[GLLUG] Self Destructing USB Key

[Richard Houser]

> I actually thought up a much better alternative:
> 
> A 2-piece USB key.  I'm not talking about the 'cap' but rather break the 
> circuitry in two in such a way that data stored on both halves is 
> useless if someone just has one half of the key (and connecting it to 
> any other half of the same key type won't work either).

The problem with the proposed solution is that it is

1.) slow (requires two reads and two writes per logical block, so even 
with parallel access, would be as slow as a single chip),
2.) over double the cost, (2x the flash, plus requires a controller chip 
to handle what essentially doing an XOR of the data between the two sides
3.) power hungry (over double the power consumption for all operations),
4.) bulky (due to the need for 3+ chips instead of just 1
5.) in order to use the device, you require both parts, so the security 
is completely worthless in the typical usage situations, and
6.) does nothing more practical than basic software encryption with a a 
key stored on a second flash stick (you could do this now entirely in 
software just using two flash sticks)