Why that hotel safe isn’t as secure as you think it is
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Travelers often assume that those little metal hotel safes are pretty secure when it comes to keeping valuables safe.
But how safe are they really?
A new YouTube demonstration from Jim Stickley, a cyber security expert, shows that with a piece metal similar to a paperclip—and the right skill set—it’s actually pretty easy to break into a run of the mill hotel safe by bypassing the keypad altogether.
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"People often think the room itself is secure," Stickley told The Huffington Post. "They know that the cleaning crew may have access, but think that is a low risk especially if they use the hotel room safe. The reality is that gaining access to a person's hotel room is not difficult."
By maneuvering the piece of metal, Stickley quickly picks the lock, and you can hear a loud pop when it opens.
"I advise people who travel to keep important items or things of value with you, use the office safe, or leave them at home,"Chris McGoey, a security expert who runs Los Angeles-based McGoey Security Consulting, told The Huffington Post.
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McGoey offers the following tips to travelers who wish to protect their valuables while on the road.
--Think of hotel safes as being minimally secure, a step above hiding valuables in luggage or hidden in a drawer
--Hotel safes that are not secured to the wall are not very secure
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--Hotel safes should not be used for things of great value, importance, or one-of-a-kind items
--Ask the concierge about secure safe. Hotels usually have one in their offices
[youtube sg-Ib5Echns]