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BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

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Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#241

Post by toomanybeersies »

chipsa wrote: post #196
DarylZero wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What kind of equipment does one use to do this?

It's a specialized tool, but basically the plug get pulled out slightly (which isn't enough to disconnect power in the US), and then the tool goes over the line and neutral pins, which supplies power from what is basically an UPS. After that, the entire plug can be pulled and capped (because you've got 120V across the exposed end of a plug now). Probably wouldn't work the same in Euro countries which have other plug…

Even easier: just pull the wall plate out, then hook up the UPS behind it with couple of tap splices.

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#242

Post by maltfield »

Symbiote wrote: post #240
maltfield wrote: post #211

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Hi martin_a, I'm Michael Altfield. I started the BusKill project in January 2020 with the following article on my blog: * https://tech.michaelaltfield.net/2020/01/02/buskill-laptop-k... The above article front-paged on Hacker News, and I got a lot of people asking me how they could buy one and use it in on Windows and MacOS. Over the past year, many people have contributed in porting it to those platforms (I original…

I'm not familiar with the German rules, but GDPR Art. 14 §1 says: > Where personal data relating to a data subject are collected from the data subject, the controller shall, at the time when personal data are obtained, provide the data subject with all of the following information: > (a) the identity and the contact details of the controller and, where applicable, of the controller’s representative; Usually, these co…

All orders are handled by CrowdSupply (via Mouser). They handle shipping, VAT, import taxes, etc.

It certainly added cost to the final product, but I figured it was more fair & transparent to everyone to set shipping to $0 internationally (I hate it when you finally make it to payment and only then learn shipping is $20 :/).

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#243

Post by dane-pgp »

geoduck14 wrote: post #191
stickfigure wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, that sounds a little too "CSI". If the lanyard is attached to a wrist, the chance that someone could be suddenly incapacitated in such a way to avoid a jerky movement that breaks the connection is pretty small. "Knock them unconscious" is a TV trope.

What about "pin his hands to the table" while the nerds exfiltrate the data?

Maybe there needs to be an accompanying/alternative device which can be worn in a shoe and detects toe movements. It would probably have to be wireless, which would introduce false positives or false negatives, (and part of it may need to be attached to the user's ankle, due to size constraints), but it would at least defend against an attacker who could physically restrain the user.

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#244

Post by somehnguy »

ASalazarMX wrote: post #224
gambiting wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, like the other reply pointed out too - it's not obvious. The first password unlocks the entire partition, the hidden one is just within the "empty" area of the drive. If you write a sufficiently large file while running the OS you could just overwrite and destroy the hidden partition without knowing that you did so. It's also impossible to tell that the hidden parition is there because encrypted data is indisting…

Since Truecrypt bailed without explanation, do you know if Veracrypt also has this feature?

It does. Veracrypt is basically Truecrypt with some new features as far as I've been able to tell.

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#245

Post by myself248 »

XorNot wrote: post #58
shultays wrote: post #56

BusKill can trigger your laptop to lock, shutdown, or self-destruct if it's physically separated from you. I understand lock and shutdown but self-destruct? Really? Your laptop/data is one bump away from destroying itself?

Reminds me of a coworker who had their iPhone set to "wipe after 10 bad pins". Took about 2 days before their 5 year old happily typed the wrong pin 10 times and wiped it.

Blackberry required you to enter the word "Blackberry" after the fifth try, which would at least prevent butt-dialing from wiping the device. Some kids might figure that out too, but at that point I suppose you had the choice to use a condom and decided not to...

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#246

Post by matheusmoreira »

tjader wrote: post #183
DarylZero wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An OS doesn't even need to implement USB support. Of course it can offer access controls to enable the USB devices.

Of course not, but then you're saying USB is a security flaw. My point is that given how universal USB as long as a device can do both input and output it's going to be very hard to stop some exfiltration from being possible. Do you really think a bug report should be filed on all OS's for allowing USB drives and keyboards to be plugged on a running system?

> you're saying USB is a security flaw

It is.

> Do you really think a bug report should be filed on all OS's for allowing USB drives and keyboards to be plugged on a running system?

Automatically trusting input devices is as bad as trusting user input. It's trivial to pass off a programmable USB keyboard as a mass storage device.

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#247

Post by dane-pgp »

tata71 wrote: post #178
SamBam wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree. I this this sounds a little too much like a TV show like 24. The idea that you could completely immobilize someone at a public library so rapidly and without their awareness that they could not even move their arm 20 cm or so during a struggle seems ludicrous to me. Particularly as the kind of person who would buy this device would be setting themselves up with their back to the wall to prevent captures f…

> The idea that you could completely immobilize someone at a public library so rapidly and without their awareness that they could not even move their arm 20 cm or so during a struggle seems ludicrous to me. Well, they did — and without even touching him.

They didn't "completely immobilize" him, though, as apparently "Ulbricht stood up sharply"[0] after his laptop was seized. However, he did make the mistake of not sitting with his back to a wall, since the agents "walked up behind" him. I guess we'll never know how he would have reacted if they had instead walked up in front of him and tried to grab his arms.

[0] https://www.businessinsider.com/ross-ulbricht-will-be-senten...

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#248

Post by DarylZero »

tjader wrote: post #183
DarylZero wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

An OS doesn't even need to implement USB support. Of course it can offer access controls to enable the USB devices.

Of course not, but then you're saying USB is a security flaw. My point is that given how universal USB as long as a device can do both input and output it's going to be very hard to stop some exfiltration from being possible. Do you really think a bug report should be filed on all OS's for allowing USB drives and keyboards to be plugged on a running system?

I was saying that the existence of the non-implementation of USB proves the possibility of access controls on USB.

Convoluted way to put it I guess. For some reason was intuitive to me (proof of existence by example, more trivial example better).

Having access controls on USB-HID is just a local policy choice where most people would choose convenience over security.

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#249

Post by Melkman »

mnsc wrote: post #44

Am I the only one to think that if someone is close enough to physically yank your computer out of your hands they are also physically close enough to beat you with a wrench if you lock the computer containing what they are after? https://xkcd.com/538/

That's what the self destruct is for. If you are yanked from your laptop or vice versa the laptop will crypto shred its disk and wipe RAM. Your attackers can hit you till you die but you will not be able to reverse it.

Re: BusKill – A USB kill cord for laptops

#250

Post by vkou »

MayeulC wrote: post #124
Jerrrry wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Instead of a personal key combo, a dongle with an OTP code. Both the dongle and the computer have accelerometer-bump-tilt-oh-fuck-support. A OTP has to be entered every 5 minutes, or a secure screen/dead sequence starts. Sudden accelerated movements or a lack of presence-detection would also start the sequence.

I once wrote a script to automatically lock my computer if I got too far away from it, back when I was wearing a bluetooth wristband. I guess you could do the same, but shut down the computer instead.

If the feds are pinching you for computer crime in a public space, this is exactly why they'd handcuff you, but keep you within ~10 feet of your laptop.
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