3 ms·

Someone could rig up their own system to notify themselves which is very doable. I can see the situation where someone gets notified, then emails their server t

Someone could rig up their own system to notify themselves which is very doable. I can see the situation where someone gets notified, then emails their server to backup offsite, and wipe the hard drives (and for those well versed in demo, there's always that option…).

betterunix 13y ago
Why wipe the hard drives? Use WDE, and have the alarm (a) unmount the drive, (b) overwrite the system's RAM with 0s (or at least the portion of RAM where the keys are stored), and (c) power down the system. That is a lot faster that making a backup and wiping the drives; by the time an agent has snuck in and located the computer, the process should be over. Also, it might help to install a security camera, so you can tell the difference between a rat triggering the alarm and an FBI agent (I'll leave it to the audience to make a few jokes). Alarm is triggered, the camera starts sending pictures of the intruders to your smartphone or to Usenet (encrypted, using a key you keep on a smartcard) or whatever.
superuser2 13y ago
Evidence tampering is a federal felony. In this case it doesn't matter how well you covered your tracks - if they can prove you rigged a failsafe, you're going to jail anyway.
- cinquemb 13y ago
  >if they can prove you rigged a failsafe, you're going to jail anyway Because if someone is willing to go to those lengths on their own system, there's no possibility for the odds to be stacked in their favor…
- betterunix 13y ago
  I think it might be hard to prove the evidence tampering charge. It is not at all unreasonable to claim that you were trying to protect important secrets from criminals who might break into your home or office. To put it another way, this is not an illegal device: http://www.ironkey.com/en-US/secure-portable-storage/250-personal.html http://www.ironkey.com/en-US/secure-portable-storage/250-per...
  - superuser2 13y ago
    If you had video confirmation that it was the police who tripped your alarm before firing a degausser, that would be pretty cut and dried. If it were automatic, maybe not.

betterunix 13y ago

Why wipe the hard drives? Use WDE, and have the alarm (a) unmount the drive, (b) overwrite the system's RAM with 0s (or at least the portion of RAM where the keys are stored), and (c) power down the system. That is a lot faster that making a backup and wiping the drives; by the time an agent has snuck in and located the computer, the process should be over. Also, it might help to install a security camera, so you can tell the difference between a rat triggering the alarm and an FBI agent (I'll leave it to the audience to make a few jokes). Alarm is triggered, the camera starts sending pictures of the intruders to your smartphone or to Usenet (encrypted, using a key you keep on a smartcard) or whatever.

superuser2 13y ago

Evidence tampering is a federal felony. In this case it doesn't matter how well you covered your tracks - if they can prove you rigged a failsafe, you're going to jail anyway.

cinquemb 13y ago
>if they can prove you rigged a failsafe, you're going to jail anyway Because if someone is willing to go to those lengths on their own system, there's no possibility for the odds to be stacked in their favor…
betterunix 13y ago
I think it might be hard to prove the evidence tampering charge. It is not at all unreasonable to claim that you were trying to protect important secrets from criminals who might break into your home or office. To put it another way, this is not an illegal device: http://www.ironkey.com/en-US/secure-portable-storage/250-personal.html http://www.ironkey.com/en-US/secure-portable-storage/250-per...
- superuser2 13y ago
  If you had video confirmation that it was the police who tripped your alarm before firing a degausser, that would be pretty cut and dried. If it were automatic, maybe not.