Home burglary techniques 2026 and how to protect yourself

Quick answer: most home burglaries come in through the cylinder of the door, often with techniques that break nothing (bumping, picking, impressioning or loiding). The best defence is a high-security anti-bump cylinder with an armoured escutcheon and an extra deadbolt, and checking your cylinder if it is old or basic.

Not all burglaries are the same, nor are they prevented the same way. Below are the most used techniques today, explained broadly —without giving any tips— with the specific measure that stops each one.

1. Bumping (impact opening)

One of the quietest techniques: with a special key and a sharp tap the cylinder pins jump and the door opens leaving almost no marks. It mainly affects basic cylinders. We cover it in detail in what lock bumping is and how to protect your home. Stopped by: an anti-bump cylinder.

2. Picking

The "classic" technique: manipulating the pins one by one with picks until they line up. A simple cylinder falls quickly; a high-security one, with special pins and anti-manipulation systems, makes it practically unviable. Stopped by: a high-security anti-pick cylinder.

3. Impressioning (a key prepared with an aluminium foil)

The burglar inserts into the lock a key prepared with a thin aluminium foil that, on turning and pressing, moulds to the cylinder pins and opens it. It is not a machine that makes a key: it is a "trap" key with a soft foil, and it barely leaves marks. More detail in the impressioning lock attack. Stopped by: a high-security cylinder with anti-manipulation protection.

4. Loiding (slipping the latch)

On doors left on the latch only (without turning the key), a thin card or shim can be slipped between door and frame to push the latch and open. Stopped by: always locking with the key and a multi-point lock.

5. Extraction or cylinder snapping

If the cylinder sticks out of the door, it can be gripped and pulled out with a tool. Stopped by: an armoured escutcheon that covers and protects the cylinder.

6. Drilling

Attacking the cylinder mechanism directly with a drill. High-security cylinders have hardened steel anti-drill inserts that stop it. Stopped by: an anti-drill cylinder + escutcheon.

7. Brute force and prying

The noisiest and most visible: prying the door or frame. Uncommon in flats because of the noise, but possible in isolated homes. Stopped by: a multi-point lock and a well-fitted door.

The favourite target: the empty home

Second homes and flats that sit empty for months on the Costa del Sol are the favourite target, because nobody is watching. If that is your case, reinforce the door and simulate presence: we explain it in how to reinforce your door against squatters and with an alarm without monthly fees that alerts your phone.

The silent burglary and your insurance

Here is the biggest problem with clean techniques: because they leave no signs of forced entry, some insurers refuse to pay. It is so important that we have dedicated a whole guide to it: does home insurance cover a burglary without signs of forced entry?. In short: a high-security cylinder not only makes the burglary harder, but if they do force it, it leaves the marks your insurer needs.

How to protect yourself: the checklist

• High-security anti-bump cylinder with an ownership card. Check whether you have a vulnerable cylinder such as the Ezcurra DS-15 and compare options in our cylinder comparison.
• Armoured escutcheon to protect the cylinder from drilling and extraction.
• Extra security deadbolt as a second, independent locking point.
• Multi-point lock if yours is old or single-point.
• Always lock with a full turn of the key, not just the latch.
• Alarm with alerts for homes that sit empty for periods.

Locksmiths and security experts in Mijas

At S1 Cerrajeros we check your door and tell you exactly what it needs —and what it doesn't— to protect you from these techniques, without overselling. We are APFC-certified locksmiths and forensic experts, with a price fixed over the phone. Contact us or call 663 225 104.