We’re sure that many of us have misgivings about leaving our laptops out in the open in public spaces and walking away, maybe to get something or go to the bathroom, out of fear that it might be stolen. However, developer Michael Altfield might have created the perfect solution for that in the form of a modified USB cable.
In a post on his blog, Altfield reveals how he modified a USB cable on his Linux laptop so that in the event that his laptop is snatched out of his hands, it will automatically shut the laptop down or wipe it so that whoever stole it will not be able to access its contents. While password protection is a good thing, it won’t protect users while they’re logged in, hence Altfield’s creation.
Dubbed the “BusKill”, this is a cheap modification that will probably cost you as little as $4, where you can opt to use a USB thumb drive, or alternatively, you can even opt for USB-C options if you’re willing to spend a bit more. However, we should note that Altfield’s creation only seems to work with Linux based computers.
This is due to the fact that on Linux, users can add a rule to the platform’s device management to trigger an action, so by using Altfield’s script, you can create a rule to erase your laptop in the event that it is snatched out of your hands while you’re using it. For more information, you can head on over to Altfield’s blog to see what kind of components you need and the accompanying script.
Filed in . Read more about Hack and Security. Source: tech.michaelaltfield.net