Forget jumping on the bed. The first thing you should do when you book a hotel room is check the locks . A small new tool is allowing thieves to break into locked hotel rooms at some of the most popular chains—and many hotels haven’t been notified their locks are at risk, according to a report from NBC news.

Although only a handful of burglaries have been tied specifically to the use of this device, the specific locks in question—produced by brand Onity—are on the doors of over 4 million rooms across the country, according to security expert Jim Stickley, co-founder of TraceSecurity Inc. and author of The Truth about Identity Theft. The lock-picking tool—often referred to on the Internet as the “Onity hack”—takes less than 20 minutes to build, costs less than $ 40, and everything you need can be found at your neighborhood electronics store, he says. Even though one part of the process requires coding a microchip, easy-to-follow online video tutorials provide simple step-by-step instructions for anyone looking to make they very own lock pick, he says. When the tool is inserted into the small port at the bottom of the locks in question, both the door handle and deadbolt are immediately unlocked, says Stickley.

How do you know an Onity lock when you see one? The brand name is most likely not on the outside of the lock, but may be mentioned on the inner panel of the door, where the deadbolt protrudes, says Stickely. Most of these locks also have digital key cards that are inserted into the lock vertically, not horizontally, he explains.

Since the publicity of this lock breach, Onity has offered assistance to 1 million rooms, but Stickley isn’t sure what that means or how exactly they plan to help. The group has sent small plastic caps that can be inserted inside the lock to prevent a thief from plugging in their device, but the caps can easily be removed with a screwdriver, he says. He thinks a better bet is changing the software. “Onity has a firmware upgrade that will prevent the code from working,” says Stickley. “But the problem is that hotels with these locks may not even know this is a risk because Onity hasn’t notified them.”

Of course not all hotel vandals are using this lock picker—rooms can be burglarized by many other means. To be safe, do some pre-vacation recon, says Stickley. “Call your hotel ahead of time to ask them if they have Onity locks and if have they solved the breach,” he says. “If they do, or they don’t know, don’t stay there. Any hotel that doesn’t have these locks will make it very clear that they are not a part of this breach” he says.

Locks aside, there are many other ways to protect yourself and your belongings when away from home. Keep these suggestions in mind the next time you book a trip:

Use the safe
Hotel room safes are definitely under-utilized, says Courtney Scott, a senior editor at Travelocity. “If you aren’t brining documents, cash, or traveler’s checks with you when you leave the room, they should always go in the safe,” she advises. If your room doesn’t offer a safe, ask the concierge if there is a secure place to store items at the front desk, or if you are staying in a hostel, ask if they have lockers available for rent.

BYO locks and door stops
Besides locking your actual suitcases, chaining or locking your luggage to a heavy, stationary item in the room makes it harder for thieves to run off with big-ticket items, says Scott. When you are in the room overnight, always lock the door with the chain lock. Scott also advises packing a small door stop in your luggage that you can to place under the door to prevent people from coming in.

Leave laptops at home
“If you can avoid it, don’t bring your laptop on your trip and use your smart phone or a small tablet to access the Internet instead,” Scott says. Bulky electronics are usually left in hotel rooms because they are to heavy to carry around during the day, but many won’t fit inside the safe either, which leaves them vulnerable. Only bring them along if you can keep them with you during the day.

Have multiple forms of ID
Scott advises scanning a copy of your passport and storing it in a separate bag or area of your belongings, especially when traveling internationally. Having a back up form of identification will help you book travel back home in case your regular ID is lost or stolen. You can also register with the US consulate in the country you are visiting—an especially important tip if you are traveling to a 3rd-world country, says Scott.

Watch the order of your security trays
Airports are notoriously chaotic and crowded, which makes them prime locations for lost or stolen items, says Scott. A simple trick for keeping your valuables close during the security screening? Place wallets, keys, phones, and jewelry in the last tray on the conveyer belt, she says. That way, if you get held up with a TSA officer for a spontaneous pat-down, your small stuff won’t be sitting out for grabs as long and is less likely to be mistaken for someone else’s belongings who is late for their flight.

Dress down
Thieves don’t only target hotel room as a source for loot—they target people, too. “One of the biggest safety threats when traveling is pick-pockets and stolen wallets,” says Scott. Tourists are easy targets for this type of thievery because they are usually preoccupied with reading maps or corralling family members and carrying extra belongings with them. Try blending into your surrounding as much as possible, Scott says, which means leaving your precious jewels and designer sunglasses at home.

Read the fine print
What about traveler’s insurance? Depending on your risks, it can definitely be worth it, says Scott. But it’s important to read through the coverage to know what exactly you are paying for. “As it pertains to stolen items, or delays and cancellations, you may not actually be covered,” she says. “You don’t want to invest all this money in a plan and then get robbed and have no recourse.”

Image: iStockphoto/Thinkstock

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