ABIT's Secure IDE Motherboard 567
Frank Caviggia writes "The Inquirer has a story about ABIT's spiffy new IC7-MAX3 motherboard. Apparently, this motherboard has a feature called 'Secure IDE,' which is marketing-speak for hardware-based encryption ... ABIT goes on to claim that 'Secure IDE' 'will keep government supercomputers busy for weeks and will keep the RIAA away from your Kazaa files.' Pretty bold claims for a motherboard maker ..."
Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Insightful)
So what they are saying is their algorithm is proprietary and is therefore likely insecure? I thought people stopped believing in/hyping security by obscurity years ago... Or maybe that's just wishful thinking? Hell, for all we know they could be using xor encryption or some such crap. I don't trust any encryption algorithm that I can't see.
while ((c = getc(unencrypted)) != EOF) { if (!*cp) cp = "key\0"; c ^= *(cp++); putc(c,encrypted); }
3y3 y4m l33t, c4tch m3 1f y0u c4n RIAA. heh.
In addition, if there is no key does that mean there is no local security? If someone just took your whole rig mobo and all would they be able to access your files since whatever algorithm they are using must be embedded in the board?
I can see the spooks at NSA laughing.
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:5, Insightful)
It looks like this (physically) small key plugs directly into the encryption/decryption chip (the interface looks like a USB plug but the picture doesn't show it well; the interface itself has a 4 pin header though).
It looks like to boot your computer, the key needs to be there. So make sure the police never show up while you are using the computer, never keep the key on you and keep your case open all the time so you can attach/detach it easily?
Nice idea though. Just not entirely practical.
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Funny)
Um this is slashdot...how many cases aren't already open? Sorry just couldn't resist the obvious!
What job does the motherboard have? (Score:4, Interesting)
Is ABIT just bundling a product with their motherboard here, and can it be bought elsewhere?
I'd like to see one of these with a key fob that has an auto-destruct button on it, like a tiny capsule of acid... Delivered with two dongles -- one you can put in a vault or destroy, depending on how you feel.
Regards,
--
Arthur Hagen
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Funny)
Key what key? It was on the machine when the police took it, I have no idea what happend it after that your honor.
Re:Why not Triple DES or AES? (Score:3, Insightful)
Besides, your friends still have the GPG-encrypted DVD-R backups you gave them, right?
Re:Why not Triple DES or AES? (Score:5, Informative)
One of the biggest problems with regards to encryption (aside from snakeoil salesmen) is that if someone suspects/knows you're using encryption, they're going to try and get the key out of you. Either by legal means like locking you away in a hole for years until you make with the key, or just resorting to good old fashioned torture to make you cough up the info. Neither option is particularly appealing, so a rather smart solution to the problem was devloped.
Naturally, it's called "Rubberhose" (The website [rubberhose.org])
The gist of it is that you make a large container file (say, 1gb for example). Inside that container file, are many smaller container files, each one having their own encryption key. You'd have one container with moderate-level stuff that you could "give up" if forced, and another container with the "real good stuff" that you'd get imprisoned/killed if the badguys discovered it.
The interesting way that it works is that in order to get access to the "real good stuff", you need to input the keys to all of the other containers to both decrypt the containers in question, and to fully map the filesystem. No container knows about any other container, nor where it's data is stored inside the 1gb file. Of course the data isn't stored in contigious blocks, and the containers could be fragmented into millions of pieces interwoven with eachother. It's also impossible to "prove" by any means that another container even exists.
So you can open any container and see the info inside it, but all of the containers appear to utilize the entire 1gb of storage space. You never know that anything other than empty space exists in the drive.
It's kind of complex, and I may not have explained it all that well, so before jumping on me, please read up at the website.
It's absolutely elegant, although perhaps not currently easy enough to be utilized by the masses. Still, if I was going into hostile territory, this would be the first thing I got operational on my portable equipment.
N.
Re:Why not Triple DES or AES? (Score:5, Informative)
http://www.enovatech.net/html/ps_mobile.htm [enovatech.net]
It's a mobile HD rack with the key/encryption hardware built-into it. Sounds reasonably secure too. From the site:
- Real-time hardware based encryption with 1-1Gigabit per second throughput and zero performance degradation
- NIST Certified DES 64-bit and TDES 128/192-bit encryption engine
- Automatic transparent operation encrypts entire hard drive bit-by-bit, including Boot Sector and OS
- Portable X-Wall Secure Key for BIOS level user authentication and access control
- Operating System and software independent ; does not require device drivers
Sounds like a nice product. With bandwidth in the gigabit range, it isn't going to be a problem on any mechanical storage device.
Regular DES is pretty weak though... Triple DES is reasonably secure though, assuming those are actually the key-lengths shown, and not just marketingspeak. If the price is right, I could see this type of gear becoming quite popular.
Law enforcement would hate it though. Assuming they couldn't get ahold of the key before it was destroyed, they'd be TSOL as far as getting anything out of the drive.
N.
Re:Why not Triple DES or AES? (Score:5, Informative)
AES [nist.gov] ceratinly was designed with performance in mind. And it can be implemented efficiently on 8-bit and 32-bit general purpose architectures as well as dedicated hardware. What interests me even more is what mode of operation they are using. I'm researching in modes aimed at disk encryption. It certainly is more complicated than just using CBC and be done with that.
Now if all you wanted to do was ECB mode encryption of the disk, that could be done very efficient in hardware. With 512 byte sectors and 256 bit blocks, you would have 16 blocks per sector, which could be encrypted and decrypted in parallel by 16 independend AES circuits. But of course that is not particular secure.
I have designed a more secure encryption that uses a tree structure on the disk. And involves both hashing and symmetric and assymetric encryption. Obviously it does have a price in terms of disk space, memory requirements, and I/O efficiency. But you get impressive security properties.
I doubt ABIT have done any of that, because the customers probably only want encryption if they can get it for free. Besides it would be stupid anyway considering the ridiculously small key of just 40 bits as mentioned in the specification. They claim it is adequate for general users. I say it is adequate for anybody who doesn't need encryption.
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Informative)
Yes, once they have possession they are going to tread lightly and copy because the kiddie pr0nster's tricks are to wipe the HDD if a security precaution isn't followed during boot/login. But hell yes, they can take anything (including you) with the correct paperwork (warrants and whatnot).
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Informative)
There was an article called "alt.war.scientology" in a 1995 Wired feature article which went into much greater detail, but it's not on the Wired website, apparently.
That 1995 article set off alarms that are still clanging today.
Yes, indeed, they can do anything they like to you, and you can't do squat to stop them.
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Interesting)
The case was dropped, they really didn't have any hard evidence and the law is very grey in this area since there are no real precedents. The police have r
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Interesting)
True. But if the RIAA wants to get at your files they would have to circumvent the encrpytion. Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't that be breaking the DMCA?
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:4, Insightful)
Is someone going to go out and buy this MB if they aren't intending on using other good security measures?
The general public doesn't create decent password/key pairs. Joe Schmoe is not going to buy this board. Paranoid freaks are.
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:2)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:5, Informative)
Although I havn't seen them, I'd imagine it would be easy to make one with a built-in clock of some sort, so if you didn't correctly utilize the key every so-often, it would automatically self-destruct.
Of course, they're probably rather more expensive than what ABIT is proposing.
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:3, Interesting)
If it is able to encrypt a harddrive at the beginning (with FDISK) with ANY key you have on that keychain, then I'm sure it is only used for superfast hardware encryption and decryption on the fly.
It will store the key in it's own RAM (that way you don't have to have the keychain plugged in after initial bootup) and will disappear when powered down.
Re:One-Time Pad (Score:3, Informative)
Forget this fast. If there is human readable text on the disk, two blocks "encrypted" in this way already give you a significant part of the key. With some more blocks of text a complete key compromise is easy to do and can be automatized.
Note to all the non-experts: A One-Time Pad is secure exactly if it is used for one encryption. Why so many people do not get this, even with the "one-time" in
Re:One-Time Pad (Score:3, Informative)
You are wrong. That is simply not enough. It would be enough if you never changed any contents on the HD. But as soon as you change something, you would need more key bits.
I have seen a research document suggesting an algorithm to produce a pseudo one time pad from a key, and use that for encrypting the disk. For practical purposes it might be as secure as a one time pad. Bu
Re:Security by obscurity, cool. (Score:4, Informative)
And the poster said "Patriot Act stuff", which indicates both the Act itself, and the atmosphere which surrounds it. Tho I think I'll leave the rest of the defense to the original poster.
Oh great! (Score:2, Funny)
Anything to sell a product... (Score:5, Funny)
That has to be one of the biggest marketing lies I've ever heard since 'Win98 doesn't crash...' as the PS/2 mouse was plugged in...
Re:Anything to sell a product... (Score:2)
Re:Anything to sell a product... (Score:4, Informative)
Still, I agree though. If you have used your key to open and run your system, any data transferred over the internet has your encryption removed. Another example of BS marketing at it's best. It's a good thing that any individual who is in the target market would probably know better. It could be a good selling point to orginizations in need of tighter security though. Would you feel a bit better if your accountant used this on his system?
No, read a little further (Score:5, Funny)
Ok, maybe it's not a marketing lie. But. How seriously can you take anything with the settings 'Turbo', 'Street Racer' and 'F1'?
Re:No, read a little further (Score:5, Funny)
Re:No, read a little further (Score:3, Insightful)
I think what you meant was the Type R [cox.net].
Re:No, read a little further (Score:3, Funny)
Whoa, sounds like your case will need a spoiler.
Re:Anything to sell a product... (Score:2)
It's the feature trick; as a producer of something you just add a feature that cost you almost nothing. I guess this new feature cost under $1 to add but they can add $5-10 on the retail price.
Won't keep RIAA out (Score:4, Insightful)
Not only will it not keep government supercomputers out for weeks, it won't keep the RIAA out of your disk for weeks if they confiscate it. Besides, the RIAA can subpoena you to make you hand them the key dongle. Also, this is only useful against people who have physical possession of your disk when your machine isn't running - if your machine's running with the disk mounted, it's no different than a regular disk, so querying your Kazaa file-sharer will work just fine, or running a search program on your machine.
Great, now they steal your whole computer. (Score:5, Funny)
Remember people, when we break into homes with search warrants, you need to take the MOTHERBOARD now too!
Re:Great, now they steal your whole computer. (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Great, now they steal your whole computer. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Great, now they steal your whole computer. (Score:5, Interesting)
Ge = Geheimnis, or Secret
Sta = Staat, or State
Po = Polizei, or Police
Translate from german to english, and mash it all together again, and viola, Secstapo
Re:Great, now they steal your whole computer. (Score:3, Interesting)
I'm going to pick an very small nit: While Geheminis is the correct root, in the abbreviation it becomes Geheime. I don't know the proper English terminology for changing nouns like this (since, well, English doesn't do it). So the correct expansion of Gestapo is Geheime Staatspolizei.
Doesn't change the meaning or point of your post one bit. Just so no one will go arround shouting for the Gehemnis Staatspolizei. That would roughly translate to "a secret" state police.
And I ass
How many hacks involve stealing the hard drive? (Score:4, Interesting)
Keys to the (water cooled) castle... (Score:5, Informative)
Nothing is ever completely secure, but I could see where this would help some. Genuinely a cool idea, but I'll wait a couple of years to see if it matures some first.
Re:Keys to the (water cooled) castle... (Score:5, Interesting)
The real question is, if the Key is USB, does the OS need to mediate between the SecureIDE subsystem and the USB key, or does the BIOS do it below the OS?
There are a few problems with it though. The key is almost certainly copied off the USB key into local storage, rather than passing all data through the USB port for encryption (though with a dedicated USB2.0 port, that might be allright), and if you're getting sued and the court requires you to make the data accessible, saying you 'lost' the key is going to put you in jail.
Re:Keys to the (water cooled) castle... (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Keys to the (water cooled) castle... (Score:5, Informative)
How'd you make that leap of intuition?
Yes, existing installs need not apply... that makes sense. They're writing encrypted data to the drive, and mixing encrypted and unencrypted would be a bad idea. But how on earth do you think this is tied to Windows?
The encryption is occurring at a BIOS/hardware level. You can run whatever OS you want and it'd work fine because the entire point was that you could setup the drive in a normal fashion -- you don't need to use any special tools to do it. If you were restricted to a particular OS or to a particular FS then you'd have to use Abit's own tools to do it.
Not such a cool idea IMO, more junk like the tube based audio they put out. Lots of flash with no substance, since if someone wants that data they're going to get it. I seriously doubt they implemented a sturdy enough encryption system to resist any significant governmental cracking... at least not one that can run in real time. It's mostly for the overly paranoid dweebs out there who don't realize that nobody wants to read their data.
Re:Keys to the (water cooled) castle... (Score:4, Informative)
They made the example because formatting the drive is insufficient -- the partition table itself must be encrypted, and that requires repartitioning. Since 99% of all PCs are used in Windows, it's a fairly reasonable thing to talk about how to do it for that OS.
They are probably using the File Allocation Table itself (the FAT in FAT) to store some encryption data or authentication info. That would also tie them to a particular implementation of FAT most likely.
Uh, except that you don't set that up in fdisk. fdisk merely creates the partition table. You can decide what FS is in which partition independant of that.
Any hardware specialists in the house to speculate?
Yes.
FUD City (Score:5, Informative)
- No special motherboard needed. This thing plugs in between the ide cable and the driver.
- As with all encryption. Lose the key and you're the proud owner of a high tech paperweight. Not unique to this connector.
- I suspect they mention fdisk because it's commonly used. It's a transparent encryption system, so
card + drive = normal drive
They're just saying to reformat the drive after putting the adapter on.
- Any file system/operating system will do. "Device driver free" too. Again, they're just saying you have to start over.
Also worth noting:
- The encryption card can use an extension cable get the dongle to the outside of the case. So no, you don't have to pop the cover each time you walk away.
- Once you boot up, the key doesn't need to be in any more.
- They give you a backup key too.
Re:FUD City (Score:3, Informative)
Re:FUD City (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Keys to the (water cooled) castle... (Score:4, Funny)
Isn't that a GOOD thing? That's good security right?
I don't want a secure IDE drive that "if you lose the key, you can snap your fingers and get all the unencrypted data back!"
good to see... (Score:2)
I RTFA and I still don't understand (Score:3, Interesting)
Then from the paragraph before: "... its Secure IDE technology will 'keep government supercomputers busy for weeks.'"
So it can never be opened by anyone except the government, which will require a few weeks to decrypt what's on the drive? Are they mixing a physical opening of the drive with reading the data on the drive itself?
Obligatory Kung Pow Reference (Score:3, Funny)
Master Doe: This key will allow no one to see the contents of your hard drive due to the complicated encryption algorithm. Do you understand?
Master Tang: [nods head in agreement, pauses] No.. I don't understand.
Right (Score:5, Insightful)
Wouldn't that require some intelligence by the user? I mean like not sharing their file library? It's not like the RIAA can just go into people's homes and start busting open computers for pirated music.
Re:Right (Score:2, Insightful)
It's not like the RIAA can just go into people's homes and start busting open computers for pirated music.
Well, not yet anyway.
And in other news... (Score:5, Funny)
Acting on tips from an anonymous source (*cough* RIAA), U.S. soldiers invaded the homes of many citizens at home and abroad looking for the ever elusive Saddam MP3 FileSharer and his evil co-hort Osama Stole'Music and thier cache of MMDs (MP3s of Mass Destruction).
President Bush re-iterated that the MMDs exist saying, "I know they out there, our intellegence agencies downloaded a few of them last night."
Within the hour, both the CIA and FBI bave both denied that MMDs were downloaded. They go on to say, "infact our servers were hacked and used as a MMD store by the suspected country music terrorist group "Al'abama" "
No comment has been released from the NSA. It is suspected they didn't hear the phone ring on account of the volume the MMDs were being played at the verify the MMDs were *IN FACT* MMDs.
Film at 11.
For the lazy: (Score:5, Informative)
For MAX3, the ABIT Engineers listened to users who were asking for information security. SecureIDE connects to your IDE hard disk and has a special decoder; without a special key, your hard disk cannot be opened by anyone. Thus hackers and would be information thieves cannot access your hard disk, even if they remove it from your PC. Protect your privacy and keep anyone from snooping into your information. Lock down your hard disk, not with a password, but with encryption. A password can be cracked by software in a few hours. ABIT's SecureIDE will keep government supercomputers busy for weeks and will keep the RIAA away from your Kazaa files.
Now, when it says Lock down your hard disk, not with a password, but with encryption... that seems to me that there's a hardware key on the motherboard that prevents the HDD from being read in other machines.
Meaning... that instead of stealing just your hard drive, they have to steal the whole computer? =p
Either that, or there is a password in addition to that. It could probably be gotten around by flashing the BIOS, or just taking the CMOS battery out for a brief stint. Either way, no, I don't imagine the NSA is shaking in fear just now.
Re:For the lazy: (Score:3, Informative)
Depending on their implementation, it could be reasonably secure, but I don't know that I'd want to protect anything really important with it. Would definatly prevent casual snoopers though, or people who'd pu
Re:For the lazy: (Score:2)
If you go to the ABIT site you'll see that the decrytpion key is not stored in the BIOS. It is a physical device that you need to plug in during boot. The physical "key" appears to be one of those USB flash drives that fit on a keychain.
One would suspect that the decryption key is in the data stored on that device. As long as you hold that device, no-one can read your hard drive, even if they have the motherboard.
Re:For the lazy: (Score:3, Insightful)
ABIT is a Tiawanese company (Score:2)
Kazaa (Score:3, Insightful)
Until the user shares them with the world. Damn some people are stupid.
Holy marketing batman! (Score:3, Insightful)
Since they don't have a Secure ATA controller, they couldn't read the drive. They probably even need the same Secure ATA controller.
But if they have access to your hard drive, time to unscrew it, secure it, etc - why not take the entire machine?
The marketing people are probably patting themselves on the back right now but ABit just lost a fair bit of respect from me. If it is secure, post more information about "Secure" ATA and prove me wrong - if you want to hide details and claim it is secure, I'm worse than not interested in this tech. I'm less interested in Abit on the whole now.
This is true if the drives taken out of the PC, (Score:3, Interesting)
RIAA (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:RIAA (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:RIAA - encrypt your MP3s. (Score:3, Interesting)
So encrypt your MP3 files.
I always wondered why people didn't do this. Wrap each shared MP3 in a password protected zip. Would you be liable for distributing encrypted MP3s? Technically, you took measures to make sure nobody else could use them.* (You put them on the net so you cou
Who cares about the RIAA getting to my files? (Score:2)
It doesn't matter if the RIAA can see your "Kazaa files". All the RIAA has to do is see your username on a P2P network and trace the IP address behind it. They don't need to search your hard disk drive - all they need is evidence of a particular kind of modem activity and they can bust you anyway, hard disk or no!
Poor Computer Technicians (Score:5, Interesting)
I mean, I like the idea. I just don't like the idea of having to deal with impenetrable security on top of everything else that I have to deal with when my little brother's friend fries his computer again and I have to slap a new HD or mobo etc in it.
Real use? (Score:5, Interesting)
But the encryption doesn't sell me, because it's really a limited use.
Assuming the machine is being used, and they is inside so you can access your data. You install an old version of Linux with an unpatched SSH client, and somebody root kits you. The encryption won't help you here - after all, the key is already used on the box so the motherboard can talk to the hard drive.
The only time encryption would be useful is when:
a) Somebody steals/appropriates the computer, and doesn't get the key. You destroy the key, and if this is a court case, you make sure there are no backups they can restore from.
b) that's about it.
I like the idea of encryption being on a laptop hard drive, and there's a USB key for it (I'm hoping the 10.3 version of OS X's user directory encryption is not just password/passphrase enabled, but lets you use a CD-Key, or something onto the Keychain file and you can be anal and put the Keychain file onto a USB key so it has to be inserted for the home directory to wirk). A laptop is more likely to be stolen and credit cards/passwords/sensitive company information (and if you're like me and work for a company who does Defense department contracts, that can be a big deal).
Otherwise, I'm not sure I fully see the "average" home use of this motherboard to protect from the RIAA finding out what files you have over the Internet, since the hard drive is already being decrypted to give that data over the network. Like I said earlier, it's only use is if the RIAA gets a court order, and you throw the key into the garbage diposal. (Which might get you held up in contempt of court or some such, and then you'll have to hope that Abit doesn't have a backup key of their own floating in their system somewhere.)
I could just be missing the point of the encryption other than a "gee whiz" feature - but that's just me.
So you mean DRM... (Score:2)
Just an aside, but it would seem to me that if DRM/Palladium can keep consumers from digitally copying copy-protected music, then it could also be used by pirates to keep the RIAA from ever prosecuting music pirates. If a pirate recorded the digital output from the soundcard, and then used that to rip to mp3, they would then have technical "ownership" of the mp3, from the DRM perspective. They could then offer this file on the p2p networks with no worries at a
how? (Score:2)
re: The RIAA comment (settlements) (Score:3, Interesting)
While this is true, the RIAA doesn't actually need to win their case to get money from you. They just want you to give them $12,000 - $17,000 [wired.com] in an out-of-court settlement. Even if they don't have a case against you & can't prove that your files really were mp3's (due to your encrypted hard drive), they're still going to attempt sue you if you don't settle - Sure, you'll win in court, but you're still going to pay $10,000 (or more) in lawyer & court expenses...
I guess if you were doing something even more illegal that would required real evidence (i.e., innocent until proven guilty), then an encrypted hard drive would be a problem for the prosecutor. (That is, unless Abit really is just doing 'encryption by obscurity' as an above poster suggests)
Secure IDE, eh? (Score:3, Interesting)
Unnecessary - encrypt your file systems instead (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Unnecessary - encrypt your file systems instead (Score:3, Insightful)
I agree. But this particular hardware solution looks very weak and incompatible with existing software solutions. That is not a good thing.
Before (Score:4, Insightful)
wait.
There will be more information in the weeks and months to come. Don't decry this as useless until you know what it actually is.
___________
That aside, this could be a case of "secure computing" working counter to many of the interests that originally pushed it. Sure, encrypted channels can be used to enforce DRM, but they can also be used to hide that cracked media when $badguy comes looking for it on your hard drive.
The DMCA can work for you just as it works for $badguy. That encrypted IDE is protecting -your- copyrighted intellectual property, after all.
trouble shooting? (Score:2, Interesting)
a few thoughts.... (Score:5, Insightful)
Encryption algorythms are sufficiently advanced that key management is the real issue: Trying to brute-force it can be very difficult, but finding out the private key (which makes decryption trivial) can often be relatively easy. So, even if they used reasonably strong encryption, chances are that they won't succeed at protecting the private keys.
However, I suspect that their encryption isn't really all that strong. Doing strong encryption at speeds necessary to sustain IDE transfers (up to 50 megabytes/second *per drive*) is fairly serious stuff, especially if you want to be able to do it at sufficiently low latencies. Hardware-encryption boards that truly do strong encryption at much slower speeds than that are pretty pricey, usually at least four figures.
steve
RTFA (Score:5, Interesting)
So rather than destroying the motherboard, you just need to store the USB key somewhere other than where the computer is. Pretty straight forward. You can't take the hard drive to another secureIDE computer and have it work without the USB key.
The key will also be encrypted! (Score:3, Interesting)
This is how OpenSSH works anyway (i did not read the secureIDE blurb too carefully). The SSH guys say that keys should allways be encrypted, because theft of keys is easy to do. If the key is encrypted then that at least is one more substant
Encryption alg (Score:5, Informative)
Also, here's the key [abit.com.tw].
Not going to stop the RIAA from catching you (although they'd have difficulty decrypted the drive once they did I guess), but looks moderately useful for protecting a harddrive from theft. I'd love one on a laptop. If someone stole it in an airport or somesuch - at least they couldn't get my data without some effort.
Re:Encryption alg (Score:5, Informative)
No it's not. this [abit.com.tw] page says it's 40 bit DES. Scheez. People still use that?
No External Key??? (Score:5, Informative)
Loop-AES is trivially ease to set up under linux,
and you can have it require a GPG key etc that live on a USB keychain.
If you have my keychain, and you know the password, you can mount
http://sourceforge.net/projects/loop-aes/
http
Something you have and something you know...
Read the damn article... (Score:4, Insightful)
Everyone ranting about how this is inherently stupid since the key is just on the motherboard should actually read the article and note that the key is actually going to be stored on a removable device of some sort. So the idea is you carry the key with you at all times and just plug it into the computer when you want to use it. When the key is not in the computer the data cannot be read.
Of course this still doesn't explain the silly Kazaa claims, however that is another issue altogether. In fact this whole thing seems kind of useless since if the government were to confiscate your computer or something you'd think they could just subpoena the key as well, and it does nothing to protect against hackers since the key has to be in your computer for you do use it. Turning it off when you're not using it would be just as effective. About the only thing this is good for is in case somebody steals your computer when you're away. But it could work for that.
Since nobody reads the acticle... (Score:5, Insightful)
- It has *nothing* to do with the motherboard, it is a card that connects between the IDE cable and the IDE drive. Like s separate card.
- It works with all OS, no drivers. You need to start from a blank disk though because everything is being encrypted/decrypted as it passes through (if you "decrypt" plaintext something it goes horribly wrong).
- The encryption is 40 bits which is really really weak. Same as DVDs for example (ok slightly FUD because CSS was a poor algorithm)
- You have an external keyring, which acts as your hardware key.
That being said, I really don't see the big use of this. It's only good if your disk is taken, they don't take the key and it's only protecting the information (disk is as good as ever if you remove the card and format it again). Of course if you have vital company/personal/military data on your disk I suppose that might be enough of a reason.Kjella
40-bit DES? (Score:4, Insightful)
40-bit DES (US Data Encryption Standard) is adequate for general users
In much the same way that leaving the data un-encrypted is adequate for general users, I suppose.
Sign of where the money is (Score:3, Interesting)
It wouldn't surprise me if they ended up killing off DRM by offering workarounds and personal encryption based products, because that is what consumers are demanding.
I don't understand... (Score:3, Informative)
I'm not understanding this statement. If you are running a program that shares files then the RIAA will not magically be locked out. If they're talking about someone hacking your computer then I guess it depends on how they do it.
Once you boot using the key your computer is going to have to store and use that key in order to decrypt data on your drive. This has got to be done in the background by the MOBO. What a pain in the ass it would be to have to explicitly and in person tell the computer to decrypt every file you access!
That being the case, if someone forces one of your programs to crash but leave open a shell wouldn't the MOBO go on happily decrypting data for any process running in that shell?
If encryption/decryption is happening at the hardware level it would seem to me that the only real protection you would be getting is if someone steals your computer but doesn't take the device that you use to feed the MOBO the key. How many of us would just leave that device plugged in to the computer anyway?
Something doesn't make sense, maybe I am just dumb (Score:4, Funny)
They said that the RIAA wouldn't be able to read the Kazaa files off your machine. Huh?
How does secure IDE do that?
Okay, you got WXP running. And you are running Kazaa, Real Player and whatever else. Obviously the encryption/decryption is done at the hardware level between the motherboard and the hard drive.
For this thing to have practical use to the general public it must be transparent to the OS.
Now the RIAA is getting information on people without invading peoples computers. They are using the Kazaa network and probably downloading MP3's just like anyone else. Then they look at the IP address and go from there.
I am just not seeing how secure IDE does anything to stop that.
The only way secure IDE would be helpful in the Kazaa situation is if it broke Kazaa.
As for the key.
I am not getting that at all. They are saying that it isn't password protected and it isn't a dongle.
It is hardware.
Well that sucks.
Now granted I have never had the privledge of having the FBI or the cops bust into my house and confiscate my PC.
But I seriously doubt they would waste there time cracking the case and taking the hard drives. Minnimal they would take the tower.
Hell they would confiscate everything. Consider all the stupid people that hide there passwords by tapeing them under the keyboard, taking your monitor might pay off for them.
So if they have the tower anyways then I ask again, how is secure IDE helping?
The only case I can see is if I decided a hard drive is bad and threw it away.
And I'll level with ya, when I do that I destroy the hard drive anyways. I don't need encryption. I pull the tape off the side and expose the breather whole. Then I take a screw driver and jam it in there real hard. I make damn sure that I scratch up both sides of the platters. I also try to knock the heads off.
I argue that my way is better then encryption anyways. It might take weeks for supercomputers to decrypt there encryption, but I would love to see a solution to the mess that I make with a screwdriver.
Rehash of the old Apricot LOC tech. (Score:3, Informative)
The hard disks were encrypted in hardware even back then. Also, there was no reliance on any USB dongle to just get the disk unencrypted.
LOC tech worked by the user having an IR transmitting card which authenticated you to the machine. If it was in secure mode, you had to transmit from your card (encrypted transmission.. No copying the transmission and replaying), which then gave you the login screen for your user (this is the first point the keyboard unlocked).
You enter the password and it lets you use the system.
The encryption was independant of OS. This was damn cool 'paranoid' gear. It won me a few contract jobs on the basis that nobody else could get into the machine apart from me, and a couple of my clients at the time were pretty much requiring security and confidentiality.
Nice for the single user PC where you really don't want someone else turning it on and reading your email.
Still, I'd much prefer to use something that can be used to hold differently available data depending on the user.. The day they put rubberhose [rubberhose.org] in hardware, I think they'll really have a winner...
Still, it seems odd they they are trying to hype tech that's a cutdown version of 13 year old tech as something new and revolutionary..
Malk
Sheesh, RTFA (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Grammar... (Score:2)
And you know how bad they are with grammer....
Re:cost? (Score:2)
Re:IT'S NOT ENCRYPTION! (Score:5, Informative)
Here's [enovatech.net] a drive bay adapter by same, which uses an external key, I can't tell about the motherboard, though.
Re:DRM in disguise? (Score:4, Interesting)
Anything that restricts access to any data is DRM. That's why the slashbot reaction to the term is so moronic. Slashdot has DRM in the form of usernames and passwords, so I cant post as Perens or Carmack, and to make sure only subscribers get to see articles when first posted. A zip file with a password is "drm".