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BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

tech.michaelaltfield.net

151–160 of 272 posts

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#151

If you're using a macbook, isn't "Find my mac" enough to erase remotely?, I understand this is a faster disabling mechanism but also a bit inconvenient. I wish there was something even easier, like a tiny usb drive with a remote control

With FindMy I can erase or mark as lost my Macbook in under 20 seconds from unlocking my iPhone if needed.

Assuming the laptop is still online / comes back online to receive the wipe command...

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#152
post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It was logged in and running when they snatched it. Hence why a breakaway mag connector and dead-man shutdown script might have been helpful.

In this case that may not have been useful, assuming law enforcement knows about the cord. Law enforcement will plug in a mouse jiggler (simulated moving USB mouse), having the script detect rogue USB devices and shutting down at that moment would add another layer of protection. I saw that solution a few years back... Maybe this works doubly well for devices with USB and USB-c power connections now... Since law enfo…

How would they know about the cord? Or something more stealthy, like Bluetooth?

I don't think a mouse jiggler would help. A dead-man script would force a fast, ungraceful OS halt. Maybe after emptying some caches and wiping memory.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#154

Couldn't you just pair your computer with your phone (or something that you keep on you) via blue tooth, detect the loss of signal, and then trigger whatever action you'd like to trigger?

Phone too deep in your pocket means destruction of your computer? No, thanks.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#155
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose if the drive is encrypted and requires a passphrase at boot, it's effective for FBI raids, etc.

Whenever I read stuff like this I am forced to wonder just what the fuck people are doing that they feel such a pressing need to hide their data from law enforcement. I mean, I have plenty of things to hide just like any other reasonably interesting person, but none of it is outright criminal.

This would be useful outside of "hiding from law enforcement". Plenty of people have jobs where the compromise of their laptop could cause significant damage to their employer or their customers. Many people ready this thread should be taking these precautions.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#156
post #7

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

Do any phones have a tether like this? Or use some other mechanism to guess that possession may have changed and autolock?

I'm doubtful one exists for android or iOS but I can imagine it wouldn't be that hard to implement with a smartwatch signalling to a phone (instead of a laptop). The only trouble a developer would have with implementing is if they have sufficient access to APIs that might be private and the ability to run a background service using the APIs at a sufficient interval.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#157
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suppose if the drive is encrypted and requires a passphrase at boot, it's effective for FBI raids, etc.

Whenever I read stuff like this I am forced to wonder just what the fuck people are doing that they feel such a pressing need to hide their data from law enforcement. I mean, I have plenty of things to hide just like any other reasonably interesting person, but none of it is outright criminal.

Journalism, perhaps? https://pressfreedomtracker.us/all-incidents/san-francisco-p...

Or politics (see Watergate), or being a public defender, or environmental activism, or... the list goes on.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#158
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")

According to the book "American Kingpin", they had worked their way into the administration staff for the Silk Road, and used the site admin IM chat to ensure that he was using his laptop and actually signed into his account before rushing him in the library.

That's pretty impressive.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not quite ready to go, but it's doable with TrueCrypt/VeraCrypt: https://www.veracrypt.fr/en/VeraCrypt%20Hidden%20Operating%2...

Why is it not ready to go? I used truecrypt hidden systemvolume years ago? I do not anymore, but did it decreased?

I took ready to go to mean "run a command and it spins up a plausible fake system". The tech of TrueCrypt/VeraCrypt, AFAICT, seems sound, but maintaining the contents of the fake system (so it's not an obvious decoy/placeholder) takes more work.

Re: BusKill: A kill cord for your laptop

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

With FindMy I can erase or mark as lost my Macbook in under 20 seconds from unlocking my iPhone if needed.

Assuming the laptop is still online / comes back online to receive the wipe command...

... and you are conscious and have your hands free :)
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