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# Physical Custody of Electronics & Full Disk Encryption

Physical Security: what are the assumptions we're making about your threat model.

There's a lot of missing op sec here, we don't address hostile state actors.

DON"T MAKE FALSE PROMISES.

# Physical Custody of Electronics

## Overview
Digital security isn't just about encryption and data and metadata. The physical security of data and devices is also paramount: What happens to your data if your device is stolen? What's at risk if a border agent or other adversary takes your laptop for 30 minutes? We'll discuss these security aspects and ways to protect yourself from the associated risks.

**ABOUT THIS LESSON PLAN**
What happens to your data if your device is seized or stolen? How should you prepare to cross international borders safely? Full disk encryption can

**Review date:** June 5, 2017
This module makes a few assumptions about your threat model. It is written with American journalists in mind -- if your work puts you in conflict with hostile state actors, you should seek out more specialized training.

**Lesson duration:** 30 minutes
## About This Lesson Plan

**What will participants learn?**
**Review date:** June 5, 2017
**Lesson duration:** 30 minutes
**Level:** Intermediate
**Preconditions:**

What's at risk when you lose custody of your devices, say at an
international border. How to protect your data from device theft with
full disk encryption.
**What materials will participants need?**

**What materials will participants need?** smartphone, laptop
They should bring their Android / iPhone and laptop.

**How should participants prepare?**

For laptops, a participant needs to have administrator access to their
machine so that they can change system settings to enable disk
encryption.

**What materials will the instructor need?**

**EXAMPLE MESSAGING FOR PARTICIPANTS**

**Links in the news**

- [*https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/11/30/u-s-border-agents-stopped-journalist-from-entry-and-took-his-phones/*](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/11/30/u-s-border-agents-stopped-journalist-from-entry-and-took-his-phones/)

- [*https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/21/homeland-security-journalist-maria-abi-habib-detained*](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/21/homeland-security-journalist-maria-abi-habib-detained)

- [*https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/12/14583124/nasa-sidd-bikkannavar-detained-cbp-phone-search-trump-travel-ban*](https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/12/14583124/nasa-sidd-bikkannavar-detained-cbp-phone-search-trump-travel-ban)

- [*http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/missing-secret-service-laptop/index.html*](http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/missing-secret-service-laptop/index.html)

**Advance email**
Participants will need administrator access to their machines.

**Followup email**
**How should the instructor prepare?**

**LESSON PLAN**
Touch base with IT staff to talk through your plans for the workshop -- you may need their support in actually enabling disk encryption.

**Icebreakers/activities**
Read through the material carefully and think about what will work for you, as a facilitator and instructor.

**Walkthrough or Active Lesson**
## Lesson Plan

(This is more of a guide of the subject matter and things to touch on or
relay in your own teaching; probably not a literal lesson plan.)
**Groundwork**

Digital security isn't just about encryption and data and metadata. The
physical security of data and devices is also paramount: What happens to
your data if your device is stolen? What's at risk if a border agent or
other adversary takes your laptop for 30 minutes?
Digital security isn't just about encryption and data and metadata. The physical security of data and devices is also paramount: What happens to your data if your device is stolen? What's at risk if a border agent or other adversary takes your laptop for 30 minutes?

The physical custody issues generally boil down to two categories: theft
/ permanent loss of your device, and temporary custody.
Physical custody issues generally boil down to two categories: permanent loss of your device, and temporary custody.

**Theft / Permanent Loss**
**Theft or Permanent Loss** You leave your backpack in a taxi. Your laptop disappears from your hotel room. A thief swipes your phone when you're standing on the sidewalk. What are the risks:

Examples: You left your backpack in a taxi. Your laptop disappears from
your hotel room. A thief swipes your phone when you're standing on the
sidewalk.
*Activity:* Have participants spell out their concerns. Capture them on a white board or sticky notes. If someone malicious takes your laptop, what do you need to worry about?

Risks:
You're looking for things like:

- Your data (documents, passwords, address book, calendar, etc.)
> are stolen.
+ Someone else has your documents, password, address book, calendar.
+ You don't have them anymore, unless they're backed up.
+ Sensitive work information, including documents, e-mails, communication about your reporting, communications from anonymous sources could be compromised.
+ You can't do your work because your hardware is gone.

- Is it a work device? Do you have sensitive work information
> (documents, e-mails or other communication about your
> reporting, communications from anonymous sources)?
**Seizure or Temporary Custody** Border agents seize your computer, but eventually return it to you. Your laptop is seized in a police or FBI investigation, and subsequently returned to you. You leave your laptop unattended -- in a hotel room, or office -- and someone tampers with it.

Mitigations:
*Activity:* Again, have participants spell out their concerns. Capture them on a white board or sticky notes. If someone malicious takes your laptop, what do you need to worry about?

- Full disk encryption (we'll get to this below)
You're looking for most things from the first list, as well as things like:
+ someone can make a complete copy of the disk.
+ they can tamper with your device or install malware on it

- Backups of your data

**Temporary Custody**

Examples: Border agents seizing your device and then returning it to
you. "Evil maid" attack: you leave your laptop in a hotel room or
sitting around in your office or some other place temporarily
unattended. (The border crossing case has unique legal and operational
risks that go well beyond this summary guide; for more information,
[*the EFF has a
report*](https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017)
focussing on these issues at the U.S. border.)

Risks:

- Your data (documents, passwords, address book, calendar, etc.)
> are stolen.
- (As above: is this a work device? If so, what types of
> work-sensitive information is at risk?)
- Border or police agent (Department of Homeland Security /
> Homeland Security Investigations / ICE / La Migra) takes a
> copy of the full disk of your device.
- Your device has been tampered with and contains malware.
**So what can you do?**
You can mitigate what is available without your permission. But "mitigation" is a key word. You don't know, not really, that it can't be decrypted. The strategies that make sense vary a lot with your threat model.

Mitigation:

- Mitigate what data is available without your permission:
- Mitigate the data available without your permission:

- Full disk encryption. (Note that at a border you may be detained
> indefinitely or refused entry if you refuse to unlock
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https://www.justsecurity.org/51759/dehumanized-border-travelers-push/

### Recommended Reading

**Links in the news**

+ [U.S. border agents stopped journalist from entry and took his phones (Washington Post, Nov 2016)](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/11/30/u-s-border-agents-stopped-journalist-from-entry-and-took-his-phones/)
+ [Department of Homeland Security detains journalist returning from Beirut (The Guardian, July 2016)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/jul/21/homeland-security-journalist-maria-abi-habib-detained)
+ [A US-born NASA scientist was detained at the border until he unlocked his phone (The Verge, Feb 2017)](https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/12/14583124/nasa-sidd-bikkannavar-detained-cbp-phone-search-trump-travel-ban)
+ [Secret Service laptop containing Trump Tower evacuation and floor plans stolen (CNN, Mar 2017)](http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/missing-secret-service-laptop/index.html)
+ [Privacy Complaints Mount Over Phone Searches at U.S. Border Since 2011](https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/22/us/politics/us-border-privacy-phone-searches.html)
+ [“Dehumanized” at the Border, Travelers Push Back (Just Security, Feb 2018)](https://www.justsecurity.org/51759/dehumanized-border-travelers-push/)

+ [EFF 2017 Report on Digital Privacy at the US Boarder](https://www.eff.org/wp/digital-privacy-us-border-2017)

**More training resources**

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