Slashdot Mirror
USBKill Transforms a Thumb Drive Into an "Anti-Forensic" Device
Orome1 writes with a snippet from a report at net-security.org; a hacker going by Hephaestos has shared with the world a Python script that, when put on an USB thumb drive, turns the device in an effective kill switch for the computer to which it's plugged in. USBkill, as the programmer dubbed it, "waits for a change on your USB ports, then immediately kills your computer." The device would be useful "in case the police comes busting in, or steals your laptop from you when you are at a public library," Hephaestos explained.
This is to be used in conjunction with TrueCrypt. The summary is alluding to the arrest of the alleged founder of Silk Road at a public library. He was using a computer with full disk encryption, but they physically separated him from the laptop before he could power it off. Attach this to your wrist, and the machine will be powered off when the USB drive is removed from its port.
No real risk, beyond that of inconvenience. All it does is shut your computer down. It's not wiping anything or physically damaging the hardware, it's just turning it off and relying on you using full disk encryption to actually protect your data.
usually they do everything they can to keep the power on including splicing into the power cables or pulling the socket from the wall and hooking it up to a phase locking UPS so they can take the computer still powered on. This is usually combined with a mouse wiggler to keep screensavers and sleep from kicking in.
Wiping the contents of your laptop, or refusing to give a password in the US, is generally met with unfavourable consequences
Better than in the UK, where it's a criminal offence punishable by two years imprisonment. (Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000, Part III)
And people are really locked up for that here.
No. A deadman's switch is when you have a PC constantly asking for password verification ever X amount of minutes. At the time you don't respond when expected, the logic is that you're "dead", and thus commences the process of self-destruction.
Life is not for the lazy.
No. A deadman' switch is an idea that has been around in analogue fail-safe systems for a long time. It is typically a device that you have to hold onto in order to keep the machine running. What you describe is one software implementation of that idea, but the GP is correct that this is another.
Slashdot: where don knuth is an idiot because he cant grasp the awesome power of php
What everyone in this thread is overlooking is it basically does a 'shutdown now'.
trivially could be done with a power button and changing the acpi power settings to shutdown instantly rather than prompt you then shutdown.
The function of this device is grossly overestimated in the comments
Sadly in a cases like that I kind of which it would happen to me. I can be a big enough ass hole that I would follow up with a Deprivation of rights under color of law case. As an added bonus you can go directly after the party or parties involved and they don't get government protection. I really wish more people would peruse these types of cases against government officials' overreaches.
Time to offend someone