancing my picking up to black belt territory. 

[00:19:16] I can sympathize with the cat thing, but in my case, it's dogs, I literally have to put a blocking. Down the hallway. So the dogs can't get to the door when I record this, because otherwise you can hear them under their door whining, but anyway, check out Gil gains video. It's a like 18 minutes long. So definitely too long of a story for inclusion in the podcast, but you can go check it out at his YouTube channel. 

[00:19:46] So link in the show notes of. The next video I'm going to cover is selfishly one of my own on my Charles build's crap channel. I put up just a 45 second video called simple, safe cracking robot first opened. So it's, it's a project I've been working on for several months now in, in the free time that I can manage to scrounge up. 

[00:20:06] And the video shows a test run and the first successful open with, uh, just a it's a Sergeant green. Lock mounted in a sparrows vault. So unfortunately, after this, I found some serious problems with my code, the algorithm I used definitely didn't catch all the edge cases that I needed to like skip some actual numbers. 

[00:20:32] And I went in to fix that and I totally broke everything. It wouldn't work at all. Uh, the microcontroller I was using was what's called a parallax pro. And I was attempting to program it and its native language, which is called spin. It's very different than what I'm used to. And I found some bugs in the compiler. 

[00:20:51] It was so trying to figure out what was my doing and what was a problem caused by the compiler was just getting to be too much of a headache. So I just scrapped it all and started over with the different microcontroller that I can program in C and with a little C plus plus in libraries that, I mean, And I'm rewriting all the code from scratch. 

[00:21:12] So it's not currently at a stage where it's able to open a lock yet on the new version, but I'm getting there anyway. I just thought I would share that. So people knew what I was up to. Again, it's just a 45 second video, something really quick, but you know, you're doing something right when locksmiths are safe technicians lash out at you. 

[00:21:32] So one comment that I received was from GJ S. And they say, and why share with the world what a locksmith can purchase? Yep. You're not the first by far. Sorry, dude. Letting the cat out of the bag. For what reason? Your personal entertainment, a pat on the back, others that created what you're attempting has been sold to licensed locksmiths for years, the first dialed all combos. 

[00:22:00] The second manipulated The Lock, the third, a man, billions, when he sold his solution to the government. Sell your, or give your invention away. What are you trying to accomplish a road to help theft that is rampant causing consumers more costs at the register? Some things best left to ourselves or to share with industry technician is not the general public knowledge is power that should be utilized wisely. 

[00:22:25] So he seems to be contradicting himself in this. This is purely an IM very emotional post. Um, my 45 second video was obviously very emotional. Troublesome to this person, but he's contradicting himself. Yeah. First of all, I know I'm not the first duh. He said he he's big on, I'm not the first lots of other people have done it. 

[00:22:48] And then saying I'm letting the cat out of the bag. Everything I've done is based on stuff I've seen already on YouTube, including by the lockpicking lawyer Lock Pickers. Lawyer has three videos out on these things. That show a lot more and have shown it to a lot more people than, uh, my video ever will. 

[00:23:05] So, but I figure if I'm making somebody that nervous in the industry, then I might be on the right road. So even though I was actually getting a little, uh, dissuaded because of my having to start over and you know, all the code I was having to rewrite and everything, this comment here was actually very motivating for me. 

[00:23:26] Why not keep pushing through and make something that's even better and more refined and will make them even more nervous. And I also had questions about whether I planned to open source this at this point. No, it's something that I, I love the open source community and I very much value the open source values, I guess. 

[00:23:48] But in this case, I've struggled with it a lot internally. I even wrote the code. So it is very well commented and readable. I don't think that I personally want to be responsible for making something like this, that easy for the criminal types to produce the knowledge is out there on how to do it. The challenge and the fun is figuring out how to do it as far as a Locksports project, figuring out exactly how to build it, how to program. 

[00:24:21] Get the algorithm. So it works and a efficient and as efficient as you can make it, I'm adding little features here and there. This to make it more useful. That's, that's the fun. And if I were to just throw the code out there, then nobody else is going to have that part of the challenge. Plus, like I said, it then just be too easy for criminals to make themselves or for somebody to start building it, to sell cheaply, to. 

[00:24:50] But that's basically where I stand on that at the moment. We'll see what happens later on moving on to products, we'll pick up with where we left off with pocket woman. So she sent in a note along with the correction from above that she says, I have completed an extensive review of the bare bones. 

[00:25:12] Lockpicking it is in three parts. The first is an introduction to bare bones lockpicking which you have already met. Blow as the complete review with title of video and its content. So part one, which we already talked about with the introduction to bare bones, lockpicking part two is comparison and cases. 

[00:25:31] And about that video, she says target customers are the beginning Lock picker. Target competition is the cheap, poor quality picks sets. Beginners have been buying up until now included in their review is the bare bones case. And answering questions that Locksports is wanting to know about the bare bones products that were asked in the comments to part one. 

[00:25:52] She also gives price comparisons with similar products from Australian locksmiths supply companies, the locksmith toolbox and pick pals as well as overseas competition competition, such as sparrows, southward, Peterson, law tools, multipack, and current prices on similar products with conversion and exchange rates. 

[00:26:11] When the video was. Part three is bare bones. Lockpicking natural habitat, which she says is about everyday carry legalities Lock Pickers with disability, advanced Lock Pickers stickers, as well as how I would set up the bare bones budget case with the products and anything else I haven't already covered in the first two videos. 

[00:26:34] She says there will be another video layer showing off the range of 20 stickers that bare bones lockpicking has created with a sense of fun and tongue-in-cheek humor. So I recommend, especially if you are in Australia, that you head over and check out her videos on those and see what she has to say. 

[00:26:53] This next section I have entitled same crap, different. It is news from Masterlock where they say same key, way more durable, new powder coated, laminated steel. So Masterlock basically now has their laminated padlocks available with bright powder-coated color finishes. So now they can look more like toys, which I guess is fitting. 

[00:27:19] Anyway. If you're interested, there will be a link in the show. 

[00:27:28] and Lock Pickers, United belts this week, two new purple belts. We have birdie and 2 0 6 or 2 0 6. I'm not sure how they want that pronounced. Congratulations to both of you for red. We have a Reddit user. I'm not even sure how to pronounce this yang. Yes, gang Gaius it's Y a G I a. And I don't have a clue how to pronounce it. 

[00:27:54] We also have three new black belt announcements from the discord. The first one reads time to welcome another picker to the dojo. Send some love to drama site, to her drama seat for having attained black belt by picking the Eva MCs Assa twin pro Eva three Ks plus Dom I X twin star, as well as having created a cutaway for his epic quest. 

[00:28:18] So congratulations. The next one reads, please congratulate Leebron or Bron for reaching the rank of black belt for this achievement. He picked the Assa twin 6,000 Zeiss icon, S K six, extra code ask the twin combi and the Assa 700 for his quest. He impressioned three locks, rubber band sent him. So congratulations to you. 

[00:28:42] Very well done. And the last one reads another black belt joins us today. Gil again. In true Aussie fashion. He picked the Beilock and the Dom IIX twin star. He chose to make some beautiful picks and impression a lock for his quests. And it's his journey to black belt that I was talking about earlier. So you can find that video again in the show notes links for anyone not already familiar with the Lock Pickers United belt system. 

[00:29:10] There are links in the show notes to the official page, as well as some videos that explain how the system works. So if you're not already part of it, check those out and consider joining the fund from speedlocks.org this week, we have some new records as well as some first records. The new records we have super Hansberger 93 set a record for the CASP 1 4 0 4 0 in 19.03, three seconds. 

[00:29:37] And the TSA 0 0 5 by prince in 9.834 seconds. Some new first record. All by Panda-Frog all on alpha 1000 series locks. It looks like we have the alpha 1000 dash 20 in 8.12 seconds. The alpha 1025 in 2.68, the alpha 1030 and 6.2, the alpha 1035 in 4.6 and the alpha 1000 dash 50 and 33.4. So you can head over to the speedlocks.org website to congratulate them if you would like. 

[00:30:16] And now it's time to say thank you to the people that made this episode possible. We'll start with the Patrion subscribers we have Panda-Frog Michael Gilchrist, Starrylock whales brain Dave, to be deciphered Liibans Locksports Journey, pat from uncensored tactical three records and a coach Chirael Pattycakes. 

[00:30:31] Dr. Haug master Clayton Howard AK Colton MOG, John Locke, rat yolk. Mr. Picker, cranky Lock Pickers. . Chief content producer for this episode, barely by one story over Chirael was I Fisk other content producers were being a to Z Chirael correct jeans, dark arts. Lockpicking evil. Archconservative Gil Gaines Gumby, Joshua Gonzales, Michael Gillcrest, make 7, 7, 7 Oz Panda-Frog pocket woman rain, Robert Carlson, rubber band, Cisco spaceman, and Tony Varella. 

[00:31:06] Thank you to all of you for your support. Just remember that this show is only possible because of all that information and support from the community. So if you're getting value out of this podcast, please help return some of that value by sending in your news links, events, giveaway information, anything you have that you think the community would enjoy or should be knowing, send it to podcasts at the Locksports cast.com or any of the other methods listed at The Lock Sportscast dot com slash support, or also usually in the show. 

[00:31:36] You can also help by sharing the podcast with your lockpicking friends, either online or in person, you can leave a review on your favorite podcast platform or a comment and a thumbs up on YouTube. If you want to support financially, you're more than welcome to do so you can donate on PayPal or subscribe on Patriot. 

[00:31:56] Patrons get an RSS feed where they can get an audio version of the podcast a little early. Usually that's about a day, unfortunately, this week because of the holiday I'm recording light. So they won't get it early. I apologize for that. But family time also remember that I am looking for Locksports journey stories, or journey to black stories, as long as they are a reasonable length, then safe to read on a family-friendly podcast. 

[00:32:18] So you can send them in to any of the methods listed in the show. You can also send me feedback. You can do that at The Lock Sportscast dot com slash contact or any of the other methods. That feedback can be confidential if you want, or I can share it on the show, your choice. If you want to be confidential, please tell me you want to be confidential. 

[00:32:37] So I don't make a mistake and share it when I'm not supposed to. And if you want it shared, just remember to keep it reasonable length, plight work and family safe. No politics, no drama. We'll move right on to criminal news. First story is rest made in sophisticated auto theft probe. Toronto police investigation has resulted in the rest of two men in an auto theft ring in July police launch project clone to identify members of a gang stealing vehicles in the city. 

[00:33:04] On Sunday, December 5th, police obtained a search warrant targeting two men and a commercial automotive garage in. Please seized items used to steal vehicles, including electronic key fobs from different vehicle makes and models. Lockpicks fake license plates, electronic diagnostic, and key fobs, reprogramming tools, tracking devices and scanners. 

[00:33:26] Detective Daniel cradling said the quality of technology and the amount seas speaks to the level of sophistication and technical skill employed by thieves during the commission of motor theft vehicles within the. With such tools as this and the knowledge that these possess vehicles can easily be stolen in under 30 seconds. 

[00:33:47] And I actually have links to four different articles covering that story that I will put in the show notes. If you want to check it out, the picture of the table of stuff that they confiscated from these people is quite interesting. There's a lot of key fobs. There's also Lishi picks down in one corner and. 

[00:34:06] A lot of different tools there, they were definitely well equipped. The next story is thieves are stealing checks from us postal service collection boxes across Philadelphia, and trying to get mail carriers, keys. This was reported by Ellie rushing in the Philadelphia Enquirer on the 17th of December. 

[00:34:27] They say these have gotten their hands on the keys that open the signature blue mailboxes across the city, breaking into them, stealing checks and costing victims. Thousands of dollars in the past thieves have attached glue traps to the ends of string, to fish letters of the mailboxes, small openings. 

[00:34:44] But now they're just obtaining keys to the box. Thieves are robbing mail carriers of their keys, and some are even approaching mail carriers and offering to money to buy them. One key formerly called in arrow. Key opens up every corner collection box and apartment mailbox in a zip code, making it quite valuable. 

[00:35:05] They say because of short staffed, post offices, the accountability process for checking out and returning key, sometimes doesn't happen. And in August, 2020 a report by the postal services office of inspector general, which conducts internal audits and investigations call the agency's oversight of the. 

[00:35:24] Ineffective it Delaware county mail carrier said last week management told carriers to be careful of robbers and that if someone tries to steal the key for their safety don't resist last month, two mail carriers were robbed at gunpoint for their keys and mail bags in separate incidents in Northeast. 

[00:35:45] The current mail theft and subsequent check fraud has expanded across the city and into the suburbs. Officials say it is so pervasive that the postal service is in the process of replacing the locks on every collection box in Philly, replacing locks and issuing new keys is a massive undertaking. 

[00:36:01] Philadelphia has over 1,500 collection boxes. After the mailbox locks were placed in Westchester, New York in early 2019, they say they saw a complete stop in mail theft from the blue box. The postal inspection service is aggressively investigating the crimes. According to the agency spokesman, they say that local law enforcement has made a few arrests including some this week, but that it takes time to build a case. 

[00:36:30] Postal officials stated that mail that sits in blue boxes overnight is more susceptible to being stolen. So residents are advised to check the pickup time, post down the box and wait until the next morning. If the mail has already been closed. They say it would really eliminate the vast majority of male Fest, because however, they're getting into the blue collection boxes, having quiet and cover and darkness is the thief's favorite thing. 

[00:36:54] Definitely your Philly. But if you're in anywhere else in the country, you might want to take that advice. Make sure you drop it off before the collection time on a day. And if not, just hold it until then. Moving on to sales. We'll start off with the one that I, uh, screwed up last week. Bare bones lockpicking and no codes needed. 

[00:37:13] Discount prices are on the site. Just look for the little sale icon in the upper corner of the photographs. South art.com 20% off discount on all products. December 25th through January 10th with the code. Welcome 22 that's south orange.com. Hooligan keys.com 15% off the code. Make 2020 better through January of 2020 dark arts. 

[00:37:41] Lockpicking 20% off with the code Grinch, miss 21 that expires 31st of December at dell.com.edu. Katie coder.edu discounted prices on the website through the end of 2021 Masterlock surplus sale. Up to 50% off on some items. But it's Masterlock so that's probably what they should be charging in the first place. 

[00:38:08] And it mats a lot pit. It appears the sale is still going, or at least it was as of this morning when I checked. So Matt Lock, Pickers dot com 3d Locksports dot com 10% off with the code L S cast 10, make a lox 15% off of the code by Maaco. And I actually checked it. It is still. And the same goes for the code gift for 10% off at UK Lock Pickers dot co.uk. 

[00:38:36] So they don't ever seem to expire giveaways. I think the only one currently still running is the one Panda-Frog announced in his video. 2 36, and it's running concurrent with The Lock a month for December on the TSA law. It's a random draw from the people that enter, lock them on con LACOE month contest, not the winner of the contest, but just a random draw from the entries. 

[00:39:03] So everyone stands a chance. So if you're interested, check it out. CLK supplies, hashtag lockbox giveaway that that's always going. It seems like. So head over there. If you want to win some cool prizes from a locksmith supply. Remember the show needs your support. So send me any information you have that's Locksports related, even if you don't think it's important or you think everybody else has definitely sent it to me, they probably thought the same thing and haven't sent it in. 

[00:39:29] So send it anyway. I'll sort through it, figure it out what I've already have, what I don't what I need, what I don't and what works and what doesn't. I really appreciate all the support. So remember to keep it legal and I hope you all had. Holiday 

[00:40:17] Control system devices, which are publicly, or such as Spero. Just remember that. I don't know what I'm talking about, and this is all way over. I don't know, kill.