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How is your password safe from someone threatening you with a lead pipe?

by synu 4y ago

throwaway287391 4y ago
I suppose if you value your privacy over your well-being/existence you can perhaps resist giving up your password (not so with a fingerprint). Or maybe you could set up a "suicide pill" alternate password that wipes/bricks the machine when entered if you wanted to deprive your future self of the opportunity to relent as the torture escalates... (Edit: I guess the latter is also doable via fingerprint if a different finger is used as the suicide pill, seems a bit risky for normal use though!)
- gattilorenz 4y ago
  > you could set up a "suicide pill" alternate password By... rewriting or modding sudo AND the login screen of macOS? Doesn't seem like a realistic option.
  - throwaway287391 4y ago
    Yeah it was more theoretical speculation, probably not doable on Mac (and I don't see Apple adding this feature tbh). I wouldn't be surprised if someone's implemented something like that in Linux though.
  - Sebb767 4y ago
    It's actually quite simple and readily available with PAM duress [0] (at least on Linux, I'm not sure about PAM on Mac). It was also discussed here already [1]. Still, you should consider that doing so might not work in your favor, especially if the fact that you used a duress code becomes obvious. [0] https://github.com/nuvious/pam-duress https://github.com/nuvious/pam-duress [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28267975 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28267975
sebzim4500 4y ago
If you're in the US than the cops can't force you to give up your password but they can force you to unlock your phone with your finger. I think that's far more important.
- synu 4y ago
  What’s the connection with the lead pipe threat?
  - ggm 4y ago
    Like a password, fingerprints offer no high barrier to entry if you are under physical threat or control. The connection is that if you think your password is at risk to lead pipe attack, a touch entry won't fix it.
- prvit 4y ago
  Okay, but if the cops get to the sudo prompt they already have access to all of your data...
dividedbyzero 4y ago
One option is to protect the master password with a security LARP scheme that's so complex and unwieldy that no sane attacker will believe you when you tell the truth. Like, Shamir's secret sharing, but the fourth part can only be passed via a Ballet choreography. Also, the sixth Yubikey is biometric and will only work with a latex fake of the right pinky prepared by this exact recipe. The final part of the password is the statistical expected value of this slightly unfair die, obtained after 10 000 throws, to the third digit.

How is your password safe from someone threatening you with a lead pipe?

by synu 4y ago

How is your password safe from someone threatening you with a lead pipe?

I suppose if you value your privacy over your well-being/existence you can perhaps resist giving up your password (not so with a fingerprint). Or maybe you could set up a "suicide pill" alternate password that wipes/bricks the machine when entered if you wanted to deprive your future self of the opportunity to relent as the torture escalates... (Edit: I guess the latter is also doable via fingerprint if a different finger is used as the suicide pill, seems a bit risky for normal use though!)

gattilorenz 4y ago
> you could set up a "suicide pill" alternate password By... rewriting or modding sudo AND the login screen of macOS? Doesn't seem like a realistic option.
- throwaway287391 4y ago
  Yeah it was more theoretical speculation, probably not doable on Mac (and I don't see Apple adding this feature tbh). I wouldn't be surprised if someone's implemented something like that in Linux though.
- Sebb767 4y ago
  It's actually quite simple and readily available with PAM duress [0] (at least on Linux, I'm not sure about PAM on Mac). It was also discussed here already [1]. Still, you should consider that doing so might not work in your favor, especially if the fact that you used a duress code becomes obvious. [0] https://github.com/nuvious/pam-duress https://github.com/nuvious/pam-duress [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28267975 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28267975

sebzim4500 4y ago

If you're in the US than the cops can't force you to give up your password but they can force you to unlock your phone with your finger. I think that's far more important.

synu 4y ago
What’s the connection with the lead pipe threat?
- ggm 4y ago
  Like a password, fingerprints offer no high barrier to entry if you are under physical threat or control. The connection is that if you think your password is at risk to lead pipe attack, a touch entry won't fix it.
prvit 4y ago
Okay, but if the cops get to the sudo prompt they already have access to all of your data...

dividedbyzero 4y ago

One option is to protect the master password with a security LARP scheme that's so complex and unwieldy that no sane attacker will believe you when you tell the truth. Like, Shamir's secret sharing, but the fourth part can only be passed via a Ballet choreography. Also, the sixth Yubikey is biometric and will only work with a latex fake of the right pinky prepared by this exact recipe. The final part of the password is the statistical expected value of this slightly unfair die, obtained after 10 000 throws, to the third digit.