How safe is your hotel room safe?

 

The safe in our hotel room may be opened by punching in all zeros.

By Kaeli Conforti, Budget Travel

I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I check into a hotel is conduct an obligatory spot-check for bedbugs, unpack my belongings and place my passport, extra money and other items of value in the hotel safe, which, by name alone should be the best place to keep my important treasures, right?

Wrong. According to a new video by travel consultant, skyrangerpro, of Skyranger Productions, your hotel safe may not be as, well, safe, as you think it is.

In the video, we're faced with a common, ordinary hotel room safe. The subject demonstrates the proper way to lock it, entering his own generic password of 123456. The safe closes and is supposedly secure now that it is locked. When he enters the password correctly, it opens once again. So far, so good.

He explains how during a recent trip to Ontario, he had forgotten his password and upon asking the hotel staff for assistance, was surprised to find out the safe has a default password set up — just enter all zeros and the safe will open.

The interesting thing is that this trick could potentially work on just about any standard hotel room safe. At the end of the video, the presenter warns travelers to test out the all–zeros default password and come up with alternative hiding spots for your laptops, passports and other important belongings just in case.

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Discuss this post

Sick news. What a joke is security in this world.

    Reply#1 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 1:51 PM EDT

    1, 2, 3, 4, 5? That's amazing! I've got the same combination on my luggage!

    • 6 votes
    Reply#2 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 2:43 PM EDT
    Reply

    Twice I've messed up the security code on the in-room safe. Both times somebody from security had to come to the room with an electronic device that they attached to the safe to decode it. The device essentially runs through all 9999 possible codes in a 3-4 minute period and pops the safe when it hits the right one. Without the device the safe could not be opened. So the 0000 default story does not apply to every brand of in-room safe.

    • 1 vote
    Reply#3 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 3:18 PM EDT

    thank god!

      #3.1 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:43 PM EDT
      Reply

      Obviously Kaeli feels since this happened at one hotel it must happen at all of them...which, of course, is completely incorrect. Where do these "journalists" come from?

      • 1 vote
      Reply#4 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:09 PM EDT

      Did you read the article? Last paragraph:

      "The interesting thing is that this trick could potentially work on just about any standard hotel room safe. At the end of the video, the presenter warns travelers to test out the all–zeros default password and come up with alternative hiding spots for your laptops, passports and other important belongings just in case."

      Where in that do you justify your claim that the reporter thinks this situation is true for all hotel room safes? What do the words "potentially" and "test" mean to you?

        #4.1 - Fri Sep 16, 2011 7:08 PM EDT
        Reply

        Bad journalism as this is not the case. First off you would need to get into the hotel room to open the safe. The door lock can be interrogated to see who you let in....key word being who YOU let in. If you are worried about a housekeeper stealing stuff...there are a lot easier targets then the safe.

        Hotel safes do not come with the same generic pass code and have not for many many years. Old news...I'm thinking this person went to a budget college now that they write about budge travel.

        This is amazing that MSNBC would put something on their reputable website that came directly off of Youtube.

        • 2 votes
        Reply#5 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:19 PM EDT

        WOw MSNBC....that video and an article was on Gizmodo weeks ago.

          Reply#6 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:32 PM EDT

          The problem is that the people who are most likely to steal from you are hotel staff who already have access to your safe and room to begin with.

            Reply#7 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 5:36 PM EDT

            Just remove all the cameras from behind the mirrors and I'll be happy.

              Reply#8 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:13 PM EDT

              If I could afford a hotel room I sure wouldn't have anything left to put in a safe. Maybe some smoke.

              • 1 vote
              Reply#9 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:36 PM EDT

              and the good thing is this: 1) the electronic device that security had can not be purchased anywhere at any price so don't even bother asking, and 2) everybody in security that does have access to a device like this, especially in the entertainment and trade service industry, has had hunders of thousands of dollars spent on them vetting their backgrounds, checking for convicitons, etc., so we can be absolutely positively 110% assured that if security has the device nobody could possibly get their hands on it nor would anybody in security ever lose or let alone else get hold of one of these electronic marvels as well!

              aaaaaaaaaaaa, there...I feel better now.

                Reply#10 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 6:50 PM EDT

                Want to buy some magic beans?

                  #10.1 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:04 PM EDT
                  Reply

                  or you can actually spy on people over at www.insideroom334.com

                    Reply#11 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:00 PM EDT

                    Got your password, thanks all!

                      Reply#12 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:01 PM EDT

                      i'm with you mary! the price they charge to sleep in a bed is a crime! it's hard to find a desent hotel that is less than $100.00 bucks....... just like the airlines! wasn't charged for extra baggage in new orleans going to buffalo, but coming home they charged me a extra 100, for the same bag. not one thing extra was added to my bag! as i was paying, i noticed a bin with black bags.... no doubt the bags of people who couldn't pay.... all the way back home it came to me, i should have gone to the gift shop, bought another bag, split it up and saved about half and would have something to show for it, a new piece of luggage. oh, there was also a notice that my luggage was checked, and was left in a mess. .....

                        Reply#13 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:14 PM EDT

                        If you smear something that feels repulsive on the handle, hair gel, cheese from room service, etc., you can have a good laugh when you see the red faced culprit in the hall.

                          Reply#14 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:53 PM EDT

                          I keep all my valuables in my shorts.

                            Reply#15 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:59 PM EDT

                            Obama took all my valuebles. I had to "share my wealth" with his people. Now I have no use for a safe.

                            • 1 vote
                            Reply#16 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:08 PM EDT

                            UH, OH... a whiner broke in !

                              #16.1 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:20 PM EDT
                              Reply

                              what a dumb title for the article.. i did not understand it at first.. but i guess it made me read the article.. geesh.

                                Reply#17 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 8:41 PM EDT

                                Actually, it's even worse... a commonly available screwdriver-like tool opens virtually all of the hotel safes in about 2 minutes.

                                  Reply#18 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 10:00 PM EDT

                                  ok, i'll call you out. where is your video for this?

                                    #18.1 - Mon Sep 12, 2011 11:45 PM EDT

                                    I agree, about the only thing your going to open up with a screwdriver in that situation is your hand.

                                    Those round circles around the door perimeter are rods, rods that slide into the sides when locked. It would be easier to steal the whole thing, and then spend the next hour with a grinder trying to open it.

                                      #18.2 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 1:54 AM EDT
                                      Reply

                                      Thanks for sharing such a informative post regarding the Hotels, I was searching the same, now it will helps me a lot.

                                      Ref : <a href="">Pune Hotels</a>

                                      thanks !

                                        Reply#20 - Tue Sep 13, 2011 8:17 AM EDT

                                        What kind of hotel rooms are these people staying in? I've never seen a safe in a room before.

                                        But I suppose I prefer the more humble, family owned hotels when I'm traveling...helps my conscience.

                                          Reply#21 - Wed Sep 14, 2011 2:33 PM EDT

                                          Got to believe that most hotels safes must have a default password that many of the hotel staff have access to the code in case the hotel room is checked out with the safe locked. Should be common sense.

                                            Reply#22 - Thu Sep 15, 2011 12:59 PM EDT

                                            You can put your own lock on the outside of your hotel safe with a new type of lock called a Milockie. You can see a video of it on YouTube to see how it works - It can also be found on the website Corporate Travel Safety

                                              Reply#23 - Sat Sep 17, 2011 11:50 AM EDT
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