Is my computer secure?

[christopher_wolf]

Perhaps the safest way to store one's information is to have a secure USB drive and bring it with you wherever you go...

Well, that and pile on as many other security measures you can think of. I would actually recommend carrying a biometrically-controlled secure USB stick and generate a one-time pad of codes; you can then pair them with encryption settings for passwords on your Thinkpad. Technically, a randomized one-time pad is unbreakable if used correctly. They would not be able to crack it provided that the basis of your pad is truly random.

http://www.ranum.com/security/computer_ ... ead_whatis

After that you can pile on as many AES and other encryption schemes as you like; but you must make sure that they are kept extremely safe and you *must* use actual random numbers and not pseudo-random numbers.

[GomJabbar]

Well, that and pile on as many other security measures you can think of. I would actually recommend carrying a biometrically-controlled secure USB stick and generate a one-time pad of codes; you can then pair them with encryption settings for passwords on your Thinkpad. Technically, a randomized one-time pad is unbreakable if used correctly. They would not be able to crack it provided that the basis of your pad is truly random.

http://www.ranum.com/security/computer_ ... ead_whatis

After that you can pile on as many AES and other encryption schemes as you like; but you must make sure that they are kept extremely safe and you *must* use actual random numbers and not pseudo-random numbers.

Well, pphilipko, you can do all of that, or for a simpler, yet secure solution, I would consider the following:

http://www.kanguru.com/kanguruwizard.html

Secure Your Confidential Data!
The Kanguru Wizard is a mini USB Security Key which enables you to portion off and secure data on any existing hard drive by creating a second “virtual” encrypted drive. This virtual drive can be used like your normal hard drive, but is only accessible when the Wizard is plugged into your computers USB port.

Unplug the Wizard and the virtual drive becomes invisible and inaccessible to anyone attempting to access your computer.

I suppose law enforcement could have backdoor access for this device as well, but I kind of doubt it. You could research this and similar devices more thoroughly before making a decision.

[christopher_wolf]

That sounds like a similar thing; except it is doing it with two devices (one virtual and one hard), a key and a VD that is encrypted by that second hardware key (Wizard). Nice


EDIT: This has actually given me an idea; it could be possible to rig up a cheaper version of that system with a USB stick, some encryption, OTP, and PGP software, and a little work. I will experiment some and see what I can come up with.

[pphilipko]

Well, to anyone interested, I've decided on the route of purchasing a security USB drive with some of my little encryption "tricks". Thanks for the suggestions, Chris and Gomjabbar; I might incorporate these measures in the near future. My new security measures should keep me secure for now...hopefully.

Chris, be sure to keep us updated on what you come up with! It might be interesting.

P.S. I think I'm starting to get overly paranoid...but hey, the more the better, right?

[dsvochak]

P.S. I think I'm starting to get overly paranoid....

It may be wise to remember that even paranoids can have real enemies.