Researchers bypass Android encryption by exposing phones to freezing temperatures

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  • Reply 41 of 55


    "This loophole let them start it up with some custom-built software rather than its onboard Android operating system,"



    So was the software already installed on the phone, previous to their experiment, or did they install the software afterwards? This detail is actually pretty important.

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  • Reply 42 of 55

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Cold temps can do wonders for a harddrive.


     


    A few years ago, the drive on a Macbook that I had suddenly died. It sounded like it had the click of death, because all it would do is make these nasty, loud clicking sounds every once in a while. The drive was totally done with. It wouldn't boot up at all and no data could be accessed from it.


     


    After some quick online research, I decided to put the drive in a ziplock bag, and I threw it in the freezer overnight. The next day I removed it from the freezer and I immediately hooked it up to a Mac, and I was able to retrieve most of the data that was on the drive. It worked for almost an hour, then it died again, and remained dead for good.



    They were able to something like this with Walt Disney's brain and extracted the story lines for two new animated movies and learned the real relationship between Donald Duck and his nephews.

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  • Reply 43 of 55
    dick applebaumdick applebaum Posts: 12,527member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Macky the Macky View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Apple ][ View Post


    Cold temps can do wonders for a harddrive.


     


    A few years ago, the drive on a Macbook that I had suddenly died. It sounded like it had the click of death, because all it would do is make these nasty, loud clicking sounds every once in a while. The drive was totally done with. It wouldn't boot up at all and no data could be accessed from it.


     


    After some quick online research, I decided to put the drive in a ziplock bag, and I threw it in the freezer overnight. The next day I removed it from the freezer and I immediately hooked it up to a Mac, and I was able to retrieve most of the data that was on the drive. It worked for almost an hour, then it died again, and remained dead for good.



    They were able to something like this with Walt Disney's brain and extracted the story lines for two new animated movies and learned the real relationship between Donald Duck and his nephews.



     


    But what is Goofy?

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  • Reply 44 of 55

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Dick Applebaum View Post


     


    But what is Goofy?





    I would say the whole scenario sounds pretty goofy...

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  • Reply 45 of 55
    jce10jce10 Posts: 36member
    Regardless of device or type, if you can physically alter it, odds are you can get to the data eventually.

    The whole point of encrypting the drive is that, in the unfortunate case where a malicious party gets physical access, it would still be very difficult to access the data.

    This is a case where a security feature does not fulfill its promise.
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  • Reply 46 of 55
    theothergeofftheothergeoff Posts: 2,081member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jragosta View Post



    Now, that's a really strange one. Not only the fact that the bug exists, but the fact that someone was able to find it.


    Not that strange.


     


    This form of attack has been demonstrated as early as 2008 (http://forums.overclockers.com.au/showthread.php?t=655809) as a method to freeze the RAM of a laptop to uncover the whole disk encryption key in memory.   A couple cans of liquid Air was enough to freeze the DRAM and capture the entered (at last boot) the key from memory (accessing the RAM as a raw data device).

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  • Reply 47 of 55
    curtis hannahcurtis hannah Posts: 1,834member
    solipsismx wrote: »
    You'd think something called Ice Cream Sandwich could withstand freezing temperatures.



    PS: Beat you to it, GTR. :D
    Beat me to it also, maybe they needed a better name scheme.
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  • Reply 48 of 55
    Isn't easier to point a gun to the person and ask the password?
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  • Reply 49 of 55
    igrivigriv Posts: 1,177member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by akf2000 View Post


    my wife often reaches these temperatures in bed. 



     

    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

     


    Are you saying she is insecure?


    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

     

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  • Reply 50 of 55
    igrivigriv Posts: 1,177member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by malax View Post



    This sounds like bad science fiction. Impressive work by those Germans.


     

    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

    The Germans respond: ve have our vays...


    #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }

     

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  • Reply 51 of 55
    jollypauljollypaul Posts: 328member


    They could manufacture the phone to explode below a threshold temperature. Canadians would have to buy phone muffs to keep from blowing their hands off.

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  • Reply 52 of 55
    jpellinojpellino Posts: 713member
    Why bother with the cooler - just wait for it to freeze on its own... (rimshot)
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  • Reply 53 of 55
    kdarlingkdarling Posts: 1,640member


    Of course, the freezing RAM method would work on any device... including iPhones.


     


    OTOH, perhaps Apple has anti-freeze protection already built in by accident: 


     


     



     


    j/k  :)

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  • Reply 54 of 55
    macrulezmacrulez Posts: 2,455member


    deleted

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  • Reply 55 of 55
    curtis hannahcurtis hannah Posts: 1,834member
    kdarling wrote: »
    Of course, the freezing RAM method would work on any device... including iPhones.

    OTOH, perhaps Apple has anti-freeze protection already built in by accident: 


    <img alt="" class="lightbox-enabled" data-id="21744" data-type="61" height="400" src="http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/21744/width/350/height/700/flags/LL" style="; width: 266px; height: 400px;" width="266">


    j/k  :)
    Vs windows when the device never works again.
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