Best SFIC Plug (Bottom)

Bottom of SFIC plug. The holes in the bottom of the control sleeve are intended to allow insertion of a punch tool that forces the pin stacks out of the top of the core, enabling cores to be emptied and re-pinned without disassembly (there are corresponding holes in the bottom of the core's shell). These holes also create a manipulation vulnerability, because they allow use of a special tool that puts torque on the control sleeve without also creating a shear force at the operating shear line (as a conventional torque tool or key does). This allows these locks to be picked to the control position (relatively) easily without inadvertently setting some pins to the operating position. Once picked to the control position, the core can be removed (and disassembled and decoded if desired), which exposes the fingers in the lock housing (which can then be rotated with, e.g., a screwdriver). Image taken with a Nikon D-100 digital camera with a Nikkor 85mm 1:2.8D tilt/shift macro lens (with Kenko extension tube). Lit by electronic flash and various reflectors. Copyright © 2003 by Matt Blaze. All rights reserved. You may not copy, modify or use this image for any commercial or non-commercial purpose without permission. Click here for the index of Best SFIC lock photos. Click here for my home page.