Greg's Corner

Your keys could be a major security risk

Modern technology has made life much more convenient for many people. How many of us can imagine a life where we didn’t have instant access to things like ride-sharing services, instant delivery from almost any retailer, or the myriad of choices we have for consuming our entertainment? However, the price of convenience is often a trade-off for privacy or security. One of the things we most associate with security, our keys, can be copied with some of the most basic elements of technology.

Recently in Florida, a locksmith-type service has come under scrutiny for what some call a flaw in its security. An app called KeyMe is designed to make a copy of whichever one of your keys you may need in order to avoid calling an expensive locksmith. All you need to do is take a picture of the key and KeyMe will have it delivered by mail or you can take it to a KeyMe kiosk to have the key made quickly. A Florida news station was able to make a key that was not authorized by its owner questioning KeyMe’s security. However, KeyMe has stated since they have electronic financial records through their app, it would be unwise for someone to use their service for criminal means. KeyMe is not the problem here as the video below shows that all someone would need to copy a key is a quick picture of your key taken from any smartphone.

Think about it for a moment about how casually we treat our keys. When we get to work we throw them on our desks. we constantly hand them to parking attendants or any number of car services such as mechanics and the like. We don’t hand them just the key they need either, we usually hand them our entire key ring. All it would take to make a copy of one of your keys would be a quick photo and a minimal amount of ingenuity. One way to keep your keys safer is to think of them as money. You just wouldn’t throw your money everywhere then lose track of them and you wouldn’t hand it to strangers and expect them to keep it safe just because you asked nicely.