Hollow Spy Coins

Bruce Schneier's blog links to a few sources for hollow spy coins, one being BoingBoing's Bazaar — where a nickel that can hold a microSD card costs $27. Another is Slashdot's sister company ThinkGeek, where you can get hollow quarters and half-dollars in the low 20s. As if corporate and government security geeks didn't have enough to worry about.

Comments

Sounds rather disappointing, really

[damn_registrars]

This is just a slashvertisement for hollowed-out coins. I would really consider them "spy coins" as the title is selling them to us. A "spy coin" should actively do some spying, really. I could just as well call my wallet a "spy wallet", as it can hold mico-SD cards too.

Re:Sounds rather disappointing, really

[ircmaxell]

That's my concern. I'll stick a microSD card in there with a bunch of important data. And then mix it up with a real coin and spend it... Then go crazy later when I need to access the card and can't find it...

Slashvertisement

[Anonymous Coward]

hey kdawson, if you're going to try to slip in an ad for your sister company in a "news story", at least mark it up as an advertisement.

This is just wrong. kdawson should be fired for such a breach of ethics.

Re:Slashvertisement

[e4g4]

Ethics? One needs to consult ethics when deciding whether or not to post something to Slashdot? Now - did you by any chance read enough of the summary to get to the part that says "Slashdot's sister company ThinkGeek" which I, personally, think is an open enough admission of cross-promotion.

Even as a "slashvertisement" - isn't the idea of a hollowed out quarter with enough space for a MicroSD card cool? Are there not interesting consequences for security experts and people concerned about corporate espionage? In other words - won't this "slashvertisement" stimulate some interesting discussion? If you have such a problem with kdawson's "ethics" log the fuck in and take him off your index.

Just wait a while ...

[tomhudson]

... with the federal deficit exploding, the fed is doing a fine job of hollowing out ALL you money, not just the change in your pocket.

Re:X-ray impervious?

[ElectricTurtle]

Considering how laptops have become fair game for involuntary search and seizure at US borders, I think putting your 'important stuff' on a microSD card inside a hollow coin is probably a good idea.

What's the point

[russotto]

You can walk right through security (airport, border, corporate) with a microSD card in your pocket and nobody blinks an eye. Trying to "smuggle" a MicroSD card through is more likely to result in you getting caught and treated badly (even if it isn't even illegal). If the data on the MicroSD card is what you're trying to hide, a better spy device would be a trick card... say, which was internally partitioned into two cards with some very obscure way (SW or HW) of switching between them. Put innocuous data on one side, stick it in your camera, phone, music player, whatever. Even if the goons search the card, that's all they find. Short the right contacts or send the right command, and get access to the "evil" data.

Re:What's the point

[choongiri]

Does anyone really "smuggle" data on physical media any more? You could just gpg encrypt your copy of leaked_top_secret_data.doc using a strong key, put it on a server of your choosing, and retrieve it when you get to where you are going. Just possibly, if you were trying to get data *out* of a very locked down (no electronic devices or memory cards allowed) environment, hiding a memory card might be a necessary part of your plan, but borders and airports? It's just unnecessary. Even in the locked-down corporate / government scenario, if all you can smuggle in/out is the micro-SD card, do you really think they are going to have a card-reader plugged in ready for you to use?

Hiding in plain sight

[damn_registrars]

Considering how laptops have become fair game for involuntary search and seizure at US borders, I think putting your 'important stuff' on a microSD card inside a hollow coin is probably a good idea.

My blackberry has a microSD card in it. I have passed through many different customs / airport security examinations and nobody has ever examined the contents of the card. I don't see the point of paying for an even smaller microSD card carrier, when I already have a small microSD reader that I carry with me everywhere that nobody ever raises an eye towards.

And even if my phone is off, or the battery is dead, it still does just fine at carrying the card and looking extremely ordinary. You could also substitute most Motorola phones in the same role, and any number of other phones that I haven't paid attention to that also use microSD.

Re:Hiding in plain sight

[ElectricTurtle]

First they came for the laptops, but I didn't speak up because I carried all my data in my phone...

But no, seriously, do you think that the day will never come when people's phones are seized? Laptops are more valuable than phones, so if they are willing and able to get away with dispossessing you of those, the only reason phones aren't being taken is that they don't feel that is useful 'right now'. Someday some undersecretary is going to think 'phones carry lots of data now too, we should be searching those as well!' and boom, a new policy will be put in place, and you'll be saying goodbye to your microSD card.

TrueCrypt file named DSC43423.jpg

[Anonymous Coward]

I think you'd be better off with a TrueCrypt file named DSC13423.jpg stored on an SDHC card loaded inside a point and shoot camera. Better if it is surrounded by other images with sequential numbers that make sense too.