When shopping for new locks you may find items labeled as ‘anti-pick’ or ‘anti-bump’ and while lock picking is well-known term, understanding what lock bumping actually means is as much important.
Most residential locks are a pin tumbler design which the locking mechanism consists of 2 lines of pins and when using the correct key the pins align to create a shear line which allow the cylinder to turn and unlock the door.
Lock picking and lock bumping are 2 methods to open locks without a key. While lock picking involves using special tools like tension tool and a pick tool to move the pins inside the lock into the correct position, lock bumping on the other hand uses a specially cut key which is called bump key that when struck while positioned in a certain angle causes the pins to jump into place and open the lock. While picking requires a certain skill level and precision, bumping is quicker louder and can damage the lock.
Both techniques have one common goal unlocking doors without needing keys though cheaper locks tend to be easier targets for either picking or bumping tools.
High security locks however are designed specifically to resist against both picking and bumping attempts by investing in higher quality security solutions you can ensure better protection against such attacks.
