Have you ever had a laptop stolen? How about a cell phone? Did either contain any sensitive data? With mobile devices becoming more and more common each day, the risk for theft of such devices also increases. This is where data security company Ensconce Data Technology and their "Dead on Demand" service comes in. Starting "early next year," companies will be able to purchase drives from EDT that contain an acidic "chemical mist" that destroys the drive layer by layer should it be stolen.
Drives will reportedly cost anywhere between a whopping $2,500 to $9,000, but will supposedly all but prevent data theft by triggering themselves if the drive is removed or tampered with. The mist may also be triggered of the system containing the drive is removed from a specific GPS location, or even by changes in temperature. Worried customers can also trigger the destruction via a cell phone call.
While other data protection solutions exist, this is by far the most drastic. After all, would you be comfortable having an acidic mist inside your hard drive?
News source: The Wall Street Journal
Drives will reportedly cost anywhere between a whopping $2,500 to $9,000, but will supposedly all but prevent data theft by triggering themselves if the drive is removed or tampered with. The mist may also be triggered of the system containing the drive is removed from a specific GPS location, or even by changes in temperature. Worried customers can also trigger the destruction via a cell phone call.
While other data protection solutions exist, this is by far the most drastic. After all, would you be comfortable having an acidic mist inside your hard drive?
News source: The Wall Street Journal
Key findings of the study include:
- On a per-asset basis, the Microsoft platform is less expensive to patch than a similar OSS environment:
-Windows desktops cost 14 percent less to patch than Linux desktops.
-Windows servers cost 13 percent less to patch than Linux servers.
-Windows database servers cost 33 percent less to patch than Linux database servers.
- OSS-based systems faced with high-level and critical vulnerabilities are at risk longer than comparable Windows-based systems.
- Survey respondents consistently overestimated the number of Windows vulnerabilities, while underestimating those for OSS.
- Through the use of best practices, Windows patching costs can be reduced by up to 55 percent.
it's a great idea... but say you call the wrong number, or it accidently goes off? your hard drive is toast
think about it guys
That's neither what the article said, or implied. I have no idea why the article states that you can call it in from a cellphone, perhaps landlines lack the capability to do such a thing. You're probably correct, but for now, I'd like to maintain my dream of having a phone list of these things. Think ransom, or just random destruction. Awesome.
That is what you can call a serious data protection....
I know, I just find computers funny - if I was to burn my car to stop it being stolen that wouldn't really be classed as "protection".
"Karl? Dick? What does S-E-C-U-R-I-T-Y spell? That sure is a long word."
Anyways, the drive doesn't "Squirt everywhere" or at least it's not designed to do that. It just mists the destrutive chemical INSIDE the hard drive shell, spraying it over and around the platters. Sure, if you rig the thing to sqirt in a malicious manner than you could do stupid things with it... but I'm fairly sure that's not what the designers had in mind.
Then there's the little fact that a chemical that is destructive to the data-layers on a hard drive need not be of a toxcicty that would be a severe skin iritant (although I will admit that it is possible that the chemical would likely be somewhat toxic).
Obviously, you need to download Microsoft's Joke Recognition Software:
http://www.microsoft.com/joke-recognition.htm
I had a thought to hook up explosives the bottom of my hard drives and then connect the trigger. But there really isn't anything on there that I'd care enough about. Well, except my doomsday device designs.
Is data encryption not enough? I guess if it is encrypted it can be decrypted..so apparently not for some people.
-Ax
Last edited by 36306 on 25 Jun 2005 - 20:54
Smart: "This is ridiculous! This new assignment is making me look and feel like a sissy!"
Agent 99: "Well, this is what you get when you dialed the boss' computer laptop number and caused his hard drive to explode because you dialed the wrong extension number!"
No, I think this is about destroying data that one just can't allow to fall into the wrong hands—like a drug dealer's list of clients, transactions, and bank account numbers. In such a situation, destroying the data would be the only way to keep someone from, for example, torturing you to extract the information.
I wouldn't be comfortable having an acidic mist anywhere near me. Imagine if you had that on your lap and it somehow leaked..
Summer is here. "Can I have my data back?" response "err...NO"
This technology would probably be sold to OEMs for use in an integrated security platform (that is, laptops built specifily to take advantage of having a destructable HD). So, if you stole the thing and "ripped the battery out of it" without knowing the proper security procedures all you would be likely to end up with would be either a long prison sentance or a lot of broken junk.. or both. If you think laptops can't be rigged to fry their own circutry, you need to think again.
Point taken, I just trying to put a different spin on it
At that price you are not going to let it out of your sight!
And also net yourself a THIEVEING TOE-RAG CHAV at the same time
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