Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security? • Hacker News Board

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#11

Post by fnordfnordfnord » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:17 PM UTC

fnordfnordfnord wrote: post #9

Hi, do you have any movement or dexterity in your fingers at all? If so, please offer details of this or any other control you have that might be exploited. I have a colleague who once-upon-a-time built a system of low-force buttons and other goodies that enabled a quadriplegic person to work a telephone very effectively, as in they were subsequently employed to do some kind of work over the telephone. Would somethin…

PS re: "I want my personal information secure from casual passers-by who after having a quick peck on the keyboard would more than likely give up; I'm not looking for PRISM dodging security here :-)"

How about an RFID tag fixed to your wheelchair, and a transceiver for it mounted on your computer desk?

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#12

Post by lifeisstillgood » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:17 PM UTC

nawitus wrote: post #3

If you're not using whole disk encryption (or even partial encryption), then it doesn't really matter if you use a login password or not. The attacker can just clone the hard drive to gain access to your files.

The threat model was casual passers-by. That may not seem much but severe disabilities change things a lot.

I am assuming that the OP is simply taking steps to mitigate an ever present fear of "being taken advantage of". There are some real arseholes out there, for example a friend of a friend was a blind dumb mute who was mugged in the street - nothing stolen except her cane and cards she used to communicate. She had no way to communicate with anyone, and they had no way to communicate with her.

She had to walk home...

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#13

Post by deodar » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:18 PM UTC

You can set LastPass to prompt for the password every time you need to login to a password[1]. This presumably disables password caching in the plugin. Would that solve the your first problem?

[1] https://helpdesk.lastpass.com/account-settings/security/

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#14

Post by nicholassmith » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:19 PM UTC

samwillis wrote: post #4

Hi! I'm on the train with bad internet right now and so can't go looking but have you considered face recognition software using the laptops camera? There must be an app that takes a look at the webcam when a password challenge is presented. Anyone know of anything? Edit: Found one! https://www.keylemon.com/download-other-versions/

From what I've read a lot of them can be spoofed with either a printed picture, or a video playing back.

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#15

Post by DanBC » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:19 PM UTC

Yubikey would work if you could mount it so that you can touch the touch-pad with your nose. I don't know if that's acceptable to you?

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#16

Post by giberson » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:20 PM UTC

Forgive the off the cuff suggestion here, it's the quickest and simplest thing I can think of though not an optimum way to use your laptop and you're probably hoping for a more elegant solution.

What if you install virtual box w/ some free OS (like ubuntu). Store all your personal information within the virtual machine which is configured with a secure login. Then you can leave the laptop unsecured so you can use your other apps to dictate the password to the ubuntu OS for login.

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#17

Post by Torn » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:20 PM UTC

ig1 wrote: post #7

Maybe some kind of NFC device that you could wear so that the computer would lock/unlock when you were near it ?

That could be stolen though.

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#18

Post by nanofortnight » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:20 PM UTC

ig1 wrote: post #7

Maybe some kind of NFC device that you could wear so that the computer would lock/unlock when you were near it ?

NFC would be excellent, but if Bluetooth-enabled phone is all you have: http://lifehacker.com/how-to-make-your-smartphone-automatica...

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#19

Post by tehwebguy » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:21 PM UTC

ig1 wrote: post #7

Maybe some kind of NFC device that you could wear so that the computer would lock/unlock when you were near it ?

If access to another device is just as problematic then a 13.56mhz MIFARE RFID sticker could do the trick with a Sonmicro USB RIFD reader.

The interface could just be a python script reading for serial over USB. I built some Raspberry Pi based RFID terminals that ran a python script in a loop, no problems running them for days on end.

That's the extent to which I know, someone else would have to chime in on exactly how to interface the script with access control.

Re: Ask HN: I'm quadriplegic – can you help me with my security?

#20

Post by mef » Tue, Jul 16, 2013, 5:22 PM UTC

samwillis wrote: post #4

Hi! I'm on the train with bad internet right now and so can't go looking but have you considered face recognition software using the laptops camera? There must be an app that takes a look at the webcam when a password challenge is presented. Anyone know of anything? Edit: Found one! https://www.keylemon.com/download-other-versions/

Couldn't someone hold up a picture of the OP's face to the camera to bypass this?