Stash Your Hard Drive In The Attic

RegardsSJ writes "Robert X. Cringley on his PBS website mentions a $479 wireless, fanless 120gb network storage/file server appliance (running linux) in his column. He thinks the killer app for this one is for keeping your porn storage hidden, if you're busted by the cops. I think his concept is weak, given the wireless signal is traceable (security through obscurity?), WEP is breakable, and the fact that you have to have the thing plugged in somewhere... The company selling the device is martian.com. Anybody use one?" Now that it's possible to stream audio and video through various boxes originally serving other purposes (like TiVo and PlayStation2), this looks like a good companion piece, too.

Comments

uh, how about drive encryption?

[5n3ak3rp1mp]

Hiding pr0n (or anything) is the killer app for excellent encryption, not for a WEP-accessed drive array. ::obligatory plug:: OS X lets you create read/write/mountable disk image files that are encrypted with AES-128. Very cool stuff to play with.

Just don't put its password in your keychain, or those feds will get a chuckle as they double-click the image file and it unlocks with your autologin. ;)

Re:uh, how about drive encryption?

[user no. 590291]

The feds will get an even bigger chuckle while you rot in jail for contempt if you conveniently "forget" the password they can't just double-click the image file and unlock it. In situations like that, encryption is worse than useless without deniability.

the article never actually says pr0n or pron...

[Delta-9]

"I would, for one, but my friend David from the UK points out that such a device hidden away from sight would be ideal for storing data you wouldn't want confiscated by the police. Nestle a Martian box under your attic insulation if you have something to hide. "

Who knows what the people at PBS have to hide from the cops.

Roll your own..

[Weavus]

This is just an Epia Mini-ITX motherboard in a bog standard Morex Cubid Mini-ITX case. I have both sat here on my desk and its a great little silent linux server.

They cost a lot less to buy what this company wants to charge you. Sure they added wireless card/hard drive/memory but $500 still seems a bit expensive.

Check out http://www.mini-itx.com for details of the motherboard / case. They also have an online store for Europeans...

BTW, you can easily get 2 hard drives in that case if you take out the included hd enclosure so you could make one with a lot more space than 120gb...

Re:Hiding data from the police

[ces]

Um, the cops would seize the backups, too.

This is why you leave a copy of your backups with your attorney.

A company I worked for sent one of the weekly offsite sets to our corprate law firm so we would have access in case of legal entanglements.

Let's clear up some things:

[BKX]

First, thermite doesn't explode. It reacts quickly and violently, with extremely high heat. The parent poster was right, a multistage computer controlled ignition system would work and be tits.

For those you who think it burns and/or requires oxygen, your wrong. This is the equation for a thermite reaction:

Fe2O3(s) + 2AL(s) -> AL2O3 + 2Fe + energy

That's right. Powdered aluminum and powdered rust make thermite. It's ignition temperature is so high that it is normally lit with burning magnesium metal. It reacts so hot that a small amount (like a kilo) can melt a hole through the engine block of a car and keep going through the concrete. That'll definitely be suffucient to melt your porno.

Colocation boys & girls...

[QwkHyenA]

If you've bought a colo spot through a fake ID, your files aren't anywhere a Cop would figure out. Next, access the files through a ssh tunnel and life is good...

Just be sure to write a script into your .bash_logout that wipes your .bash_history & all relevant log files...

Not that I've done this or anything...
Wonder if I should have posted this anonymously...