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BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

tech.michaelaltfield.net

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Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#41

Post by tyingq »

rahuldottech wrote: post #38
tyingq wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm surprised there isn't a "ready to go" solution with a duress passphrase that boots a plausible, but "clean" system.

Not really ready-to-go, but can be set up in entirety in like half an hour with VeraCrypt

Well, you would probably want some stealth that doesn't provide that makes it less obvious. Like maybe the duress passphrase decrypts everything except a docker container you use for sensitive work, replacing it with a vanilla docker image.

Edit: Ahh, read up a but. I wasn't aware "veracrypt hidden volumes" are already pretty stealthy. Would probably require some work to make it plausible though...like recent faked web browsing history.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#42

Post by koheripbal »

jefftk wrote: post #32
dangus wrote: post #29

This is a really neat project but it’s also not really a solution to anything. First, it doesn’t solve for the scenario of person pointing a gun at you and telling you to access your top secret files for them. That will defeat most forms of security and so if physical access is a concern you probably shouldn’t be logging in at your local coffee shop. Second, a thief who wants your computer for its monetary value isn’…

> it’s also not really a solution to anything It's a solution to situations like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Ulbricht#Silk_Road,_arres... , where the laptop is taken by people who (a) can legally seize it, (b) can legally search it, but (c) probably can't legally compel you to produce passwords. (Not endorsing this usage!)

Cases like this in countries that do not have due process laws makes the use-case even more compelling.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#43

Post by oefrha »

arm wrote: post #18
brianbreslin wrote: post #8

Can someone explain to me in laymen's terms what this does? It renders the motherboard inoperable? Kills the display? How do you recover from this if you ACCIDENTALLY unplug it?

It can do whatever you want it to do. The examples in the article were: • whenever any USB drive is removed, trigger xscreensaver to lock the screen: > ACTION=="remove", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", RUN+="DISPLAY=:0 xscreensaver-command -lock" • whenever a specific USB drive is removed, shut down the computer: > ACTION=="remove", SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ENV{ID_MODEL}=="Micromax_A74", RUN+="shutdown -h now"

Nitpick, it can do whatever you want it to do that’s possible in software. You’ll be disappointed if you want to have it drill a hole in your hard drive ;)

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#44

Post by sysbin »

nkrisc wrote: post #26
sysbin wrote: post #7

Maybe a smartwatch reading the heart rate of the owner and noticing stimulation could trigger the same functionality as well.

Sure, but is that really useful? Just better not read something exciting or notice an attractive person while working.

The heart rate of your examples are somewhat different compared to an active threat for most people I assume from being in a situation when a crime is taking place. Although, I would be curious to view trials of each situation showing the heart rate measurement with the statistical average result.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#45

Post by masukomi »

thechao wrote: post #5
nkrisc wrote: post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ross Ulbricht, who was apprehended at a public library while logged in to various accounts. As I recall a plain clothes agent distracted him while others then tackled him. ("would've", not "would of")

Other English speakers I know complain about our orthography: bought, caught, draught, etc. But, yet, here we are with a “word” pronounced “of” and spelled “‘ve”! Now that’s awful orthography!

others have covered the correct full form, but to the issue of the pronunciation, it's not pronounced "would of" it's MISpronounced "would of". You can make any weird confusing pronunciation you want out of anything if you're willing to say it "wrong". The correct pronunciation of the contraction, as another hinted at is basically "would have" without the h and the a becoming an sound "uh" instead of an "ah" sound.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#47

Post by [deleted] »

jefftk wrote: post #32
dangus wrote: post #29

This is a really neat project but it’s also not really a solution to anything. First, it doesn’t solve for the scenario of person pointing a gun at you and telling you to access your top secret files for them. That will defeat most forms of security and so if physical access is a concern you probably shouldn’t be logging in at your local coffee shop. Second, a thief who wants your computer for its monetary value isn’…

> it’s also not really a solution to anything It's a solution to situations like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Ulbricht#Silk_Road,_arres... , where the laptop is taken by people who (a) can legally seize it, (b) can legally search it, but (c) probably can't legally compel you to produce passwords. (Not endorsing this usage!)

[deleted]

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#48

Post by dangus »

koheripbal wrote: post #42
jefftk wrote: post #32

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it’s also not really a solution to anything It's a solution to situations like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ross_Ulbricht#Silk_Road,_arres... , where the laptop is taken by people who (a) can legally seize it, (b) can legally search it, but (c) probably can't legally compel you to produce passwords. (Not endorsing this usage!)

Cases like this in countries that do not have due process laws makes the use-case even more compelling.

If they don’t have due process laws they can throw you in jail until you produce the decryption password, and if they turn on the computer and it’s wiped they’ll throw away the key.

If there is no due process, all bets are off and your best defense is to be uninteresting to authorities.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#49

Post by 0kl »

> You could just have a usb thumb drive on a retractable lanyard (think RFID badges or DoD Common Access Cards), but what if that thin retractable cord just snaps–leaving the USB drive snugly in-place in the laptop?

You could also just use a thicker cord.

The project, no offense to the author, could be renamed: long USB cable with a magnetic usb attachment.

> As of yesterday, that’s [stolen laptop] a hard attack to defend against.

Which is just wrong; the author did not invent anything here - anyone I’ve known that’s ever been worried about this scenario has implemented it already with .

* extra PSA: if you’re worried about this but somehow haven’t already required 2FA for all your accounts and admin access on your laptop, then you should re-evaluate your threat scenarios.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#50

Post by nkrisc »

sysbin wrote: post #44
nkrisc wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure, but is that really useful? Just better not read something exciting or notice an attractive person while working.

The heart rate of your examples are somewhat different compared to an active threat for most people I assume from being in a situation when a crime is taking place. Although, I would be curious to view trials of each situation showing the heart rate measurement with the statistical average result.

Many other potential variables as well. When experiencing this event, how long does it take your heart rate to reach a point it can be identified as worthy of triggering the switch? Is the laptop still in range of your smart watch at that point? Then there's the reliability of the wireless connection and the watches ability to accurately read your heart rate (make sure it's seated correctly).

If this is a situation you're actually concerned about, the approach in the article seems simpler and more foolproof.

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