Lock Bumping: a Growing Security Threat to Owners, Tenants… and How to Deal with it.

Experts estimate that 90 percent of the locks used in American apartments, condos and homes are vulnerable to lock “bumping”, a simple technique that enables easy, unauthorized entry — a break-in that leaves no visible signs.

Lock bumping incidents have occurred in virtually every part of the country and are on the rise. In addition to loss of property and personal endangerment, break-ins with no evidence of forced entry frequently create insurance issues for owners and tenants.

This growing problem prompted development of testing criteria by ASTM International for determining a lock cylinder’s ability to effectively resist break-ins using lock bumping techniques. And, since many lock manufacturers offer products with varying degrees of resistance, ASTM Standard F883-09 also provides a “level playing field” for comparing all pin tumbler locks used in padlocks as well as door hardware.

The revised Standard establishes six grade levels of bump resistance, Grade 1 providing the least and Grade 6, the most. Locks from just two manufacturers met Grade 6 ASTM Standards, and only those with BumpStop technology from Master Lock and American Lock exceeded Grade 6 requirements.