Skip to content
Open
Show file tree
Hide file tree
Changes from all commits
Commits
File filter

Filter by extension

Filter by extension

Conversations
Failed to load comments.
Loading
Jump to
Jump to file
Failed to load files.
Loading
Diff view
Diff view
25 changes: 25 additions & 0 deletions src/traveling.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
@@ -1 +1,26 @@
# Traveling

Traveling exposes you to special risks, like the [Evil Maid Attack](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_maid_attack). This attack involves a malicious actor gaining access to one of your devices through an official role, and then using that access to steal data or implant malware. It is not limited to maids in hotel rooms, but rather any time any device is out of your control. This includes coffee shops, conferences, airport security, customs, shipping, etc. As always, though, we should keep in mind our [threat model](./threat_model.md), unless we have specific reason to worry about 1% attack scenarios.

## Common attacks

### Physical

1. You SHOULD keep a [low profile](https://a16zcrypto.com/posts/article/personal-physical-security/).
1. You MUST NEVER leave a device unlocked AND unattended.
1. You MUST use full disk encryption on any device which supports it (with a [strong password](./work_devices.html#deploying-hardened-laptops))!
1. You SHOULD power devices off before leaving them unattended, not simply lock them; this prevents a lockscreen compromise from granting access to the unencrypted disk contents.
1. You SHOULD choose hotels which have in-room safes, which will reduce the number of people who have access to your devices while you are at dinner or the pool.
1. You MAY use a screen protector to mitigate shoulder surfing.

### Network

1. You SHOULD use a VPN when using WiFi.
1. You MAY get a local SIM (eSIM is easier than physical SIM card) if you don't have a global carrier; but even then a VPN will protect you against some attacks (e.g. [stingrays](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stingray_phone_tracker)).

## Uncommon attacks

Mitigating uncommon attacks often requires extreme measures, which will impact your ability to do work. Always remember your [thread model](./threat_model.md)!

1. You MAY choose to engage Lockdown Mode, available on [Apple](https://support.apple.com/en-us/105120) and [Android](https://www.airdroid.com/mdm/android-lockdown-mode-in-business-scenarios/) devices. Read the documentation carefully if you do so, since the behavior is very different by platform.
1. You MAY choose to wipe your devices before flying, or crossing international borders. Be aware that this may make you look suspicious, which could result in reprecussions not limited to interrogation and/or confiscation of your devices.
2 changes: 2 additions & 0 deletions src/work_devices.md
Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -31,6 +31,8 @@ We need to take steps to prevent this from happening, and implement better secur

Our strategy is based on the [Swiss Cheese Model](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_cheese_model). Hardened laptops ensure an additional layer of defense to keep us all safe.

One important part of hardening a laptop is to enable [full disk encryption](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_encryption#Full_disk_encryption). This prevents an attacker from accessing the hard drive directly, either to read data or implant malware. In order to maximize the effect of disk encryption, a [strong password](https://pages.nist.gov/800-63-4/sp800-63b/passwords/) MUST be used.

## **Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR)**

“*Endpoint Detection and Response*” or EDR is a fancy, enterprise term for a software that runs on your laptop and helps keeping it safe. Companies in the ecosystem SHOULD pick an implementation that can be configured such that it will yield *low* false positives (e.g., it shouldn’t flag running `bitcoind` as malicious) and a good security posture. In other words, it will do its job and get out of the way, for all of us to do ours.
Expand Down