4 ms·
I think this is an interesting but my immediate question is how much are the color matrices affected by normal shipping? If your intention is to be able to det
by nl 4y ago
I think this is an interesting but my immediate question is how much are the color matrices affected by normal shipping?
If your intention is to be able to detect tampering during shipping but shipping always causes some disturbance then it probably deserves some discussion?
- ars 4y agoIf I were tasked with dealing with this I would disturb the rice every single shipment, and then let the item continue to its destination. When every single shipment shows sign of tampering I would expect them to give up on this method.
- kragen 4y agoThe shippers would probably find a different way to ship things.
- ungamedplayer 4y agoNegative, do not change. While you are incurring a cost to the attacker keep it as is. Ship nulls regularly AND find another method.
- daenz 4y agoIf you were disturbing every single shipment, I would assume someone was tampering. Once I find a shipping route where none of the items were disturbed, I would know it is secure.
- 8organicbits 4y agoRight, if you are worried about covert tampering and every shipment shows up tampered, you have proven that someone along the shipping route is tampering. You react by distrusting any packages that were previously shipped without anti-tamper protection. And you find a different shipping route. This is costly, but it's a reaction to a threat you can prove to be targeting you. The tamperer is probably better off not tampering with packages, unless they can do so in a plausibly deniable way.
- deleted 4y ago[deleted]
- walterbell 4y ago> I would disturb the rice every single shipment Increasing attacker costs = success.
- pmoriarty 4y agoIt would also increase defender costs, if the defender has to throw out our re-ship some perfectly good hardware every time some of the rice it was packed in was disturbed.
- walterbell 4y agoDecoys are a tried and true response to surveillance, with decades if not centuries of best practices.
- batch12 4y agoI believe they attempted to address this via vacuum sealing and cascading bags (if I understood the article).
- layer8 4y agoThe vacuum packing is tight enough to prevent any significant motion.
- nl 4y agoIs it? I'm doubtful. I regularly vacuum pack clothing when I travel and things move enough to change creases even in my carry-on luggage. I'm skeptical that it won't be disturbed in regular shipping unless specific measures are taken.
- layer8 4y agoI used to buy vacuum packed peanuts, there was practically zero chance that they would move around. I also remember that when vacuum packing beddings the result was hard like a brick.
- lysium 4y agoThe authors should test if this is actually the case or not.
- zxexz 4y agoI think it would be fun to test this with a few people. Let’s vacuum pack some beans and ship them between each other. Sisterhood of the Shipped Legumes. Email in profile.
- jerzyt 4y agoI can confirm it. I have a commercial vacuum packing machine, and a bag of rice sealed in it becomes a brick. You can't displace a grain of rice without damaging the vacuum. I doubt that a laptop inside this bag would survive it.
- 8organicbits 4y agoA commercial vacuum packing machine may be stronger than a normal home vacuum cleaner, which the article mentions. Fewer people have access to a commercial machine.
- cowvin 4y agoExactly. I would imagine any sort of substantial impact (common in shipping) would shift around some of the pieces.
- p1necone 4y agoVacuum packing small grain-like things like coffee beans/grounds or rice creates a surprisingly sturdy result. I'd be surprised if you could actually move much around without also piercing the plastic. I've bought products packaged like this before and it's a really odd sensation feeling the bag go from effectively a single solid object to a bag of mush as soon as you release the vacuum.
- Xylakant 4y agoThis effect is used in adjustable casts (these modern plastic ones that you get when you break your foot) and vacuum stretchers for people with a suspected spine injury(+). They’re essentially a bag filled with tiny foam pellets that adjusts to your foot/body shape and turn rock solid once you pump out the air. (+) https://www.rusunsafety.com/VacuumMattressStretcher/ https://www.rusunsafety.com/VacuumMattressStretcher/
- dredmorbius 4y agoI'd run across a demonstration of this somewhat recently. I believe it was a video explaining transitions between free-flowing and locked particles, though I don't recall specifically where, and was unable to find it looking for a few minutes just now. That said: yes, vacuum-sealing good such as beans or coffee grounds provides a surprisingly solid chunk. Releasing the vacuum instantly changes the properties of the mass.