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Kensington locks - how safe are they?

post #1 of 20
8/4/05 at 2:21pm
Thread Starter 
hey,

well i am considering purchasing a notebook, and i've been researching anti-theft measures (physical), and seems like these locks are the only real option i have. I know in the past one of the locks was broken into easily, but according to kensington it's been fixed. anyhow, what is your experience with kensington locks? can they be cut or torn out with relative ease?

Thanks
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post #2 of 20
8/4/05 at 2:41pm
They can be easily cut through if you have an industry strength high frequency modulation laser or a diamond tipped machine saw.

So if you decide to use one, make sure not to take your laptop anywhere where there are industrial mining sites close by or if you happen to be in the vicinity of a NASA propulsion laboratory.

Be very wary of anyone in a white lab coat or hard hat eyeing your lappy.
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post #3 of 20
8/4/05 at 2:55pm
it's not easy to tear them out, and ripping them out will really mess up a laptop, make it almost unselleable for a thief.

It's much better than nothing, for sure. plus you can also get one with a motion alarm if you have to be away from it for more than a moment.
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post #4 of 20
8/4/05 at 3:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Studio54
They can be easily cut through if you have an industry strength high frequency modulation laser or a diamond tipped machine saw.

So if you decide to use one, make sure not to take your laptop anywhere where there are industrial mining sites close by or if you happen to be in the vicinity of a NASA propulsion laboratory.

Be very wary of anyone in a white lab coat or hard hat eyeing your lappy.

hahah, i think easyer than that would be just to brake the plastic around where it connects to the laptop, i have done that on my gateway because i lost the key to my lock, i took about 3 good pulls and like the whole corner of the case broke off, still works though.! lol...
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post #5 of 20
8/4/05 at 3:16pm
if you know now, they are very easy to defeat.

There is a FMV out there that shows how easy it is.
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post #6 of 20
8/4/05 at 3:26pm
http://www.micropersuasion.com/2005/...gton_lock.html

http://www.toool.nl/kensington623.wmv

edit: faster link

http://media.hawtalta.com/videos/ken...ockpicking.wmv
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post #7 of 20
8/4/05 at 3:55pm
A little role of thin card board...

Scary!!
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post #8 of 20
8/4/05 at 4:04pm
i've yet to see anyone verify this stunt, so i tried it myself.


1. that must've been a tiny pen - the kensington lock i have has a much smaller opening than the diameter of any pen I own.

2. the cardboard isn't tough enough to actually spin the lock around inside, it folds too easily. i tried a thicker cardboard, same result.

3. the lock i have has a pin also, which would require not just a tube but also a tooth to engage. nothing like that on the cardboard roll.

I'm not saying it was a fake video, I just can't duplicate it and don't see how it would be done on my lock. may have been a different lock.
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post #9 of 20
8/4/05 at 5:22pm
Somebody cut that cable with a single cutter at my university. It took him less then 5 min (time for my friend to go pee) of hard work and the whole blade. And bye bye lappy.

But still, better than nothing.
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post #10 of 20
8/4/05 at 5:30pm
Thread Starter 
that's the exploit they said they fixed with newer locks
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post #11 of 20
8/4/05 at 5:42pm
From what I've heard, people can rip them right out of the back of the laptop, and damage only a small part of the laptop. Hence, they have a very usuable laptop with a slight hole on the back... Anyways, Kensington locks are not supposed to be vaults, they're just supposed to be for casual things--at the library, staying at a hotel room, a restaurant, things like that. Locking it to a table in the middle of a large city and then leaving it unattended is just begging for trouble.
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post #12 of 20
8/5/05 at 2:02am
most laptops are made of plastic and a lock is only as strong as its weakest point so yeah, i guess the lock mixed with common sense is the way to go

at the very least, your laptop with a lock will keep the honest people honest
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post #13 of 20
8/5/05 at 11:07am
Quote:
Originally Posted by JuJuBeee
most laptops are made of plastic and a lock is only as strong as its weakest point so yeah, i guess the lock mixed with common sense is the way to go

at the very least, your laptop with a lock will keep the honest people honest

Typically the slot that the Kensington lock fits into has a metal plate behind the plastic facia that is connected to the inner supports of the notebook. It isn't really that weak. You proabably aren't going to have a functioning laptop if somebody removes the lock by force, though if all they are after is the hard drive, then I suppose that is acceptable.
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post #14 of 20
8/5/05 at 11:37am
well...im just pointing out that there have been many instances of people breaking that so just wanted to let people know

a false sense of security is the worst
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post #15 of 20
8/5/05 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Studio54
They can be easily cut through if you have an industry strength high frequency modulation laser or a diamond tipped machine saw.

So if you decide to use one, make sure not to take your laptop anywhere where there are industrial mining sites close by or if you happen to be in the vicinity of a NASA propulsion laboratory.

Be very wary of anyone in a white lab coat or hard hat eyeing your lappy.
I keep coming back to this comparison, done by Network Computing Magazine a few years ago (it's the only real comparison I've been able to find): http://www.nwc.com/1320/1320f45.html
"Kensington Technology Group Notebook ComboSaver ... It took us about 25 seconds to cut through the steel cable using a small cable cutter."
Doesn't really sound like an industry-strength-laser to me... Maybe it's a lesser model?
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post #16 of 20
8/5/05 at 1:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mrtorrent
I keep coming back to this comparison, done by Network Computing Magazine a few years ago (it's the only real comparison I've been able to find): http://www.nwc.com/1320/1320f45.html
"Kensington Technology Group Notebook ComboSaver ... It took us about 25 seconds to cut through the steel cable using a small cable cutter."
Doesn't really sound like an industry-strength-laser to me... Maybe it's a lesser model?

possibly a butter knife.
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post #17 of 20
8/5/05 at 1:36pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by spotdog14
possibly a butter knife.
Haha, woops, I didn't mean it to read like that. I meant maybe the kensington lock they tested was a lesser model. Judging from a few different models I've seen on Amazon, though, they seem to mostly have the same cable thickness. I've mentioned this before on threads here, but I keep commenting in new lock threads in case someone can point me to some newer articles or information or different companies/models, as I'd like to find a decent anti-theft device for my laptop. So far, though, that Notebook Guardian Ultra sounds like the best of the pack, just because it's so thick. Forcing a thief to saw through for 15 minutes (according to the NWC test) sounds like much more of a deterrant to me than one that can be cut through in 25 seconds.
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post #18 of 20
8/5/05 at 1:45pm
Heh, I just read the reprint of a SecureComputing Magazine review that they have on their site, and this part sounds especially promising:
Quote:
Our next attack was at the point where the locking arm fits into the security slot on the notebook. You can attack this using pliers or mole grips and twist the whole lock which effectively breaks the locking arm or the security slot — OK it damages the laptop but only cosmetically. Our Notebook Guardian Ultra stood up well to this attack because the collar on the lock rotates, defeating this type of attack.
Short of destroying the lock and the security slot using a hammer and steel chisel, you're not going to get this off your notebook easily. This is the main thing.
http://www.pcguardiananti-theft.com/...c_reprint.html

Other than these couple reviews, however, there is an unfortunate dearth of reviews on this product, probably because it's not a big brand name and not offered bundled with brand-name notebooks. Someone buy this so they can tell me how it is! :P In my defense, I don't have my notebook yet, so I can't get it myself. If I can't find anything better by the time I do, though, I'll bite the bullet and get it and I'll let you all know.
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post #19 of 20
8/5/05 at 1:47pm
sorry... Please see below post...
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post #20 of 20
8/5/05 at 1:48pm
I guess short of buying a lockdown device like those at the computer stores like CompUSA, a device like the Notebook Guardian Ultra is the way to go. As for the Kensington Locks, short of recalling every Kensington Lock made, there are probably a lot of older models still out there.
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