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How to Defeat U.S. Border Agents from Viewing Your Notebook and Your Private Data

F

forumguy

Member
I've been reading many articles on how U.S. Customs & Border Patrol can now force you to power up your notebook, login and let them drive around anywhere they please into your browser history, email messages, contacts, bank accounts, vacation photos, vacatio movies, spreadsheets, etc. This is much too invasive. They can even image your notebook for later detailed scrutiny.

Even if you have your HDD fully encrypted with something like TrueCrypt, they can still pull you aside and force you to power and login (unlock) the system for them which totally bypasses the encryption.

I came up with an easy solution. Just remove your HDD from your notebook before going to the airport! It is such a simple task that requires at most 1 or 2 screws.

I have a small pocket screwdriver to put back the drive after I crossed customs. It only takes about 3 - 5 minutes to do while sitting around waiting to board the plane. Even if U.S. Customs does find the HDD in my suit case, I would just tell them it?s a spare. I doubt they would have any technical knowledge to put the drive back in. If they wanted to, tell them you don't want to risk damaging the notebook or void its warranty -- that will back them off.

If they ask you to power on your notebook then they will get a "no disk found" error. Just tell them the laptop is broken, you have no idea how to fix it and you are going to take it to a repair shop soon. Engage the agent in some inane banter about how technology can be so frustrating for distraction from any more inquiries. They likely would have had some computer problems of their own at some point in their past. 😉

But if you want to get more bulletproof, install the free PendriveLinux onto a flash disk and have your notebook boot that up. So even if they power on the notebook, it will boot into a Linux KDE desktop where you can drive around all they want on a pristine new O/S with no history or personal data! It will look like a normal boot up.

I would still encrypt my notebook's HDD though in case they do an image of it. But there is no way I'm ever going to get stuck at customs while a border agent snoops around my personal data!

Any holes in this plan that anyone can see? If not, I hope this tip serves you well in your travels. 🙂
 
"I have reasonable suspicion that this contains contraband and will need to be investigated further. Your luggage and you aren't going anywhere. Now have a seat right over there."
 
You joined to post that? So, what are you smuggling - drugs, illegal immigrants?

Post 2 = hey, I have some goodies for sale...
 
If they really care what you have at all they can just take the hardrive from your laptop bag and copy it's contents/confiscate it forever. The only way to be truly safe is to store all your data on a flash drive and put it up your butt. Seriously.
 
Originally posted by: frostedflakes
Can't you make hidden partitions with TrueCrypt?
Click to expand...
Yes you can; that's what I would do.

They'll ask for a password, you give it to them, and they'll find an encrypted partition full of dummy files.
 
I've only flown with my laptop once, and luckily didn't get stopped, but I have heard of some pretty unreasonable searches.

Your tactic doesn't stop the worst part - having to be searched at all. It's a bunch of bullshit. Check my laptop for bombs if you want, but I'm not going to blow up a plane with MP3s :roll: Laptop searches shouldn't be part of the TSA's responsibilities
 
Originally posted by: Eeezee
I've only flown with my laptop once, and luckily didn't get stopped, but I have heard of some pretty unreasonable searches.

Your tactic doesn't stop the worst part - having to be searched at all. It's a bunch of bullshit. Check my laptop for bombs if you want, but I'm not going to blow up a plane with MP3s :roll: Laptop searches shouldn't be part of the TSA's responsibilities
Click to expand...

you could create a harmonic resonance with your speakers that rips the plane apart

<.<

>.>
 
Yeah, TrueCrypt has a cool feature called "plausible deniability" where your primary OS is on a partition of the disk that looks like raw unformatted part of the disk. Every tool that you could use to view the disk will report is as "unformatted" or "raw". You can install a decoy OS like a small Linux installation that has its own password. If they ask you to log in, remember to use the password to boot the decoy OS!

It could be a bit dangerous because you could forget that hidden partition of yours is there and accidentally overwrite it. Also, you might type in your normal password just out of habit when you're under the gun or plain forget your other password because you rarely use it.
 
Shoving things up your ass to get across the border has probably been tried so many times that the border agents probably could tell from the way you walking towards them. Who knows the number of things agents have seen hidden rectally!

Your funny walking would then put you at risk of a rectal search!
 
The best way to stop border patrol agents from searching your laptop is to simply beat them down with a tire iron. Thats what I do whenever the 'law' decides to mess with me.
 
Originally posted by: Crusty
I'd have to say, having a laptop without a HDD is more suspicious then a laptop with an encrypted HDD.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would say a laptop without a HDD, combined with a loose HDD in your luggage would be a big red flag for them. The last thing you want to do is confuse or inconvenience them in any way, because they will happily make you miss your flight just for pissing them off.

Personally, I vote with my dollars and just refuse to fly whenever possible. The airlines allow this shit to happen because they think its what the public wants. They won't fight it until they start losing business over it.
 
Originally posted by: thomsbrain
Originally posted by: Crusty
I'd have to say, having a laptop without a HDD is more suspicious then a laptop with an encrypted HDD.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I would say a laptop without a HDD, combined with a loose HDD in your luggage would be a big red flag for them. The last thing you want to do is confuse or inconvenience them in any way, because they will happily make you miss your flight just for pissing them off.

Personally, I vote with my dollars and just refuse to fly whenever possible. The airlines allow this shit to happen because they think its what the public wants. They won't fight it until they start losing business over it.
Click to expand...

The airlines don't have a choice. US Customs sets the rules, and they have always had a large amount of leeway when it comes to searching stuff crossing the border.
 
Alternatively, you could easily have a small spare HDD that has Linux installed. Replace the HDD with this one before getting to the airport. Many people nowadays have external drives so having them in your suite case is nothing out of the ordinary.

The airlines have no control over what agents do at the border. This is totally government enforced.

Are agents really that stupid? I would wager that 98% of them are clueless when it comes to computing so simply taking out of the drive would do it and only requires the effort of removing two screws.
 
Or you could use a keyfile with truecrypt and put the usb stick in your luggage.

That might be a bit suspicious though, so I still think the best way is hidden partition.
 
Just go through there with your laptop in a carry-on buried beneath a penis pump, assorted cockrings, nipple clamps, a gerbil wheel, and a bunch of giant black dildos, shock and awe baby. If you're really lucky, maybe they'll sort through your stash and hold each item up so everybody in line behind you can see them.
 
Or just have a spare hard drive for travel. They can scan it and image it all they want but all they will find is the OS and whatever crap you decide to install.
 
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