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IDEA: Self Distruct

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f0dder:
40Hz: encryption would obviously have to be applied before the system is stolen - ie., either full-system encryption with TrueCrypt, or a single partition or container file where your data is stored. And of course it only stops people from getting your precious data, it doesn't prevent people from re-selling the stolen hardware.

Btw, I don't believe you really need multi-pass disk wiping these days, unless you want to guard yourself against NSA and electron microscopes. A single 0-pass should be sufficient to wipe against what normal people's hardware could be exposed to.

40hz:
40Hz:[/b] encryption would obviously have to be applied before the system is stolen
-f0dder (October 12, 2008, 06:24 PM)
--- End quote ---

Agree. After the fact security measures are no security measures at all. But I have seen "big iron" systems that would initiate encryption operations if they detected they were being hacked. It was done that way for efficiency reasons since the older machines had problems with the processing overhead required for crypto in a multi-user timeslice topology. I only mentioned it because I still see people proposing "encrypt-on-threat" systems despite the fact that the IT world has long since abandoned the idea. (I think the Bruce Willis movie Live Free or Die Hard probably had a lot to do with the current revival.) I should have been more clear that I wasn't endorsing post facto encryption approaches. With the speed of today's CPUs, on-the-fly encryption is fast enough that you don't gain any advantage by not using it, assuming you actually do need encryption.

Btw, I don't believe you really need multi-pass disk wiping these days, unless you want to guard yourself against NSA and electron microscopes. A single 0-pass should be sufficient to wipe against what normal people's hardware could be exposed to.
--- End quote ---

Not sure I'm 100% with you on that. For the time being I'll concede your point based on what tech is generally available out there. But I've recently seen a few things at a private hackfest over in NYC that makes me wonder for how long. Amazing what can be accomplished with some ingenuity and a trip to your local electronics supply house.

Remember when software and music distribution on CD was considered 'secure' because not too many people had CD burners?

Uncle John:
Thanks for all the comments. Encryption/password protection certainly seems like the way to go. I like the description of "Dead man's switch". I'll have a closer look at it. Thanks again. 

Shades:
About the delete option as suggested by f0dder, I have to disagree. you would be amazed what a program Testdisk retrieves.I was at the time. after running that piece of freeware, there was a boatload of files retrieved and there was stuff in between those files that was over a year old. The only problem from this boatload was that the original filenames were not retrieved.

In my "defense" that could have been a setting that I missed (lack of GUI). :-[
However, information that I thought was overwritten at least three times (I download a lot) was right there.

Let's just say that you don't lose that pr0n collection that easily ;-)

jgpaiva:
Shades: notice that f0dder mentioned that 'a single 0-pass should be enough', that means delete the stuff using a 'secure' deletion, but on its lower setting.

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