Slashdot Mirror
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."
Uhm ... or they destroy the harddrive themselves?
We do not live in the 21st century. We live in the 20 second century.
...that looks for these drives and triggers the self-destruct if it finds any.
Please make payment immediately to avoid automatic loss of data.
Please note that this is for your protection - since if your drive is not protected against theft, we will activate the antitheft device to ensure that your data won't fall into the wrong hands.
I swear every Maxtor drive I've ever had has this feature...
Any number of triggers activate self destruct mode...
Defragging the hard drive
Installing a new OS
Turning the machine on
Just buy a Maxtor and all you have to do to destroy your data is... use it. ;P
-"...bad old ideas look confusingly fresh when they are packaged as technology" - Jaron Lanier (Digital Maoism on Edge.o
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.
I'd like to see them fire me then!
"I'm fired. Oh really?" - presses speed dial 1 on cellphone.
"There go the production servers hard drives. Lets discuss my retirement package quickly. Maybe we won't lose all the offsite backups."
"plus a yearly fee." ... which you WILL pay... or else you will get to see our drive-destroying technology in action!
All I see there, on not4chan.org, are drawings. In some areas they are illegal I'm sure (along with 'regular' pornography too). However - at least in the United States - drawings are deemed legal since no person was harmed in the process.
:).
Pretty good principle, if an action or behaviour by a person harms no one (or only the person themself) then it should be allowed. I'd call it the harm principle I'd call it the harm principle or maybe negative liberty
Reminds me of the early 90's when I first got access to a pirate BBS. I was so concerned that they would get busted and I'd get raided that I set up a script that would blow away my entire hard drive with one click.
The stage is set.
So, a month after I get access I'm hanging out on the BBS at about 11pm and there's a knock at my door. I look through the window and see a police officer. I run the script and answer the door with as much composure as I can muster.
The police officer looks at me strangely like he was expecting me to react in some way. He then asked if I called. When I said no, he realized that he was at the wrong apartment.
I imagine myself walking with a GPS Jammer around data centers like a little kid imagining how many drives I just blew away ....
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.
For every N drives they sell, I would put at N the number of people who at some point say,
"Ooops -- oh, crap."
Is Murphy's Law just not taught any more?
Raise your children as if you were teaching them to raise your grandchildren, because you are.
I can not directly relate this to a HD so this is probably somewhat off topic..
I created some user induced destructing car stereo amplifiers.
I removed the painted on "Pos(+)" and "Neg(-)" markings from the power terminals and painted new labels on them that were backwards. I also used a black wire for the positive wire and a red for the negative. I used stencils from some old electronic hobby kits I had laying around and they matched perfectly. Jump ahead about 5 years and sure enough, those amplifiers were stolen as well. I can only hope that the person that attempted to hook them up the first time fried them in the process. Yes, I had some free time on my hands back then but I was so frustrated when my stereo was taken the first time that the relabeling the replacement equipment did not seem like a such a waste of time. The fact that there is a good chance this equipment will be ruined does make me feel a little bit better.
Bad boys rape our young girls but Violet gives willingly.
You know, I heard Thermite was very effective in the trials. ;)
Not as a primary means of data protection, but they love it as a secondary means. They'd buy these drives *AND* run encrypted filesystems on them. Remember the spy plane that was forced to land in China? When the Chinese military stormed the plane, the comms op was hacking the crypto equipment to bits -- literally, with a large axe. Official recommended procedure, after going through the electronic sterilization steps. Execute all designed-in electronic destruction measures, then follow up with as many physical destruction measures as you have time for.
-----Chaz
I think the author entangled his drive ideas.
from TFA -
"The drives will be available "early next year" for between $2,500 to $9,000 each."
the yearly fee is only the for the other solutions that are already available like -
"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."
To summarize, the new drives aren't on a yearly fee, only the other offerings mentioned that are already on the market.
For much less and zero maintenance fees you could just buy a big magnet and put it on top of your hard drive. Then have a missile style toggle switch with a red cover on your case to turn the magnet on. If really adventurous, you could tie the switch to a phone line. There would be no software involved and you'd probably save about $1.7k.
It'd be much cooler too.
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.
I want this for my kids!
If someone tries to kidnap them, they blow up! If I can't have them no one can!
Disclaimer: Don't worry, I don't actually have kids.
Get your Unix fortune now!
And here is an example of the court applying exactly that pressure.
John
Ferric chloride is acidic.