5 ms·

I'm not sure what the benefit of the SD card is in this case -- something physical, you can be legally compelled to hand it over, since it's a physical object.

ConstantineXVI 15y ago
It's much easier to make a SD card unavailable (destroyed, "lost", etc.) vs. an entire laptop, and you wouldn't be as vulnerable if a third party got a hold of the laptop (since all the valuable data is sitting in your wallet (on your person) instead of the briefcase (in the seat next to you)).
- TMK 15y ago
  Well In my case the data actually is in the laptop and encrypted, but the SD card only disables logging in on the PC, even if they crack my password.
  - ConstantineXVI 15y ago
    Unless your SD card contains something vital to access of your data (encryption key, etc), all that setup does is protect your data from people who try to use your laptop in a coffeeshop while you're in the john. Still nothing stopping one from taking the entire laptop, removing the drive, and mounting it in another system.
    - vladd 15y ago
      The encryption key could be a function of his login password and it could be stored in-memory after he is logged in. The issue is to have a trigger which wipes it from memory by logging out the current user when the police shows up, and unplugging the SD is a nice trigger for that. That's at least what I imagined, his setup might be completely different (a keyboard combination for logging out might also work better).
      - TMK 15y ago
        Basically the SD card contains encrypted key which is required to be mounted while logged into the PC. If I pull the card away the PC will automatically shutdown. if the SD card is not mounted when the user logs in the system is automatically shutdown too. Basically the SD card only fights against using the computer. You of course could remove the hard drive and mount it in another computer, but that is why the whole drive is encrypted.
tripzilch 15y ago
Also, SD cards are really really sturdy. You can drive a car over them, and I know from experience they can survive a fire. Maybe if he'd use a micro-SD, he could swallow it. Or hide it pretty much anywhere cause it's the size of a fingernail. Dump the empty micro-SD/SD-adapter into one of those typical "computer paraphernalia" boxes always found on any desk, you know, the one that also contains an aged USB stick, three paperclips, a PS2-USB adapter, post-its, ear-phones and some USB cable, and nobody will expect a thing.
- TMK 15y ago
  Yes. It's Micro SD with to SD-Card converter.
- jpdoctor 15y ago
  > and I know from experience they can survive a fire. LOL. More details please.
  - tripzilch 15y ago
    Well a couple of years ago, my house burnt down. I was "lucky" with only a melted flatscreen monitor and further mostly just smoke damage (which insurance still reimbursed as total loss, yay), my flatmate, where the fire started, less so. His part of the apartment, the next day, pretty much was a blackened cube with bits of black debris on the floor, what used to be furniture, his computer, books and audio equipment[1]. In the rubble we found his camera, which was of course useless if not because of the heat[2], then because of the water damage from the fire-fighters. Inside was a 2GB SD card and it still worked. So yeah, if for some strange reason you can't keep your backups off-site, nor in a fire-proof safe, store them on a SD card in a camera :-) [1] He also wasn't insured, making the story even sadder. Fortunately he just landed a pretty good job, also he met his current girlfriend while staying at his parents until he found a new home. So some good came of it, I suppose. [2] Glass windows melted, can you imagine? Looks like icicles. I later asked a glassworker friend, she said that means it must at least have been 800 degrees Celsius.
    - 15y ago
TMK 15y ago
Yes I know I can legally be compelled to hand it over, but it's a Micro SD to SD card converter. The Micro SD card can be quite easily be broken. I've tried. I could also make the script to automatically delete all necessary data if the system was booted without the card.
- vidarh 15y ago
  Anyone who confiscates a machine and then proceeds to boot it without removing the harddisk and imaging it first are total idiots...

ConstantineXVI 15y ago

It's much easier to make a SD card unavailable (destroyed, "lost", etc.) vs. an entire laptop, and you wouldn't be as vulnerable if a third party got a hold of the laptop (since all the valuable data is sitting in your wallet (on your person) instead of the briefcase (in the seat next to you)).

TMK 15y ago
Well In my case the data actually is in the laptop and encrypted, but the SD card only disables logging in on the PC, even if they crack my password.
- ConstantineXVI 15y ago
  Unless your SD card contains something vital to access of your data (encryption key, etc), all that setup does is protect your data from people who try to use your laptop in a coffeeshop while you're in the john. Still nothing stopping one from taking the entire laptop, removing the drive, and mounting it in another system.
  - vladd 15y ago
    The encryption key could be a function of his login password and it could be stored in-memory after he is logged in. The issue is to have a trigger which wipes it from memory by logging out the current user when the police shows up, and unplugging the SD is a nice trigger for that. That's at least what I imagined, his setup might be completely different (a keyboard combination for logging out might also work better).
    - TMK 15y ago
      Basically the SD card contains encrypted key which is required to be mounted while logged into the PC. If I pull the card away the PC will automatically shutdown. if the SD card is not mounted when the user logs in the system is automatically shutdown too. Basically the SD card only fights against using the computer. You of course could remove the hard drive and mount it in another computer, but that is why the whole drive is encrypted.

tripzilch 15y ago

Also, SD cards are really really sturdy. You can drive a car over them, and I know from experience they can survive a fire. Maybe if he'd use a micro-SD, he could swallow it. Or hide it pretty much anywhere cause it's the size of a fingernail. Dump the empty micro-SD/SD-adapter into one of those typical "computer paraphernalia" boxes always found on any desk, you know, the one that also contains an aged USB stick, three paperclips, a PS2-USB adapter, post-its, ear-phones and some USB cable, and nobody will expect a thing.

TMK 15y ago
Yes. It's Micro SD with to SD-Card converter.
jpdoctor 15y ago
> and I know from experience they can survive a fire. LOL. More details please.
- tripzilch 15y ago
  Well a couple of years ago, my house burnt down. I was "lucky" with only a melted flatscreen monitor and further mostly just smoke damage (which insurance still reimbursed as total loss, yay), my flatmate, where the fire started, less so. His part of the apartment, the next day, pretty much was a blackened cube with bits of black debris on the floor, what used to be furniture, his computer, books and audio equipment[1]. In the rubble we found his camera, which was of course useless if not because of the heat[2], then because of the water damage from the fire-fighters. Inside was a 2GB SD card and it still worked. So yeah, if for some strange reason you can't keep your backups off-site, nor in a fire-proof safe, store them on a SD card in a camera :-) [1] He also wasn't insured, making the story even sadder. Fortunately he just landed a pretty good job, also he met his current girlfriend while staying at his parents until he found a new home. So some good came of it, I suppose. [2] Glass windows melted, can you imagine? Looks like icicles. I later asked a glassworker friend, she said that means it must at least have been 800 degrees Celsius.
  - 15y ago

TMK 15y ago

Yes I know I can legally be compelled to hand it over, but it's a Micro SD to SD card converter. The Micro SD card can be quite easily be broken. I've tried. I could also make the script to automatically delete all necessary data if the system was booted without the card.

vidarh 15y ago
Anyone who confiscates a machine and then proceeds to boot it without removing the harddisk and imaging it first are total idiots...