In our Red Team Alliance training classes, we often mention to aspiring physical security consultants that so called "tamper resistant fasteners" are frequently encountered in the field... and everyone involved quickly understands that these are employed mostly to prevent curious teens or idle vandals from opening access panels or disassembling bathroom fixtures. Tamper resistant fasteners are unlikely to thwart access by trained or determined professionals seeking to access, say, the wiring behind a credential reader or remove a padlock hasp from a surface where it's been installed.
However, we have identified a problem. Well, at least, a mild annoyance... virtually all of the "tamper style" tool sets sold today feature an oddball mix of bit patterns. While some, such as Security Torx or Spanner style, are useful -- almost all of the widely-available security bit sets on the market also have a wide assortment of bizarre bit formats that are seldom-encountered, especially in North America and Europe. Also, such sets usually fail to include very common non-tamper bits such as Phillips or Straight Slot, forcing field team members to separately tote around an additional carrying case with conventional bits, as well.
For this reason, we at Red Team Tools set out to assemble the most "ideal" assortment of bits for a field consultant. The Best Tamper Bit Set includes the following...
- Phillips - sizes: PH0, PH1, PH2
- Straight Slot - sizes: 4mm, 6mm
- Square Drive - sizes: S1, S2
- Spanner Bits - sizes: 4, 6, 8, 10
- Security Torx - sizes: T8, T10, T15, T20, T25, T27, T30, T35, T40
- Security Hex SAE - sizes: 5/64", 3/32", 7/64", 1/8", 9/64", 5/32"
- Security Hex Metric - sizes: 2mm, 2.5mm, 3mm, 4mm, 5mm, 6mm
Our set does not contain single-purpose bits which are specifically for more obscure formats like the following ones...
- ECX (electrical fasteners, fully compatible with Robertson/Square drive, also semi-compatible with Phillips and Straight Slot)
- Phillips II ACR (fasteners are compatible with standard Phillips)
- Pozidriv & Supadriv (fasteners are compatible with standard Phillips)
- Freearson (fasteners are compatible with standard Phillips)
- XZN a.k.a. Triple Square (most fasteners are compatible with either Robertson/Square bits or Hex bits)
- TTap (fasteners are fully compatible with Torx bits)
- MorTorq (utterly bizarre, but sometimes operable with PH2 bit or some Straight Slot bits)
- Grabber LOX (rare, often semi-compatible with Robertson/Square bits)
- TorqSet (super rare in North America, can sometimes be operated with Spanner bits)
- Tri-Point (super rare in North America)
- Tri-Wing (super rare in North America)
- Pentalobe (rare everywhere, outside of specialized consumer electronic device repair)
- Paralobe a.k.a. TorxIPR (really?? now you're just reaching. how have you even heard of this one?)
- Polydrive a.k.a. Ribe (this last format is so obscure that, be honest, you're not even sure if it's real or if we made it up)
The bits in this set are all 1/4" hex shaft micro-bit format in 2.5cm overall length. They are made of Chromium-vanadium hardened tool steel which can protect against some abrasion, oxidation, and corrosion... but we do suggest that you not store these bits in excessively damp conditions as they aren't stainless and may eventually show surface rust.
Why not use stainless steel? These bits are made of tool steel so as to be compatible with the included quick-connect magnetic bit holder, so that they can be easily employed in a variety of screwdrivers and ergonomic handles. (Some field team members opt to store one of our AVX 9176 punchdown bits in the blank space on the other half of the blue storage box -- opposite the magnetic bit holder -- so that the have it available to use when installing ESPkey interception devices.)
NOTE: These bits are not recommended for use with an impact driver. Of course, if you are a field agent doing covert entry, then chances are low that this will be an issue... as you likely rely on hand tools or pocket-sized electric driver tools for purposes of avoiding detection by facility employees or security guards.
We at Red Team Tools recognize that it is effectively impossible to build out a security bit set that is 100% comprehensive and perfect for every single circumstance imaginable, but we believe that this specific bit set is more capable than almost any other offering on the market, especially in such a small package. We hope that you will find it useful, too!
