TSA Blunder Leads to Mass 3D Printing of “Approved Luggage Locks” Keys

September 26th, 2015  |  Canadian Business

It all started with a photo of TSA master keys to “approved locks” accompanying a Washington Postarticle. It didn't end there, however, and within hours of publication, the plans for reproducing the keys were all over the internet.

These master keys – the ones used by TSA to open suitcases during airport searches – and their locks were recommended to millions of Americans as way to secure their suitcases. 

It took less than a day for lock-picking and security enthusiasts to upload instructions on how to replicate them with a 3D printer.

“Honestly I wasn’t expecting this to work, even though I tried to be as accurate as possible from the pictures. I did this for fun and don’t even have a TSA-approved lock to test,” wrote Xylitol, the user who uploaded the instructions to Github, in an email to Wired.

“But if someone reported it that my 3D models are working,” Xylitol said. “[I]t shows…how a simple picture of a set of keys can compromise a whole system.”

It didn’t take long for another user to test Xylitol’s CAD files. Baldwin Balduc, a Canadian Unix Administrator, wrote that he 3D printed the keys in a few minutes using cheap PLA plastic and successfully opened his TSA approved luggage lock.

“I didn’t do any modifications,” he said in a phone call with WIRED. “It worked on the first try.”

While this leak doesn’t represent a large risk to most people, it shows how quickly a real-world security issue can arise. People are urged to ensure they have proper travel insurance with coverage for theft or loss of luggage.

Image Courtesy of Adobe Stock