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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.
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
"plus a yearly fee." ... which you WILL pay... or else you will get to see our drive-destroying technology in action!
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.
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.
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