3 ms·

> They get wiped, X-rayed, disassembled and checked, including any accessory (chargers, mice, etc.). Given how sophisticated these attacks can be, I'd think th

> They get wiped, X-rayed, disassembled and checked, including any accessory (chargers, mice, etc.). Given how sophisticated these attacks can be, I'd think they'd issue disposable equipment to be destroyed on return, like a cheap netbook or something. I don't see how you could trust an individual viewing a simple X-ray scan to detect some extra microchip the size of a signal conditioning coupler.

close04 8y ago
Procedures change, as attacks get more sophisticated the next step could be disposable devices. But an attack like the one described in this article won't be mitigated by having a disposable device. On the other hand having your laptop "hijacked" while on a business trip will most likely involve some extra PCB or components that are a little more obvious that something that's "built in". Then again many companies or public institutions would find it hard to justify shredding each week maybe tens of laptops and phones that still have to be good enough to work on. Basically they still have to be a "standard issue" device with your company's software stack, config, etc. I'm sure someone can find a good compromise between security and wastefulness.
- astrange 8y ago
  Does the security team have any motivation to reduce waste? Unless you're finding hacks in your devices already I see no reason to think they aren't just making you jump through hoops because it's funny.
  - close04 8y ago
    Of course not. But remember that someone else is holding their purse strings so they might care about that.
- a1369209993 8y ago
  The obvious solution would be to earmark some number of dedicated "china laptops" that will never be trusted with anything important, and get reused everytime someone has to visit China. If they get backdoored... who cares? They can only spy on things that were getting spyed on anyway due to being in China.
__d 8y ago
The post-trip inspection is not so that the device can be reused, it's so you can (try to) find out if it was compromised. A $3000 laptop is not a significant cost compared to the airfare, hotel bills, etc. But it's useful to know when/if you're being targeted.

close04 8y ago

Procedures change, as attacks get more sophisticated the next step could be disposable devices. But an attack like the one described in this article won't be mitigated by having a disposable device. On the other hand having your laptop "hijacked" while on a business trip will most likely involve some extra PCB or components that are a little more obvious that something that's "built in". Then again many companies or public institutions would find it hard to justify shredding each week maybe tens of laptops and phones that still have to be good enough to work on. Basically they still have to be a "standard issue" device with your company's software stack, config, etc. I'm sure someone can find a good compromise between security and wastefulness.

astrange 8y ago
Does the security team have any motivation to reduce waste? Unless you're finding hacks in your devices already I see no reason to think they aren't just making you jump through hoops because it's funny.
- close04 8y ago
  Of course not. But remember that someone else is holding their purse strings so they might care about that.
a1369209993 8y ago
The obvious solution would be to earmark some number of dedicated "china laptops" that will never be trusted with anything important, and get reused everytime someone has to visit China. If they get backdoored... who cares? They can only spy on things that were getting spyed on anyway due to being in China.

__d 8y ago

The post-trip inspection is not so that the device can be reused, it's so you can (try to) find out if it was compromised. A $3000 laptop is not a significant cost compared to the airfare, hotel bills, etc. But it's useful to know when/if you're being targeted.