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Delete Data On Netbook If Stolen?
An anonymous reader writes "I have just moved overseas on a 2-year working holiday visa and so I picked up a netbook for the interim, an MSI Wind U100 Plus running WinXP. I love it to bits. But as I am traveling around I am somewhat worried about theft. Most of my important stuff is in Gmail and Google Docs; however, I don't always have Net access and find it useful to gear up the offline versions for both. Ideally I would like to securely delete all the offline data from the hard drive if it were stolen. Since it is backed up in the cloud, and the netbook is so cheap I don't really care about recovery, a solution that bricks it would be fine — and indeed would give me a warm glow knowing a prospective thief would have wasted their time. But it's not good if they can extract the HD and get at the data some other way. All thief-foiling suggestions are welcome, be they software, hardware, or other."
The answer to your problem is whole disk encryption, not trying to delete the data.
Encrypt the entire drive with TrueCrypt or something. Use a strong cipher and a very strong passphrase. The laptop is as good as bricked to anyone who gets it.
"Nature doesn't care how smart you are. You can still be wrong." - Richard Feynman
set up a scheduled task to wipe the drive unless you cancel it. Then don't forget to cancel it.
That is what encryption is for. Get truecrypt or other similar application and then the data won't be extractable by anyone without the password.
If it's physical theft I would think they would bin the HDD or sell it "as is" without even looking at what's on it. Bricking it doesn't do a lot, you'd probably just replace the HDD anyway.
Identity theft is more worrying. Why not encrypt the HDD with something like Fedora / Ubuntu offers - ie an encrypted /home or MyDocuments. That way the laptop won't log on for the thief.
There is probably room in the case for a few ounces of C4 explosive, and a detonator. You might have a hard time getting it through customs though..... and you had better never drop the thing so the detonator goes off!!
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Website: http://www.absolute.com/products/lojack
FAQ: http://www.absolute.com/resources/public/FAQ/L4L-FAQ-E.pdf
Costs $59.95/year for the premium package which supports Remote Wipe. Embeds itself in the BIOS/EFI. Supports XP and OS X.
Carefully paint over the letters on the "T" and "E" keys with polonium-218 laced paint, then just remember to wear gloves when typing unless your name is something like "Frank" and your password is all digits.
As others will have already said: use truecrypt. In addition, use two account: yours with a password, and another one (visible from the login shell) without password. Put a script in it that wipes the disk if anybody logs in it.
Non-Linux Penguins ?
Of course full-disk encryption, as lots of people have already suggested, but since you want the thief's time to be wasted, remember to password-protect the BIOS and disallow booting from USB drives or external units. Same goes for GRUB if you were on Linux. That way the thief will not be able to resell the netbook.
Yes, the thief could remove the BIOS battery, but he would have to tear the case open. If he knew how to open a laptop without breaking it, he has more skill than I would associate with a petty thief.
You might also consider Adeona.
Victims of 9/11: <3000. Traffic in the US: >30,000/y
First, get truecrypt, that takes care of your data.
Now then, If you have the spark of evil in you, here's the plan.
1. Set up multi-boot config.
2. Create a bootable partition that has enough OS on it to run the drive and network, name it something interesting like 'Confidential'.
3. Get the BIOS flash utils for your netbook, create a corrupt bios image that will still pass muster enough to install.
4. Set up a boot time process on the netbook that does a 'wget' from a web site that you control. If it gets a file, quietly flash the BIOS with what it downloads.
If you ever get ripped off, move the nasty BIOS image to the file location on your web site and bask in the glow of pure wickedness...
You can test this with a valid BIOS image, but don't look at me if something terrible happens, you're playing with fire here.
1) Set up two accounts. Your actual one behind a password and an unprotected one.
2) In the unprotected one's startup, set it to delete all of your personal data.
You'll never log on via the unprotected account. Therefore you'll never accidentally delete everything. Even if you do manage to, as soon as you're next near a net connection it sounds like you can pull it back anyway.
Most casual thieves (sorry, your life isn't actually important enough that crack teams of ninja espionage winged monkeys will track you down and deliberately steal your data) will be perfectly happy to log on via the one account they can get on via and won't notice a suitably disguised process quietly cleaning everything sensitive off the machine.
It's not perfect, it's not infallible but, honestly, your data really isn't worth the hassle of defeating it for the average opportunistic thief.
You want to have more fun with them...
Set a scheduled task on that account to open Firefox 3.5 every 15 minutes and go to an address on your own server where it promptly gives its geolocation info before more obviously redirecting itself to some apparent malware site. They'll assume your machine's just infected with malware while you and the cops are given constant updates on their location.
Again, it's not perfect and most of /. could easily defeat it... But the average thief isn't a /. reader, they're just an opportunist who thinks they're getting something for free.
Including the owner!
Boffoonery - downloadable Comedy Benefit for Bletchley Park
Most casual thieves want the hardware to use, resell, or simply because it's pretty. They don't give a toss about your data unless they can get easy cash out of it.
Encrypt the disk to protect your data. It doesn't even have to be very strong encryption but obviously good encryption is better if your CPU can handle it. You can save CPU cycles by only encrypting data that really needs to be kept personal.
Personally I'd be tempted to have some kind of low trick on there just to fuck with their minds. Add a script like
echo "GPS location tracking started..."
sleep 13
echo "Device location found and reported."
read x
There is absolutely no security in this but casual thieves are normally not too smart so might shit their pants.
Right now! No thief will ever get your data if you destroy it right now!
Oh you wanted to use it in the meantime. Well that's different...
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Firstly: You're not that interesting - nobody wants to read your E-mail, and the 'important' stuff (like your PGP keys) are individually passphrase protected, aren't they.
Secondly: You're not that interesting - the thief either wants the device for themselves, or to fence it for $50 worth of crack (or food, depending on where you travel). If they want it for themselves - chances are they'll just wipe it with a clean Windows install (you even leave the registration key on that little sticker on the back, don't you...) to get past your login/resume password. If they don't whoever fences it will.
Google: windows encrypted drive + "I'm feeling lucky".
Here's what I got:
http://www.truecrypt.org/
I'm OK with "Ask Slashdot" being used to gather the collective experience of the techies that like to hang out off-hours here at /. - but.. this?!?
Something that could be addressed by a moment or two spent at Google or even (god's sake) Bing is a WASTE OF HITS. But maybe that's the plan - get droves of angry techies to bitch about the lameness of the stories, delivering ad impressions?
Crazy like a fox?
I'm on to you, Cmdr Taco, if that is your real name!
I have no problem with your religion until you decide it's reason to deprive others of the truth.
but if you care about confidentiality of your datas once your laptop is stolen, and at the same time you store most of your datas on servers owned and administered by someone who is not you (the Google company in this case), then maybe you should think twice about what you do.
Votez ecolo : Chiez dans l'urne !
All the more reason to use a Linux or BSD based OS.
To the average thief or receiver of stolen goods, a netbook running an alternate OS is as good as bricked.
Computer memory is just fancy paper, CPUs just fancy pens with fancy erasers; the 'net is just a fancy backyard fence.
To the average thief, and to the average receiver of a stolen netbook, if the netbook boots an alternative OS, it might as well be bricked.
Computer memory is just fancy paper, CPUs just fancy pens with fancy erasers; the 'net is just a fancy backyard fence.
THIS COMPUTER WAS STOLEN FROM <your name/phone number>
In large, contrasting letters - for extra points write it in the language(s) of the countries to be visited. Not only will it draw unwanted attention to whoever tries to use it, but it will make the stolen item impossible to sell on errr, auction sites, where most of this stuff ends up.
politicians are like babies' nappies: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reasons
I would have recommended 10 grams of C4 explosives linked to a USB deactivation key for ultimate satisfaction, but you might have a few problems at airports....
Participatory Governance : The only feasible option for a real democracy, where everyone really does have a say.
But there is a free solution which is more like thermite.
Encryption is wrong for netbooks because the Atom is a slow, single-core chip. It really can't afford the extra overhead.
Encryption also won't do what the submitter asks: bricking the device.
But ATA passwords will do this! Sometimes called "drivelock," these are firmware passwords you type when powering on a disk. If it doesn't get the right password, the disk will refuse to cooperate. Recovering the data from such a disk requires expensive equipment that almost certainly isn't available or worth the effort to the common thief. This solution meets the submitters requirement of bricking the device, and it also keeps his data safe.
Disclaimer: There are many drives out there from major manufactures which have flawed ATA password implementations. Check and see if your HD is among the list of drives which are so flawed.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
Simple. Cover the message with black duct tape. Nobody sees the message and nobody bothers you. But when the thief peels off the tape, they are DOOMED.