Protect your SSD data at any cost...

For all you uber paranoid users who think someone may get your data... this is for you!

Self-Destructing SSDs Will Nuke Themselves If You Text Them a Code Word

" Losing a laptop full of personal files like family photos is upsetting, but losing a laptop full of private corporate info and trade secrets is instead downright terrifying. So when you absolutely can't risk misplaced data falling into the wrong hands, a GSM-equipped SSD drive that can remotely physically self-destruct guarantees the utmost of security and privacy.

As soon as you realize a laptop or other hardware with the SecureDrives SSD installed has gone missing, all you need to do is send a pre-defined text message to its unique cellular number and the drive will be immediately destroyed. And we're not talking a quick format to erase its contents either. The SSD's enclosure features built-in mechanisms that will physically destroy the flash memory chips inside, making the data completely unrecoverable.

But the drives include other failsafes for protecting your data if you're not able to send the self-destruct text, or don't realize the drive has gone missing. The SecureDrives SSDs can also be programmed to automatically self-destruct when disconnected from a SATAII connector, when the battery is low and someone is trying to circumvent the fail-safe mechanisms, when it's been shielded from a GSM signal for a set period of time, and even after a pre-determined series of finger taps detected through a motion sensor. And all of that works on top of 256-bit AES CBC hardware encryption protecting the actual data."

 

My dad has something similar in his work laptop. They issued him a custom Dell Precision that has some kind of global GPS tracker tied to a TPM module. If the laptop is flagged as lost or compromised, the IT department sends a global kill signal that instructs the motherboard to Overvolt the SSD and RAM until smoke appears. I think it might be implemented via a custom motherboard since the SSDs themselves are Samsung 830 units.

 

What would be the recommended OP percentage for one of these? Also are there any specific tweaks needed other than a special cement carry case for the notebook it is installed in case it "goes off" by mistake or hack?

 

Does you dad work for the CIA? It seems a bit extreme to have this done...

 

I have to question the efficacy of such measures. If someone swipes a laptop containing one of these SSDs with the specific goal of getting at the confidential data it contains, they probably have a good idea of the targeted organization's policies and procedures and will therefore have prepared a faraday cage ahead of time. After all, the higher the stakes, the more sophisticated the crooks or spies...

 

Why not just encrypt the drive and not worry about any of this?

 

You must not have read all of the features... it circumvents such things as a Faraday cage... read the last paragraph quoted in the first post.

It is also encrypted: " And all of that works on top of 256-bit AES CBC hardware encryption protecting the actual data."

 

I can see a lot of what could go wrong issues with that kind of tech that would lead to the drive destroying itself when you didn't want it to.

 

True, but no doubt corporations, organizations and institutions feel the risk is much greater than the inconvenience since legitimate sources could always get the lost/stolen data replaced as opposed it falling into the wrong hands.

The only negative I personally would have is it frying my machine. Still, if I stored critical data that was stolen, even that would be an acceptable loss.

 

Personally, I'm more of a fan of the approach of using a laptop with a drive that you can easily eject. For anything sensitive, keep the drive on site in a locked vault. Pull the drive out when you get on site, pop it in the machine and pop it out for safe storage at the end of the day. This will likely find some niche applications, but in my opinions, other alternatives can be found where you won't run the risk of accidental data destruction. That being said, backups, backups and more backups would mitigate the risks of loosing data by accidental destructions.

 

I don't think someone with this type of drive will have backups

 

Schlumberger, he's a senior reservoir engineer/geophysicist. They handle some pretty sensitive client data which can be worth billions if it fell in to the wrong hands.

Schlumberger, he's a senior reservoir engineer/geophysicist. They handle some pretty sensitive client data which can be worth billions if it fell in to the wrong hands.
They basically do analysis work for interested corporations/governments but since they're entity agnostic, it is paramount that client data be confidential.
I think they actually deliver the final reports and analysis via encrypted external SSDs using trusted couriers.

 

Yeah, this drive has a very limited audience, but I do know there are people that need this kind of protection.

 

Wow that makes sense... Schlumberger are an oil exploration company.. The data would be worth a lot of money $$$$$$.............

 

The same can be said for pharmaceutical research, research for [insert country name]'s department of defense is also some pretty sensitive info sometimes.

 

It's very easy to fake mobile signal though. The device would have to ping home periodically with encrypted, validated and obfuscated data to make sure the connection is actually working.

It's much worse if you go to places without mobile signal, like Marksman30k's geophysicist dad would, unless there is satellite connection available (which can be power hungry and doesn't work very well indoors or in a vehicle). Besides, you would have to give at least a few hours of timeout for air travel and such, and there's a lot the bad guys can do within a few hours.

 

Or the CIA