From file cabinets to vault doors, we rely on locks to secure our world. In today’s digital world, this critical aspect of security is an often overlooked vector for attack. While frequently forgotten, it is no less critical than timely patches, appropriate password policies, and proper user permissions. You can have the most hardened servers and network but that doesn’t make the slightest difference if someone can gain direct access to a keyboard or, worse yet, march your hardware right out the door. Gone are the days where physical security and information security are separate disciplines. A thorough understanding of the vulnerabilities in common physical security systems, and how to exploit them, is an essential element in protecting ourselves, our information systems, and our property from harm.

This class is incredibly hands on. From the moment you enter the course you will have tools in your hand and are working to exploit various locking mechanisms. You will learn to recognize the vulnerabilities in existing hardware, how they are attacked, or sometimes even bypassed entirely. You’ll walk away with a thorough understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the tools and techniques used to manipulate them. Included in the cost of the course is a comprehensive set of high quality tools that you can use to practice at home and maintain the skills you’ll build in class.

Armed with the same knowledge as potential attackers, you can better secure your home or office, or help save the day when someone locks their keys inside.

Equipment: None required

Students will be issued:

A twelve-piece lockpicking toolkit with a varied blend of hooks, rakes, diamonds, and turning tools A set of eight training and practice locks Wafer lock tools and a sample wafer lock A tubular lock pick Door latch bypassing tools A locksmith’s impressioning file A pocket microscope & steel key gripper (also for impressioning) A bypass tool for American Lock padlocks A bypass tool for Adams Rite display cabinet locks A multi-wheel combination lock decoder tool Bump keys and a bump hammer A polymer and steel lock mounting stand (for picking and impressioning) A tactical pouch to contain it all when you leave the classroom and put your knowledge into action in the field!

Cost of class is $1000 plus a $300 materials fee. Materials included: http://enterthecore.net/new-core-group-student-training-equipment/

Your instructor: Robert Pingor is chief of The CORE Group’s Law Enforcement Division. Prior to that he founded Nomad Tactical Solutions. His policing and operations background was honed during his years at the National Security Agency where he served with distinction in four different specialty units.

Robert has extensive training in both the government and private sectors. He has instructed for the Department of Defense, the Department of State, the National Security Agency, the United States Air Force, the United States Military Academy at West Point, the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, the National Defense University, and countless local law enforcement agencies. Additionally, he regularly conducts trainings for Black Hat, the SANS Institute, and other technical conferences. His work has been featured in Recoil Magazine and the web tv series The Sentinel.

Outside of work Robert volunteers for a variety of charities and non-profits. He runs the Future Blue Program, an organization dedicated to developing young people into competent law enforcement professionals, and he trains volunteers to fight childhood sex trafficking.