Journalists, activists, and human rights defenders face a constant battle to keep files safe from a growing set of digital threats and surveillance. But physical attacks can be challenging to defend against, whether an opportunist snatch-and-grab thief or an oppressive government kicking down someone’s door.
This week, a project called BusKill launched a custom USB magnetic breakaway cable that acts as a “dead man’s switch,” locking a computer if someone physically snatches it and severs the magnetic connectors.
The BusKill cable locking a computer when the severed. (Image: BusKill)
BusKill has been in the works for more than two years as a do-it-yourself project. Anyone with the hardware could compile the source code, but it only worked on Linux and components quickly sold out.
After a crowdsourcing effort, the cable is now available …
