ESP32-based Midbar V6.0
Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2023 3:54 am
Advancements in cryptanalysis and hacking techniques are continuously reducing the cost of accessing your data without your authorization, making it easier and more attractive for different sides to get it.
And while it's good to have a tool like Midbar that can significantly increase the cost of unauthorized access to your data, it's even better to have a convenient tool, that can do so. One of the inconveniences present in Midbar is that only one version of Midbar (Midbar (Teensy 4.1 Version) V2.0 - https://www.instructables.com/Midbar-Te ... rsion-V20/) can type your credentials as if it were a USB keyboard. Don't get me wrong, the Midbar (Teensy 4.1 Version) V2.0 is not fundamentally flawed or anything like that. It just so happened that the Teensy 4.1 board costs roughly $40. So, my solution to the "cost issue" is to replace a $40 board with two boards that you can buy for under $5 each.
As for the description of the Midbar project itself:
Midbar is a hardware data vault. Unlike hardware authentication devices, it can store your login credentials, credit card information, notes, and phone numbers. Midbar encrypts your data and requires a master password and, in some cases, four additional RFID cards to access it. With Midbar, you don't have to worry about memorizing the login credentials and credit card information for the services you use. It does that for you.
Compared to software vaults, Midbar provides more security because it does not have thousands of other processes running alongside it, significantly contributing to making it almost invulnerable to side-channel attacks. Additionally, Midbar utilizes sophisticated integrity verification and superencryption features.
The integrity verification feature ensures that any corruption or unauthorized modification of your data will not go unnoticed. Superencryption is a safeguard that would be useful in case a highly improbable black swan event renders one of the major encryption algorithms (AES or Serpent) insecure. Even after such an event, your data would still be encrypted with one secure and two "somewhat semi-secure" encryption algorithms, providing an extra layer of protection.
If you're interested in this project, you can read the tutorials for it on:
https://www.instructables.com/Midbar-V60/
https://medium.com/@Northstrix/midbar-v6-0-ad3f08c1d45d
Midbar's page on SourceForge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/midbar/
Midbar's repository on GitHub: https://github.com/Northstrix/Midbar
I hope you find this device handy.
Best regards,
Maxim Bortnikov
And while it's good to have a tool like Midbar that can significantly increase the cost of unauthorized access to your data, it's even better to have a convenient tool, that can do so. One of the inconveniences present in Midbar is that only one version of Midbar (Midbar (Teensy 4.1 Version) V2.0 - https://www.instructables.com/Midbar-Te ... rsion-V20/) can type your credentials as if it were a USB keyboard. Don't get me wrong, the Midbar (Teensy 4.1 Version) V2.0 is not fundamentally flawed or anything like that. It just so happened that the Teensy 4.1 board costs roughly $40. So, my solution to the "cost issue" is to replace a $40 board with two boards that you can buy for under $5 each.
As for the description of the Midbar project itself:
Midbar is a hardware data vault. Unlike hardware authentication devices, it can store your login credentials, credit card information, notes, and phone numbers. Midbar encrypts your data and requires a master password and, in some cases, four additional RFID cards to access it. With Midbar, you don't have to worry about memorizing the login credentials and credit card information for the services you use. It does that for you.
Compared to software vaults, Midbar provides more security because it does not have thousands of other processes running alongside it, significantly contributing to making it almost invulnerable to side-channel attacks. Additionally, Midbar utilizes sophisticated integrity verification and superencryption features.
The integrity verification feature ensures that any corruption or unauthorized modification of your data will not go unnoticed. Superencryption is a safeguard that would be useful in case a highly improbable black swan event renders one of the major encryption algorithms (AES or Serpent) insecure. Even after such an event, your data would still be encrypted with one secure and two "somewhat semi-secure" encryption algorithms, providing an extra layer of protection.
If you're interested in this project, you can read the tutorials for it on:
https://www.instructables.com/Midbar-V60/
https://medium.com/@Northstrix/midbar-v6-0-ad3f08c1d45d
Midbar's page on SourceForge: https://sourceforge.net/projects/midbar/
Midbar's repository on GitHub: https://github.com/Northstrix/Midbar
I hope you find this device handy.
Best regards,
Maxim Bortnikov