From: "Chris Adams" <adamsc@io-online.com>
Date: Sat, 20 Jul 1996 19:09:43 +0800
To: "cypherpunks" <jimbell@pacifier.com>
Subject: Re: Opiated file systems
Message-ID: <199607200456.VAA07195@cygnus.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


On 18 Jul 96 06:13:42 -0800, jimbell@pacifier.com wrote:

>>1. Confiscate computer (along with physical drive) with duress-capable
>>encrypted file system; 2. back up the encrypted sectors; 3. reverse-engineer file 
>>system driver to figure out how the duress-key works, if there are 
>>multiple keys, where data is stored; 4. make sure you've rubber-hosed 
>>or subpeoned all passphrases or keys; 4a. if the system destroys data, 
>>you've got backups ("Very funny kiddo; now give us the real key...")
>>4b. even if there are two filesystems, the attacker will want access 
>>to both, just to make sure...
>
>It has long occurred to me, considering the size and low power of the 
>typical 3.5" hard drive compared with the size of the typical house or 
>apartment, that it might be an interesting project to remotely connect such 
>a (hidden) drive to your computer using a reasonably surreptious link that 
>is difficult to trace.  Say, an IR optical link, a single bare (unjacketed) 
>optical fiber, a LAN with hidden nodes, or a similar system.  Maybe an 
>inductive pickup.  In any raid, they'll have to decide what to take, and 
>chances are very good that they won't find every hidden item.

Induction would be a good choice.  Hmmm, how about using the house water
pipes? (Or heater ducts?) Not only should they conduct water, it does
offer the possibility of some VERY funny hiding spots.  If you were
seriously worried, you could even waterproof the drive (Enough epoxy and
almost anything can be waterproofed <g>) and power it off of a turbine in
the water pipe!  I imagine hiding it in a septic tank would probably
discourage searchers as well... Finally, I'd have a duress code (or
emergency button or timer ... etc) wired up to a thermite charge. Might
be a bit permanent, but certainly would come in handy.  (hmmm. Wire it up
behind an access panel in a heater duct. Set it so there are something
like 15 screws that need to be unfastened to get to it, including some
elsewhere. If it's done in the wrong order, WHOOSH)

Oh, and did I mention that putting it in a (metal) duct or pipe would
probably be enough to tempest shield a drive? (As I understand it,
monitors are the least secure part of the system, followed by cpus.)  In
fact, it ought to be enough to throw off a metal detecter/search device
as well. You could even leave a crudload of old MFM drives (20MB! wheee!)
in similar spots as decoys... Put things like encrypted copies of the
constitution, large scans of 4th ammendment plaintext, etc, on those...
Ought to be at least irritating and it might be interesting to have them
have to read that into record at a trial as well...

BTW, I'd try a fiber-optic connector to the machine because 1) it's
waterproof and you wouldn't have to be quite as paranoid about leaks, 2)
it's far more secure, 3) it's faster and 4) it's probably impossible to
trace like a metal wire (i.e. run current through and trace magnetic
fields...). Put it in the usual snarl of wires (Cable TV, telephone -
multiple lines of course, home intranet, etc) and it could be really
nasty. Finally, if it was wired up on a home network, you could protect
by carefully choosing your network architecture, hopefully getting one
that allows hidden devices (i.e. only shows up on access attempts,
perhaps only w/right password.)

// Chris Adams <adamsc@io-online.com> - Webpages for sale! Se habla JavaScript!
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