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Death On Demand Drive Tech
Xanderoth writes "Engadget has an article on 'Dead on Demand' technology to destroy your disk drive should it be compromised by any number of ways. From the article: 'Configurable triggers such as removal or tampering of the drive, removal of device from a resting GPS point, cellular telephone call, or even a change in temperature will release a chemical mist into the drive (not the computer) destroying it layer by layer.' Of course the drives, due out next year, are expected to be priced between $2,500 to $9,000 each, plus a yearly fee."
...that looks for these drives and triggers the self-destruct if it finds any.
Why destroy when you can simply have everything be encrypted? It's cheaper too, in fact there are some free / open source on the fly encryption programs that can do large partitions:
Do any of the Linux distributions do encryption, of even full partition/harddrive encryption? That maybe ideal.
Yeah, the summary sounded pretty interesting, but the "...plus a yearly fee" tacked on the end added an ominous tone.
These drives aren't aimed at destroying it's contents from a remote attack, they are for when the drive is about to be physically removed from it's environs (or a similar situation.)
Practically no system is secure from an attack by someone who knows what they are doing when that person is in front of it. Does not matter if it's a Mac, Linux, OpenBSD, etc.
This isn't a bad idea, but I imagine it's going to be a windfall for any child pornographers. How are you going to put them away if the hard drive's a bubbling mass of goop (or just...not readable. But they should use bubbling-goop chemicals just to make it more interesting).
Of course, I can just see it going in the PGP direction: "He felt the need to buy a $9K hard drive to protect his stuff! He MUST have had something to hide! Guilty!"
Tluin natha Linux xxizzuss uriu olt bwael mon'tun.
You know, I heard Thermite was very effective in the trials. ;)
Actually, C4 is no good at all ... too destructive and if you actually kill someone in your effort to destroy your hard disk a murder charge will probably it all seem pointless.
No, I recommend a concealed thermite charge. Turn the drive into a hissing, glowing, molten mass in the bottom of the enclosure. Of course, it would be a good idea to line the case with asbestos or something similar.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
Configurable triggers such as removal or tampering of the drive, removal of device from a resting GPS point, cellular telephone call, or even a change in temperature
Change of temperature of the drive: Ok Smart one. You power down the system to do some maintenance poof there goes your drive. Or Your AC dies, Or you get a new cooler AC in. Or you do some unusual heavy processing. That is a wast.
removal of the device from a resting GPS point: Doesn't GPS need line of site. I know when I am driving my cars GPS will not work if there are to many trees overhead. Opps a war just started, in canada. GWB first order turn off a civilian GPS so we can have a greater tactical advantage.
Cell Telephone Call. I can see it someone one has the number and code in their host list and acidently hit the button. Poof. Also hacker with a war dialer.
Removal or Tampering: The system needs to be fixed (because your second mirror self destructing drive died) Well lets take out the drive... Opps wrong one. Poof!
This technology can lead to to much stupid mistakes. Issues such as high levels of encryption. Putting the system in a secure computer room with a heavy door and lock. and keep it locked. Good security and IT policies in place.
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Article submitter is a sensationlist moron. The yearly fee is for somethng completely different talked about in the article.
"Other solutions exist to delete data or lock the computer if a user enters too many failed passwords or does not login at all over a specified length of time -- Beachhead Solutions will sell you their offering for $129 a year per computer."
You assume that some complex number crunching formula will solve the problem of harvesting said data. The DoD, nor do most other govt agencies believe that. They use industrial shreeders and then sometimes even melt said shreadded metal into slag.
;)
A thermite coupled over a drive might be the wiser thing, with an (internal uplinked) serial device that ignites the thermite using outlet power (which you can derive from power supply.
Then, there's fire hazard....... and Thermite reactions are mighty hard to stop