Master Key For TSA Locks Can Be 3D Printed Now

TSA locks used to be a feature that I looked out for whenever I purchased a piece of luggage, but now all of that “investment” seems to have gone down the drain with this bit of news that has just filtered through – apparently, someone with a 3D printer will be able to make their very own TSA master luggage key which translates to the possibility of your luggage being able to be opened up with that 3D printed key. Bummer.

How did this come about? Well, The Washington Post published a story in November last year concerning “the secret life of baggage”, where it showed off a photo of the master keys that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) used in order to unlock all luggages that have “TSA recognized” locks, although this photo made a very brief appearance. While the photo was removed within a short while, it was up there long enough for folks to have captured a screenshot of it, and subsequently, circulating it.

Detailed blueprints have begun to show up on Github, and we will not link it to that page for security reasons, of course. Some folks with 3D printers have actually created the master keys and claimed that it actually worked. We do wonder whether there is any way out of this security quagmire for TSA in the long run.

Edwin Kee
Categories: General
Tags: 3d printer, tsa