KeyMe to add hundreds of key making kiosks across the US

By Phyllis Furman, New York Daily News

KeyMe, the Long Island City-based startup that's looking to upend the $5 billion locksmith biz in the US - is turning the key on a national expansion.

The company, which operates key-making kiosks in local stores, has just bagged $7.8 million in funding that it will use to add hundreds of kiosks across the country within the next 12 to 18 months, KeyMe founder and CEO Greg Marsh told the NY Daily News.

Viper Smartkey locks and unlocks your car using your smartphone

If you have ever wished your car would unlock the doors when you walk up to it and lock the doors when you walk away, Viper has a slick product you will like.

The product is called the Viper Smartkey and it works with your smartphone to turn your keyless entry system into an automated affair.

Using this system, you won't have to press a button on the door of your car or fish for a key fob to lock or unlock doors.

Heartbleed: in depth

An alarming lapse in Internet security has exposed millions of passwords, credit card numbers and other sensitive bits of information to potential theft by computer hackers who may have been secretly exploiting the problem before its discovery.
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ImageIR 8300Z and ImageIR 9300Z - new options for infrared long-range sensing

With the addition to their product range of two new models of the ImageIR series of thermography cameras InfraTec GmbH, in association with their UK representative Armstrong Optical, is entering the security market. Using a powerful 28 to 850mm continuous zoom lens the system is able to deliver human detection beyond 15km and beyond 18km for ground.
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Milestone hires in Southern Africa and Saudi Arabia

Milestone Systems, the open platform company in IP video management software (VMS), has hired Michael Metcalfe (pictured left) as Channel Business Manager for Southern Africa and Ahmad Saleh Al-Haider as Channel Business Manager for Saudi Arabia.
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What's the first thing you notice about the following item?

It may be good business for hardware stores and locksmiths shops, but the global popularity of placing 'locks of love' on bridges can cause real damage. The idea is that the lovers write their names or initials on a padlock, fasten it to a bridge and throw the key into the river. Thus locking their love forever. I may be an old cynic, but I'm not alone, as the item in last week's issue about the campaign to ban the idea in Paris (where it is believed the idea started) illustrates.

The following item is from a local paper near the Port of Tacoma, NW coast of the USA. You can clearly see the effect the weight of the padlocks has on the side rail.

Pierce County will leave love locks on Bridge to the Beach

By Brynn Grimley

The first thing Ayse Kiil noticed Monday when she walked to the end of the Bridge to the Beach at Chambers Creek Regional Park, was the top cable of the protective barrier, sagging under the weight of roughly 60 padlocks.

Taking advantage of Monday's summerlike weather, the University Place resident and her husband, Glenn, were in search of a padlock they'd left there a month earlier.

Electronic jail locks fail

Ocean City officials say a "catastrophic" computer glitch caused the locks on jail cells doors to malfunction on their own, and now the town needs a six-figure repair. The state of Maryland town council located on the US east coast unanimously approved a $116,700 expenditure to fix the "Galaxy" computer system that controls not just jail cells, but doors and surveillance cameras.

The electronics problems did not cause any cell doors to open, because the system is designed to switch automatically to a manual override mode in case of failure. The jail stayed open and operational despite the security system failure.

Source: Delmarva

Alex 2014 latest

Sales of stands for the 2014 ALEX show have surpassed all previous years with 10 of the 15 stands being sold in the first 3 weeks, Three other exhibitors are now considering their options and checking commitments to exhibit at this show. Handy because there are just 3 stands left!

First come first served...
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IHS report - Mechanical locks market to have positive CAGR of 3.8% from 2013 to 2017

The mechanical lock industry is experiencing an increased penetration of Chinese suppliers into the international market and despite the growing popularity of access control systems driving the adoption of electronic locking devices, mechanical locks are not projected to falter any time soon.

Mechanical locks are forecast to have a positive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 3.8% from 2013 to 2017, according to a new report from IHS.
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Lockdecoders now exports to 45 countries

Lockdecoders Ltd now exports its specialised auto locksmith tools to 45 different countries. Founder and Managing Director Peter Southern confesses that it is hard work trying to expand export markets. Apart from UK trade shows Peter has this year so far visited France, Morocco, Italy and the USA.

That last trip was with brother Neal to Just-Cars in Orlando. Neal Southern now handles most of the firm's technical support and back-up on both MiraClone and Miracle key cutters.
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Do the Roto Samba

The Roto Samba handle is a functional operation mechanism and a discreet design object in one. It finds exactly the right balance between classical and modern aesthetics, allowing it to blend perfectly into any interior design.
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Security agencies are teaming up with aircraft experts to stop cyber attackers taking over the controls of passenger jets

By Jessica Jerreat

Intelligence agencies are working with airline experts to improve defenses against cyber attacks which could be used to bring down a plane. A new program involving government and aviation employees has been set up outside Washington DC as security experts warn the current systems are vulnerable to attack.

Currently, a hacker could bring down air traffic control systems, break into navigation equipment or even potentially take over the controls of a plane.

New stronger Mantis 80 bollard test success

Following the success of the shallow mount static bollard the Mantis, Heald announces that the new, stronger Mantis 80 bollard has been successfully tested to arrest a 7.5 tonne truck travelling at a speed of 50mph (80kph).

Like its little brother, the Mantis 80 is available with a range of stylish stainless steel covers, allowing architects and designers a much greater degree of freedom to integrate perimeter security with modern buildings and landscaping.
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Newsdesk News

If you would like Locks and Security News to feature your product information, case studies, or company news, just email as above. Ideally a Word doc + jpeg images. Remember, we can take copy up to 5pm on any Tuesday for Wednesday transmission.

Want a link from Locks and Security News to your web site? Just ask for details.

The views or claims expressed by contributors do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher. Whilst every effort is made to ensure accuracy, the publisher accepts no liability for errors in this publication.

John Austen
Publishing Director
Tel:07766 707 888

Simply Keys key programming weekend

Simply Keys, the popular Hickleys key programming weekend at Advanced Diagnostics, is on Saturday 31st May and Sunday 1st June. Once again this will be a date you just can't afford to miss.
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Fuel and oil theft advice

Theft of heating and diesel oil has been a problem for many years and we see an increase in this type of crime whenever the price of crude oil rises. A rise in the price of fuel at the petrol pump inevitably leads to a rise in the cost of heating oil. This makes oil a more attractive proposition for the thief and they are now actively targeting fuel tanks at farms, transport depots and domestic properties. The thief may be using the oil for their own central heating or selling it on at a handsome profit.

These tanks can contain thousands of pounds worth of oil and it therefore makes good sense to take a few precautions to protect them. The purpose of this information is to give you a few ideas about what can be done to make life more difficult for the thief, ideas that if your business is based in a rural area, you might use to advise existing and potential customers.
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G4S cleared for government contract bids

Security firm G4S will be considered for government business again after it was barred from bidding for new contracts in a row about overcharging.

The company agreed to repay £109m after an audit found it charged too much for providing electronic prisoner tags. The Serious Fraud Office is examining G4S and Serco over the contracts.

Data Protection: Latest penalties highlight need for greater awareness of data collection and storage

Two penalties recently served by the ICO on Kent Police and the British Pregnancy Advisory Service have highlighted the need for organisations to understand precisely what personal information they are collecting and where it is being stored.
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Heartbleed explained

As far as the Heartbleed SSL bug is concerned, it exists in the OpenSSL software that is used for secure web communication in the majority (at least 65%) of secure sites (those with a prefix of https:// where your browser will display a closed padlock during access).
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Avocet celebrates national awards win

Directors and staff at Avocet Hardware are celebrating the company's remarkable turnaround - having gone from being a business on the brink to being named winner of the Hardware Company 2013 category in the very first National Fenestration Awards (NFAs) in less than two years.

The Brighouse company was bought out of administration by the Jain family in February 2012 and since then the focus has very firmly been on restoring Avocet's standing as one of the leading names in the hardware industry.
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Y3K announces new range of HD CCTV solutions and 2014 price list

Croydon based manufacturer and distributor of quality HD CCTV systems Y3K has announced a new exciting line-up of HD CCTV surveillance cameras and complete end-to-end solutions using the very latest CCTV technology. The new range now offers customers different levels of image quality and features suitable for nearly every application and any business - from SMEs up to multi-national corporations.
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EU Court of Justice has ruled the Data Retention Directive invalid

"It entails a wide-ranging and particularly serious interference with the fundamental rights to respect for private life and to the protection of personal data, without that interference being limited to what is strictly necessary."

The main objective of the Data Retention Directive is to harmonise Member States' provisions concerning the retention of certain data which are generated or processed by providers of publicly available electronic communications services or of public communications networks. It therefore seeks to ensure that the data are available for the purpose of the prevention, investigation, detection and prosecution of serious crime, such as, in particular, organised crime and terrorism. Thus, the directive provides that the abovementioned providers must retain traffic and location data as well as related data necessary to identify the subscriber or user. By contrast, it does not permit the retention of the content of the communication or of information consulted.

No Love Locks campaign launched in Paris

For some they are a symbol of everlasting love. For others they are a rusting eyesore. But now the "love locks" - padlocks engraved with the names of lovers - that line the rails of Paris's bridges may have met their match, as a campaign takes off to have them banned.

The No Love Locks campaign, which includes a petition that currently has over 1,700 signatures, was launched in February by two Americans living in Paris who were shocked at the extent of the trend across the city.
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