BRIAN BRUSHWOOD: The following program contains secret hacks.
Attempting some of these shortcuts can be dangerous
and is ill-advised.
With over a hundred million houses in this country,
you might think that yours is safe.
You'd be wrong.
Last year, an amazing one in 85 homes
in the US was burglarized.
Tonight, I'm going to try something incredibly stupid.
I'm going to try to break into one of these homes
in this very neighborhood.
Now the home owners know that I'm going to attempt this,
but they don't know when or how.
Little do they know that tonight's the night.
I'm Brian Brushwood.
For 15 years, I've made a career
out of social manipulation.
I've mastered incredible tricks
and dangerous stunts as a professional magician
and learned how to become a lifehacker.
I've picked up the tools of scientists and spies,
of criminals and con artists.
These hacks are an encyclopedia
of secret data and everyday shortcuts
to help make life easier
and give you the upper hand.
I'll reveal how to avoid people
who cheat the system
and show you the legal tips and tricks
to stay safe and get ahead...
one hack at a time.
This isHacking the System.
Home sweet home.
That is until a criminal breaks in.
Today, we're focusing on home security
and the shadowy world of burglars.
I'm going to show you how these home invaders think
and demonstrate what you can do
to keep from being the most vulnerable house
on the block.
Find out how strong your front door really is.
Get a glimpse at the high-tech ways
bad guys can hack your security
and learn how to prevent smooth-talking burglars...
-WOMAN: Hi. -...from conning their way
right into your home.
Is there any chance I can use your phone?
I'll even risk a real break-in
of an actual house in the dead of night.
Take a look around you.
Nice, quiet neighborhood, right?
Any town, USA.
In the light of day, all these suburban homes
start to look the same
but not to a burglar.
Home invasions seem like random crimes
but, in fact, a lot of thought goes into
deciding which houses criminals hone in on.
There. That's my house.
You see why?
If not, you need to see it through the eyes of a criminal.
Look closer.
First of all, this house has no alarm sign on the lawn,
and houses without security systems
are almost 300 percent more likely
to be broken into.
Also, there's no dog door
or sign of pets to scare me off.
And a lack of outdoor lighting will help to conceal me.
In a pinch, there's an open window
on the second floor
and even a ladder stored on the side of the house
in case I need a little help getting in.
Bottom line, your house is an advertisement
to would-be criminals.
Make sure yours says "Closed for business."
All I need to do now is wait for darkness.
These homeowners don't know it,
but tonight, they're getting broken into.
I'm with my accomplice, Jason, who's going to be acting
as a lookout for me.
We're going to get caught.
Maybe. But there's a reason I picked this house.
You got to know when they're going to be home
and when they're going to be away.
And like most people, they made it
way too easy to find out.
Instead of using their garage, they park in the driveway.
So I can keep track of when they're home
and when they're not.
Lesson. If you have a garage, use it.
At this house, the husband leaves at 7:00 a.m. sharp
and comes home just after 9:00 p.m.
The wife leaves at 9:00 a.m.
and usually works until about 8:00 p.m.
But tonight, I knew they'd be out even later.
They pretty much told me.
Like everyone else, they love to post stuff
on their social media feeds,
so let's see what they're up to tonight.
It looks like...
-[phone chimes] -...dinner downtown at 8:00
followed by a Kanye concert at 9:00.
Tip to homeowners:
lock down your social media posts
to only your close friends.
And consider not advertising
when you're going to be away from home.
Now, unfortunately, we can't be a hundred percent sure
that there's not an alarm or motion detectors,
but it's a risk I'm willing to take.
In the movies, break-ins always happen
in the dead of night.
But when do most of them really take place?
8:00 p.m. to midnight, midnight to 4:00 a.m.,
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.,
or 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.?
The answer is between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
Most home burglaries take place midday,
so keep your house secure
even though the sun is shining.
Speaking of daytime robberies,
in some cases, you might even
unlock your door willingly for a burglar.
Why? Because we all have mental weaknesses
that can be exploited by people
who know what to look for.
To demonstrate, here's a quick card trick.
Let's try an experiment with you guys at home.
I've got two cards that I want you to follow,
the two of clubs and the seven of clubs.
All you need to tell me is which one is on top.
No matter which one you answered,
you'd be wrong since they never left my hand.
Now if you missed it, that's okay.
We all have these psychological blind spots,
but these are what criminals use
to take advantage of us.
Think you'd be smart enough
to not fall for these blind spots
and let a smooth-talking burglar into your home?
In this experiment, I'm going to knock
on three different doors.
I'll wager that I can talk my way
into at least one of the houses
using a combination of psychology,
distraction, and downright con-artistry.
Homeowners, watch closely.
My first stop, I'm starting with the delivery driver angle
since most of us are conditioned
to not to be too suspicious
of anyone wearing a baseball cap,
polo shirt, and shorts.
[knocking]
And remember, these are real people
in real houses.
-WOMAN: Hi. -Hi, package for Susan?
BRIAN: I keep showing her the package,
which bears her address.
With her focus on the box,
she's less likely to remember my face
or notice that I'm not actually wearing
the logo of a company on my clothes.
BRIAN: Do you mind if I call dispatch?
My battery is totally dead.
Do you-- do you have-- do you have a phone?
Okay. All right. Thanks for your time.
-WOMAN: Okay. Bye. -Appreciate it.
Strike one.
In my next attempt, I'll try to create a benefit
for the homeowner to let me in.
Hi there. I'm James with Apex Exterminators.
We're working with your neighbor,
Bob Sullivan, on a nasty termite infestation.
-WOMAN: Uh-huh. -So we're giving a courtesy call
to all the neighbors.
I got her neighbor's name from a piece of mail
which buys me a little credibility.
Now, I'm letting her make the next move.
Have you noticed any signs of termites?
Since usually these termites don't stick to one house,
we're checking in with all the neighbors.
I've now not only given her a reason
to be worried about her house,
but I'm in the position to help her.
If only she'll let me in to look around.
Usually, you'll find some sawdust in the cupboards.
You haven't seen anything like that?
-I haven't seen anything. -If you'd like,
I'm happy to give you guys an inspection.
All right, have a good one.
Strike two.
I'll conclude my daytime robbery experiment
by trying to exploit the greatest
mental blind-spot of all.
But will it work?
While I regroup, consider this.
According to a former break-in artist,
what part of your house do many criminals target most?
Skylights and chimneys, the backyard,
balconies, or the side porch?
The answer. The backyard
where sliding doors make for an easy break-in point.
Also, the police tend to enter from the front,
and crooks hate running into them.
Some criminals will even try to break into your house
when you're home.
In my daytime break-in experiment,
I'm gambling that I can talk my way
into at least one of three real houses
by exploiting psychological blind spots.
I tried using distraction in the delivery driver angle
and was shut down.
My attempt at offering
a benefit by posing as a concerned exterminator
also didn't do the trick.
Time for the big guns.
Many criminals try to mentally hack victims
by exploiting one simple trigger:
human kindness.
-Hi. -BRIAN: Hey.
Uh, I am so sorry to do this to you,
but I just broke down right in front of you.
I don't have a cell phone. I need to get a hold of my wife.
Is there any chance I can use your phone?
Uh, I mean I can call someone for you.
Uh, yeah, I mean, I need to call my wife
and I also need to get a tow truck for the car.
You don't... you don't have a phone?
No. The cell's dead.
I pushed it over into the red zone over there.
Uh...
BRIAN: While the stranded motorist routine
is something of a cliche,
it's relatable, creates an emotional connection,
and my indication that I'm happy to stay outside
leads him to believe that my story might be true.
Uh...
I mean, if you don't have a phone,
-just make it quick. -Yeah.
No, dude, you are a lifesaver. Thank you.
Mission accomplished.
So take note, be on the lookout for anyone
who shows up at your front door
bearing distractions,
being overly helpful,
or pulling on your heartstrings.
You just might prevent a burglary.
Now, let's get back to the much more dangerous world
of nocturnal burglary.
My accomplice Jason and I are attempting
to break into a real house
at night with only a few simple tools.
BRIAN: If a criminal can't get in
in 60 seconds, they usually move on
to another house.
I want to see if I can do it.
Okay, you ready?
JASON: Go. Okay.
Come on.
BRIAN: The longer we linger here,
the greater our chances of being discovered.
And it all comes down to whether or not
I can hack the lock on this front door.
The conventional wisdom is that these door locks
are your best line of defense against criminals
unless, like many people, you leave them a key.
I'm amazed at how many people leave a key
within feet of the front door,
usually in the most obvious of places.
If you have a key under a mat,
above the door, or in a very obvious
fake-looking rock,
you might as well just leave your doors unlocked.
The key to keys is putting them someplace
truly invisible.
So ditch the fake rock
and craft an ingenious false bottom
on a potted plant like this.
Using industrial strength Velcro,
you can hide a key under a garden fence
Nobody would ever think to look there.
And with a little PVC piping and a plastic cap,
you can make a lawn sprinkler with a secret compartment.
So beat the system, homeowners,
and get creative.
Because there's no shortage of new ways
for criminals to get inside houses.
We're pretty casual about flashing our keys in public
or tossing them down on a table.
But this is the 21st century, and keys are nothing more
than a visual code
that can now be digitally hacked.
Nowadays, criminals don't even need
to steal your key to make a copy of it.
All they need is a photograph and a 3D printer,
and they can create a plastic model
that'll fit your lock like a glove.
While it might seem like science fiction,
these printers are becoming increasingly common.
They lay down a liquid plastic
in thin layers to create three dimensional objects.
Look at this. This is a perfectly functional
exact replica of the key,
and the guy doesn't even know it's stolen.
Just with a photograph, you can get something like this.
This is why you can't just flash your keys out in public.
You got to use a key sheath. This is something simple,
cheap, you can keep it on you,
and it won't expose your keys.
'Cause just one photograph and, boom, you're compromised.
All right, so let's say the bad guys
can't get a hold of your key.
They can't get a photograph of it either.
Just how easy is it to pick modern locks?
Behind this door is you, your family,
and all of your valuable possessions.
You're safe and secure, right? Protected by the dead bolt?
Not so much.
The fact is door lock technology
hasn't advanced much over the years.
The basic concept is simple.
A grooved key pushes a set of pins
known as tumblers into various positions.
When they're all in the right spots,
the key is free to turn a cam
inside the lock cylinder, and the door opens.
And there are plenty of other tools
that a crook can employ
like a "bump key."
It's a sort of skeleton key
made by taking a normal key
and filing down the teeth.
By tapping on it, the vibration causes
the pins in the lock to jump and jam into position.
Watch.
All you have to do is put it half way
into the lock, give it a couple of slams...
and just like that...
you're in.
Newer, well-made locks are less susceptible
to these bump keys,
so be sure your front door is up to snuff.
But what about the old-fashioned way?
Can criminals simply kick down your door?
Jason here is going to see if it's really
as easy as it looks in the movies.
And I want you to do the TV thing
and just kick it straight open.
Okay. I've always wanted to do this.
Okay.
[laughing]: It really does just slap you back.
All right, I'm going to go.
I'm going to give it the full Bruce Lee.
[grunts]
-Break! -[laughs]
BRIAN: As you can see, forcing open a door
isn't always as easy as it looks in the movies.
Some front doors are reinforced
and don't break away as easy as you might think.
But that doesn't mean there's not a brute force hack
we can use.
This is a breaching tool or a ram.
It's used by law enforcement and, unfortunately,
some criminals in order to open the door.
It works by concentrating all the force
on one small spot,
kicking it wide open.
Here we go.
That'll do. [laughs]
The takeaway here is simple.
With the right tool, a determined criminal
can still get inside.
Many doors are hollow and made of veneer.
Make sure yours is solid wood, fiberglass, or metal
and isn't your only line of defense.
Quick quiz.
Are there door locks on the White House?
The answer? Yes.
And while this is considered
one of the most secure cylinder locks in the world,
several years ago, researchers successfully picked this model
using nothing more than a screwdriver
and a piece of wire.
Out in the real world, a variety of techniques
are used by countless crooks to gain entry into homes.
And I'm trying to prove it.
Using a bump key, I'm trying to get the pins
in this front door lock to jump
and thereby let me in.
Remember, if a criminal can't gain entry
in under a minute, he usually gives up.
So will we since Jason and I are way too exposed
out here in the open.
JASON: Come on. All right, we're kind of on time.
BRIAN: Hang on.
JASON: Come on. Come on.
Here we go. [laughs]
BRIAN: Okay. Go, go, go, go.
-[alarm beeping] -[bleep] It's alarmed.
Alarms are usually set to call the authorities
within about a minute,
which means I need to move fast.
We've got fifty seconds.
Luckily, alarms are only as good
as the deactivation code that owners assign to them.
I've bought along common tools
that a burglar might use to help me hack the system.
Print powder and a cheap UV light.
Since owners enter the same numbers
over and over, the pass code's buttons
are usually especially oily
and are illuminated by the black light.
Many homeowners opt for a standard four digit code.
In this case, the only numbers that have been pressed
are one, nine and zero.
People often use significant personal dates
for alarm codes such as birthdays and anniversaries.
Based on these numbers, the code is probably 1909,
or more likely, 1990.
Sixteen seconds.
-[alarm beeps] -[Brian laughs]
Bingo!
Note to homeowners, beat the system
and use a complex pass code to avoid lucky guesses.
And be sure to rotate the code every few months.
Otherwise, you risk unwanted visitors.
Now, think about your own alarm and pin codes.
Are they secure?
Take a guess which is the most common
four digit code in the world.
Is it one, one, one, one?
One, two, one, two?
One, two, three, four?
Or zero, zero, zero, zero?
The answer?
One, two, three, four.
Eleven percent of all alarm codes
are set to this simple sequence.
Now, with the alarm off, it's time to get to work.
Remember, the homeowners posted their plans
to see a concert on their social media feeds,
so we know that they'll be away
for at least another few hours...
not that we'll need that much time.
People can be terribly predictable
when it comes to hiding their most prized possessions.
Would you believe that some people
actually still hide money in their mattresses
or in a bedside table?
Even worse, lots of people with a cash safe
don't secure it well or, in this case, not at all.
Well, this thing's a piece of junk.
First of all, we could just take it as is,
everything inside.
Second of all, some of these brands,
you just give them a good whack
and they'll pop open
Hang on.
If you're going to use a home safe,
invest in a good one and bolt it down
in a very discreet location.
But the best advice I could give
about locking up your money,
do it at the bank.
Now, think fast.
What's the single most valuable thing
in your home?
It's not your Rolex or your diamond earrings.
It's your laptop.
This five pound piece of plastic
houses most people's banking information,
credit card data,
and thousands of sensitive emails.
So why do people leave these lying around
the house instead of in a safe?
Worst of all, many homeowners don't protect
their home computer's hard drives
which are loaded with priceless information.
So here's the crazy part, we actually don't need
to take the laptop to get the data.
You can compromise it using one of these.
It looks like a flash drive, but it's not.
Watch.
As soon as I plug this in,
a malicious script takes over the computer
and collects all of your critical data
within a matter of seconds.
Boom. Just like that.
The bottom line, locking up your laptop
should be a top priority.
In the 21st century, data theft can happen
without crooks having to physically enter
your house at all.
Quick quiz.
How many email scams
are sent out every single day?
A hundred thousand, five hundred thousand,
a million, or one hundred and fifty million?
Bad news.
Over a hundred and fifty million
email scams are sent out.
More than eight million of those are opened,
and 80,000 people fall victim every single day.
But what if these homeowners had been home?
What could they have done?
Obviously, calling the police is their best bet.
But in an extreme pinch,
even everyday items can be hacked
for self-defense.
All right, Jason. You're in the house.
There's an intruder downstairs.
You need something to defend yourself.
If there's one thing I've learned,
it's that even the most innocuous item,
a disposable camera, can be turned,
with a couple of screws and a couple of wires,
into a Taser.
How did you make that thing?
I can't tell you.
But I will say
and it really did take me less than five minutes.
Once it's finished, all you have to do
is charge the thing up like this...
and it's ready to rock.
At half discharge, like...
-[device crackles] -Oh, God! [bleep]
[laughing]
You [bleep].
Yup. It works, and it hurts.
It's probably inadvisable to go after an intruder
with a point and shoot camera.
And there are plenty of other do-it-yourself projects
that might not be your best line of defense
in a real emergency, but they are fun.
Okay, so you've got an intruder in your house,
how do you make a distraction so you can just get out?
Funny you should ask.
How does a smoke bomb sound to you?
-Awesome... -[Brian chuckles]
I found a recipe for smoke bombs
using nothing but ping pong balls
and stuff you'd find in the kitchen.
Even something as innocuous as a ping pong ball
can be hacked.
Just poke a hole in it
then fill it with the cut-up pieces
of another ping pong ball, wrap it up in tin foil,
and light the sucker on fire.
[Brian laughs]
[laughs] All right, now we are cooking.
Instant diversion. Makes for a nice smokescreen
while you duck out the back door.
And Jason's got the right idea.
These fumes are toxic,
and breathing them is bad for your health.
Smoke bombs are dramatic
but back at our break-in house,
there's a diversion that fits
right in the palm of your hand.
BRIAN: So, at home, Jason, when you go to bed,
where do you keep your car keys?
Uh, by the front door.
Yeah, that's what everyone does.
What you should do is you should keep them
right here on the night stand.
That way, you have an alarm system of sorts
when you hear an intruder downstairs.
You hit the panic button, downstairs in the garage,
your car starts making all crazy noises.
Might be enough to scare them off.
Gives you at least something.
And remember, calling the police
is the best thing you can do during a break-in.
And if you can't escape the house,
barricading yourself into a room
is your safest course of action.
In the end, this house is no different
than most homes in America.
The people who live here think of it as safe
so their guard is totally down.
Remember that criminals can use all sorts of methods
to compromise your security,
from low-tech lock picks
to state-of-the-art key clones.
They might even be bold enough to look you right in the eye.
Want to beat the system?
Make an investment in solid locks,
a complex alarm code, a proper safe...
and a discreet hiding place for the items you hold dear.
If you don't, a real bad guy can come in and take them
just as easy as I could've.
BRIAN: We're out of here.
Captioned by Point.360