Ovrdrive does not encrypt its contents by default but has a uniquely physical security mechanism and can be rigged to self-destruct - by heating itself to over 100 degrees C:
Through GitHub and Crowd Supply, Ryan Walker of Interrupt Labs (via CNX Software) is releasing a security-focused, open-source USB flash drive called Ovrdrive USB, which boasts a self-destruct mechanism that heats the flash chip to over 100 degrees Celsius.
The Ovrdrive USB is unencrypted by default, so it should still be legal in countries where encryption is otherwise illegal while providing an extra degree of (physical) security not matched by our current best flash drives.
First, the Ovrdrive USB design functions pretty simply. It's mostly a run-of-the-mill USB flash drive with a unique activation mechanism. For it to be detected by your machine, you have to rapidly insert the drive three consecutive times actually to turn it on. Failure to do so will hide the drive's partition and give the impression that it's broken. Initially, it was supposed to self-destruct, but it proved too challenging to mass produce, forcing Walker to change the drive.
[...] In its crowdfunding campaign on Crowd Supply, the flash drive is slated for an August 2024 release and priced at $69 with free US domestic shipping or $12 international shipping for the rest of the world. At the original time of writing, the flash drive has reached 70% of its funding, with two days remaining on the funding deadline.
Related: Report Reveals Decline In Quality Of USB Sticks And MicroSD Cards
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday February 14 2024, @11:33AM (3 children)
Sometime in the late 80's, I made a 4MB SCSI ramdisk for my Atari ST. Yes, that was a real external disk, with a real SCSI controller, but the disk was actual RAM. It kept its content from the mains power, and if that failed, it could ride out the power cut with a small gel lead-acid battery for a couple of days.
But here's the kicker: all 4 rubber feet had a microswidth underneath. Lift the drive off the table, and *poof* went the content.
I never used it for anything but it was a fun project. The truth is, it was entirely too easy to knock the device off the table and lose all the data. But for the truly paranoid and the hypothetical person who had data they truly risked big being found in possession of, you couldn't beat it.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday February 14 2024, @08:13PM (2 children)
Was that an anti-law enforcement feature?!
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(Score: 2) by Rosco P. Coltrane on Wednesday February 14 2024, @08:21PM (1 child)
Pretty much.
(Score: 2) by Tork on Wednesday February 14 2024, @08:27PM
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