From: Sunder <sunder@brainlink.com>
Date: Tue, 22 Sep 1998 12:37:40 +0800
To: Jim Choate <ravage@einstein.ssz.com>
Subject: Re: Stego-empty hard drives... (fwd)
In-Reply-To: <199809212323.SAA19241@einstein.ssz.com>
Message-ID: <3607DFB6.CAC75C9C@brainlink.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain



Jim Choate wrote:
> 
> Forwarded message:
> 
> > Date: Mon, 21 Sep 1998 16:05:30 -0400
> > From: Sunder <sunder@brainlink.com>
> > Subject: Re: Stego-empty hard drives...
> 
> > What's this bullshit, eh?  Just overwrite the BIOS roms in your machine to
> > return all zeros for the sectors you don't want to show them.  Have some
> > special passphrase you have to type in while in the BIOS setup program to
> > deactivate this.  Most newer notebooks have flash upgradeable ROMs anyway.
> 
> What's this bullshit, eh?
> 
> I wonder how you propose to answer the question:
> 
> "Sir, exactly why are you typing that sentence into the computer at this
> time?"

Ah hem! To quote myself:

> > What's this bullshit, eh?  Just overwrite the BIOS roms in your machine to
> > return all zeros for the sectors you don't want to show them.  Have some
> > special passphrase you have to type in while in the BIOS setup program to
> > deactivate this.  Most newer notebooks have flash upgradeable ROMs anyway.
    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
By "this" I mean the method of not allowing access to the hidden cylinders.  By
deactivating, I mean disabling the routine that hides the hidden cylinders,
thus letting you access the partition.

This means that you wouldn't be typing in the special passphrase in front of
the Customs official.  

It means that when >YOU< wish to use your encrypted partition (in the privacy
of your hotel root), you would type in the passphrase to activate it's
visibility and accesibility to the rest of your machine.  

Further that BY DEFAULT, the hidden space on the drive (preferably a partition)
would normally not be reported by the bios hiding the true number of cylinders
from the OS's.

> Now we have not only given them probably cause but clear evidence for a
> prior intent to commit a crime. Even if your hard drive is clean they're
> going to bust your ass.

How?  You won't type in the passphrase in front of them.   You'll let the bios
do its thing and HIDE the extra partion from their scanner.

-- 

=====================================Kaos=Keraunos=Kybernetos==============
.+.^.+.|       Sunder       |Prying open my 3rd eye.  So good to see |./|\.
..\|/..|sunder@sundernet.com|you once again. I thought you were      |/\|/\
<--*-->| ------------------ |hiding, and you thought that I had run  |\/|\/
../|\..| "A toast to Odin,  |away chasing the tail of dogma. I opened|.\|/.
.+.v.+.|God of screwdrivers"|my eye and there we were....            |.....
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