'Through the Eyes of a Thief' at DakotaCon 2023

I've given a version of this talk in the past, but each time I present it, it's always different... because the audience gets to select different stories and because my tales from the field that I tell are always changing.

This talk is also an interesting exploration of how technical difficulties can pop up wrong during a presentation. Around 43:43 the A/V system experiences a pretty crazy freeze/hang glitch and after some failed troubleshooting from the conference staff (during which time I am proud to have interacted with the audience and kept on presenting) I ultimately decided to shift my laptop to screen mirroring mode and not use Presenter View and then I concluded my entire presentation without any speaker notes.

How do you think I did? 😉👍

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[Ghost_Os]

Speaking as a locksmith, one of the issues with proper door fitment, latches and strikes in particular, is duration. If you live in an area where there's a lot of seasonal shifting, old buildings, etc., people, both residential and commercial, get tired of their doors not latching properly. If they call you out to do a job, and a month or three later, they're fighting with their latches, they're usually not calling you back; for anything. And if they do, they're not going to be happy, they'll want the problem fixed for free, and they don't want to hear that it's because the foundation is shifting, or that portion of the house or building needs to be jacked up and re-enforced, or the door casement is worn out and really needs replacing. Or that it's the wild temperature and humidity swings, even when they know it. Or some combination of factors; they just want it to work. To open and close without a fight, and to stay closed until it's physically turned by a hand. So they ask for a big hole that the latch will just fall into. Point out all the security problems with that, most of them don't care. "I've never been broken into" (yet). "I have guns" (are you always home? Have a gun in your hand at all times, even when you're asleep? Do criminals sometimes have guns too? Would you rather chance a gunfight in your home, putting your and your family's lives and well-being at risk, rather than having your strikes properly adjusted a few times a year?)... So it's frustrating from our end as well.

[jayschafer]

I love the "You Don't Work Here" story and the point about community.

The prototypical "nosey little old lady" who rarely leaves her house is one of the best and cheapest surveillance systems you can get, if you live near a person like that and treat them right.

[badgermetal]

Solid advice on the security cameras. Having your video files sent to the police without you knowing shouldn't even be a possibility. When you sign up for the subscription you signed for things that give the service provider unlimited access. I don't think most people realize that.

[matthewellisor]

I absolutely love the "You don't work here" story and I have a few people who are about to get a link to that clip.
Here's hoping they are interested enough to watch the rest.

[ICountFrom]

You've taught me to think differently about security. This leads to me asking questions like, "How hard WOULD it be to bypass a padlock on a pool room door at a golf club".

[GaidinBDJ]

For those induction loop sensors in the floor/pavement, you can trip those with a decent-size neodymium magnet if you have a way to toss it through on top of the sensor. I learned that trick driving a scooter, which typically have too little metal to trip a lot of street sensors. I just epoxied a couple Gerber-tool-sized magnets to the bottom and it works a charm.

They're not always the friendliest things to throw into a bag with other electronics, but it's an option and still easier to carry than an extension ladder.

[sientdave]

There's so much of this stuff that doesn't work in Europe, largely because of the Americans with Disabilities Act being the source of a lot of the emergency egress/accessibility/fire access codes.
I'd love to see Deviant do a version of this talk that was more UK/Euro-centric.

[williamroark]

Scary thought; as a crane operator, running a 55 ton crane, my cab access/ignition key is a CH751. Every other crane, identical to mine (and likely other weight ratings), uses the same said key.

[kndkid]

I am an EMT, and can not tell you how many times I had to wait to get into buildings to help someone. I did have to force entry before and he was tough. Plan to utilize some of this knowledge going forward. Love watching your videos and talks! Great stuff!

[myname-mzlo]

he made slideshows for all the 8 stories at the end even though he knew people would vote and he would only tell two of them . that is amazing effort! respect

[BillyONeal]

CH751s protecting CH751s is freaking perfect

[Alan_Hans__]

I love watching these videos and the stories are absolutely the best things about them. The "you don't belong here" guy was an absolute credit to their company.

[MuellerD]

Note that you don't need a "loop of wire" if you've got two random keys. Just push the keys' bows together and use the tips to touch the contacts.

[derekbroestler]

Great vid as usual. BTW, props to you for posting that map and explaining your reasons for not wanting to come to some areas... NO ONE should feel unsafe just because of who they are.

[LakeVermilionDreams]

Feeding the YouTube machine with a full viewing of the talk and a comment! Ibwas showing off Deviant's work to my family yesterday after Easter dinner. They were very interested and a little surprised at how some of the door techniques were so easy and effective!

[Trev]

Human security is the ultimate security. Make sure you treat your people right, they'll make sure the company stays alive.

[matthewcathcart]

I have been wondering when you would do another talk, always fun to watch these

[tristan]

"All the stuff I'm telling you is probably on YouTube in one way or another"
Puts the talk on YouTube 😸

[SkylerLinux]

A good watch, and your talks always gets me thinking on having something hacker-y on hand.

[LeonoraTindall]

Thank you for sharing this talk, Deviant. Amazing info, entertaining presentation. And thank you for being such a staunch supporter of civil rights ❤️