HACKER Q&A
📣 nullandvoid

Protecting private data during a robbery.


I've often wondered what would I do during the case of an armed robbery, whereby you're forced to unlock your phone (likely on the street, but it could also happen at home).

One such option would be to have multiple users (which is transparent to the robber, and instead only accessed via a different pin) - one which doesn't include banking, messaging etc, but AFAIK I don't believe this exists (I'm on android (Samsung).

How do the security / privacy conscious folk on here handle this threat?

  👤 keiferski Accepted Answer ✓
The first step is to not live somewhere that muggings on the street are common. Prevention is the first solution, and all that.

When I have been in more dangerous places, I’ve tried to do two things: 1) never mindlessly pull out electronics while on the street and 2) have a spare junk phone in my pocket in case anything does happen.

👤 giantg2
I believe Android has a duress pin starting in version 5 or 6, under advance settings. This is probably ideal for what you're talking about.

Start with prevention though - don't have the newest most expensive phone, don't make yourself look like an easy victim (distracted, alone, scared, weak), don't go to bad neighborhoods if it can be avoided, learn some self defense. If armed robbery is really a pressing concern there are options in many places to meet that threat with similar force. There are some criminals that will kill you even after getting what they want. That was happening in my city a while back, and I'm sure it occasionally still does.

👤 aborsy
If you are forced to unlock the phone, then whatever is in the phone is accessible!

If you have laptop, you can encrypt it with veracrypt that gives you plausible deniability. Unfortunately it’s not available in LUKS or bit locker. It’s similar to login into a dummy account. Phones could also implement such system, but they haven’t yet. I don’t know if you can hide apps.

Face or fingerprint ID protects some data. The rest, remote wipe, but the thief may not give you enough time.

But they could just ask you for your bank account information!

👤 version_five
Carry a "burner" phone and give that to the criminal. Ideally just carry it, or at least keep the real one somewhere more secure and less obvious and produce the burner. Requires the discipline of using the real one when you're out because someone could see you have it.