SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
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: 2) by driverless on Thursday February 15 2024, @02:58AM (1 child)
Yup, 100 degrees won't really do much. A bigger concern though is that this sounds like some sort of pyrotechinc mechanism, which means if he tries to sell it or, worse, ship it, he's going to get a call or visit from some no-nonsense gentlemen who'll inform him about how many laws he'd be breaking by doing so.
OTOH if it's just a nichrome wire or equivalent then I can't see how it's going to be powered, or why anyone would wait around for it to heat the chip up a bit.
Unless there's a lot of detail being missed, this sounds like a gimmick someone thought up after a few beers. The German word schnapsidee [dw.com] springs to mind.
(Score: 2) by driverless on Thursday February 15 2024, @03:01AM
Hit reply too soon, "the mechanism reverses the voltage supplied to the device to around 100 degrees Celsius". Ah, of course, it reverses the polarity of the neutron flow to generate heat.