Notice Board
McNallyOfficial Sued by Proven Industries For Lock Bypass Video!
Proven Industries vs. McNallyOfficial: When a $ 130 Hitch Lock Gets Popped by a Soda Can
» TREVOR MCNALLY, BETTER KNOWN online as McNallyOfficial, is a former U. S. Marine Staff Sergeant and a phenomenon in the lock picking world. With 3.65 million subscribers, his YouTube Shorts channel is a rapid-fire showcase of locks getting virtually silently, cleanly, and devastatingly defeated. Not much talking unless it’ s required. No gimmicks. Just skill, focus, and often homemade lock picking or bypass tools. His work consistently attracts millions of views, and his comment sections are filled with support from fans and fellow lock picking enthusiasts. only goes after“ cheap locks,” they weren’ t just trying to protect their reputation, they were lighting a fuse. And the Streisand Effect is doing its thing!
The Soda-Can Shim and a Silent Smirk
McNally’ s response came quickly. In a single, unedited YouTube Short, he demonstrated a bypass of the Proven hitch lock using a shim cut from a soda can. The camera rolled without a break. He shaped the tool, slid it between the core and the housing, and pressed it against the internal spring-loaded wedge; the lock slid open with barely any resistance. And then he did it to several more units of the same lock, taking a few seconds on each one.
^ There’ s the lock mechanism in question, in this photo from Proven Industries website. It’ s used in a couple of their products. Something’ s certainly been proven, that’ s for sure.
So when Proven Industries, a lock manufacturer selling a $ 130 trailer hitch lock, suggested on Instagram that McNally
‘ The message is simple: this isn’ t about elite skill; it’ s about a fundamental design failure that anyone can accomplish with a bit of practice and a soda can.’
^ One of the locks in question. It is a nice colour, though.
A Fatal Flaw in the Lock’ s Design
The issue lies in the internal mechanism. The lock uses a triangular, spring-loaded plunger to hold the device closed. It’ s designed to be easy to click shut, but that same convenience makes it vulnerable. A thin shim, even one made from a soda can, can reach in, press the plunger, and release the core entirely- opening the lock.
^ McNallyOfficial doing his thing on a Proven Industries lock.
The Lawsuit
Proven Industries’ next move wasn’ t a redesign. It wasn’ t transparency. It was litigation.
They sued McNallyOfficial for:
• Copyright infringement, claiming he used a portion of their promotional video,
• Defamation and trade libel, arguing his videos falsely implied their products were insecure,
• And they filed for an emergency injunction, demanding McNally take down all related content and stop posting new videos about their locks.
8
JULY 2025
locksmithjournal. co. uk Issue Takeover