On Wed, 26 Nov 2014, Joe Zeff wrote:
On 11/26/2014 12:47 PM, Bill Oliver wrote:
> Now let's say that flash drive is stolen, lost, etc. *and* the
> passphrase is compromised. I want the data on the flash drive to be
> available *only on one computer* even if the passphrase is known.
What happens when (not if) some piece of hardware dies without warning?
Then I'd rely on decrypted backups, which are stored under physical lock and key. Or,
if necessary, I'd simply go back to the client and get the data again. I do that a
lot with paper files, since I burn them when my consultation is finished. Occasionally,
the client will come back for more help, and I'll have them resend the information.
My problem is *not* loss of data. It's security.
Since I do investigative work and litigation support involving violent deaths occurring in
multiple countries, including evaluation of possible human rights abuses and
assassinations (though most of what I do is much more mundane), I have *boxes* of
confidential material in a safe in my home. For example, one of my coworkers recently
returned from Gaza, looking at deaths of children there. As you might expect, the
information and imagery she brought back might be inflammatory, and until the final report
is released, there are significant issues with data security. But the fact is that she
can lose her working copies of stuff because the archival copies are in a secure place.
If someone is willing to break into some place and dynamite a safe, then that's the
breaks. However, I also have the problem of folk constantly attempting to gain access to
materials electronically. More recently, I lost a flash drive that had sensitive data on
it. While the drive is encrypted, and I believe that it was "really" lost, not
picked up, I'm not overly concerned. But that started me thinking about trying to fix
it so that even if someone had my passphrase, they could still only open it on my secured
computer.
billo