YEGG
(yeg)
A
thief, especially a burglar or safecracker.
Common
clues: Safecracker;
Slangy safecracker; Vault cracker; Skilled felon; Burglar;
Peterman; Cracksman; Safe robber, slangily; Safe-cracking crook
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puzzle frequency:
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Safe-cracking
is the process of opening a safe, generally without the
authorization or knowledge of the safe's owner. It may also refer
to a computer hacker's attempts to break into a secured computer
system.
Different
procedures may be used to crack a safe, depending on its
construction.
The
most surreptitious way of cracking a safe is to manipulate the
lock in order to obtain the combination required to open the safe
without actually damaging the safe.
A
safe may be compromised surprisingly often by guessing the
combination. This results from the fact that manufactured safes
often come with a manufacturer-set combination. This combination
is designed to allow the owner initial access to the safe so that
they may set their own new combination. Often the new owner will
not change the initial combination, so a knowledge of the
manufacturer's set combinations may enable access to a safe.
Most
safes are susceptible to compromise by drilling or other physical
methods. Manufacturers publish drill-point diagrams for specific
models of safe. These are tightly guarded by both the
manufacturers and locksmithing professionals. Drilling is usually
aimed at gaining access to the safe by observation or bypass of
the locking mechanism. Drilling is the most common method used by
locksmiths, and is the only method that can be used in cases of
burglary attempts, malfunctioning locks or damaged locks.
Other
methods of cracking a safe generally involve damaging the safe so
that it is no longer functional. These methods may involve
explosives or other devices to inflict severe force and damage
the safe so it may be opened. This method requires care as the
contents of the safe may be damaged. Safe-crackers can use what
are known as jam shots to blow off the safe's doors.
This
article is licensed under the GNU
Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia
article "Safe-cracking".
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