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Why This Security Expert Doesn't Use a Phone (Buskill Interview) episode artwork

EPISODE · Nov 22, 2025 · 1H 2M

Why This Security Expert Doesn't Use a Phone (Buskill Interview)

from Techlore Talks · host Techlore

Even with encryption and 2FA, if someone steals your logged-in laptop, you're compromised. Michael Altfield created Buskill - an open source USB "dead man switch" - to solve this analog attack vector. In this interview, you’ll hear about the real incidents that inspired it, the advocacy work that fueled it, and the collaborative engineering efforts that turned it into a practical tool for protecting sensitive data.🔗 SOURCES & LINKS• https://tech.michaelaltfield.net/• https://buskill.in/• https://github.com/BusKill⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 INTRO00:01:43 WHAT GOT YOU INTO SECURITY?00:02:32 WHEN DID YOU GET INTO SECURITY?00:03:31 WHAT IS A DEAD MAN SWITCH?00:04:33 WHY DID YOU DEVELOP BUSKILL?00:06:25 WHEN DID YOU START MAKING BUSKILL CABLES?00:06:42 HAS THE PRODUCT CHANGED SINCE THEN?00:07:42 WHO ELSE IS BUSKILL FOR?00:09:08 WHAT OPTIONS CAN BE TRIGGERED?00:10:53 IS IT POSSIBLE TO TRIGGER A FALSE OR ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENT?00:12:16 CAN YOU WIPE ON WINDOWS OR MACOS?00:13:40 LINUX INSTALL OPTIONS00:14:16 MACOS & WINDOWS INSTALL OPTIONS00:14:25 CAN THIS BE DONE ON MOBILE?00:16:39 REAL-WORLD BUSKILL EXAMPLES00:18:13 BUSKILL COMMUNITY00:19:17 BUSKILL + OPEN SOURCE00:19:44 STL FILES + 3D PRINTING00:20:38 IS IT GOOD TO CREATE IT YOURSELF?00:20:50 INTERDICTION00:21:42 EDWARD SNOWDEN ON INTERDICTION00:23:24 OTHER ACQUISITION METHODS00:25:13 NOVACUSTOM PARTNERSHIP00:26:00 BUSKILL + NICHE LINUX DISTROS00:26:57 QUBES DOM000:28:27 UBUNTU & TAILS00:30:02 DOES BUSKILL SUPPORT CHROMEBOOKS?00:31:19 GETTING INVOLVED IN PRIVACY + ADVOCACY00:33:05 HOW PRIVACY IS VIEWED WORLDWIDE00:36:55 PERSONAL CHALLENGES WITH PRIVACY00:39:11 GO-TO PRIVACY & SECURITY TIPS00:40:11 BUSKILL + SECURITY KEYS?00:43:06 SECURITY THROUGH OBSCURITY00:45:25 CLOUD-BASED PASSWORD MANAGERS00:46:09 LIVING WITHOUT A PHONE00:51:57 CAN IT GET WORSE?00:53:18 PROPRIETARY BROADBAND00:58:49 WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT NOVACUSTOM?01:00:56 OUTRO🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREKeep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Nov 22, 2025

What this episode covers

Even with encryption and 2FA, if someone steals your logged-in laptop, you're compromised. Michael Altfield created Buskill - an open source USB "dead man switch" - to solve this analog attack vector. In this interview, you’ll hear about the real incidents that inspired it, the advocacy work that fueled it, and the collaborative engineering efforts that turned it into a practical tool for protecting sensitive data.🔗 SOURCES & LINKS• https://tech.michaelaltfield.net/• https://buskill.in/• https://github.com/BusKill⏱️ TIMESTAMPS00:00:00 INTRO00:01:43 WHAT GOT YOU INTO SECURITY?00:02:32 WHEN DID YOU GET INTO SECURITY?00:03:31 WHAT IS A DEAD MAN SWITCH?00:04:33 WHY DID YOU DEVELOP BUSKILL?00:06:25 WHEN DID YOU START MAKING BUSKILL CABLES?00:06:42 HAS THE PRODUCT CHANGED SINCE THEN?00:07:42 WHO ELSE IS BUSKILL FOR?00:09:08 WHAT OPTIONS CAN BE TRIGGERED?00:10:53 IS IT POSSIBLE TO TRIGGER A FALSE OR ALTERNATIVE ENVIRONMENT?00:12:16 CAN YOU WIPE ON WINDOWS OR MACOS?00:13:40 LINUX INSTALL OPTIONS00:14:16 MACOS & WINDOWS INSTALL OPTIONS00:14:25 CAN THIS BE DONE ON MOBILE?00:16:39 REAL-WORLD BUSKILL EXAMPLES00:18:13 BUSKILL COMMUNITY00:19:17 BUSKILL + OPEN SOURCE00:19:44 STL FILES + 3D PRINTING00:20:38 IS IT GOOD TO CREATE IT YOURSELF?00:20:50 INTERDICTION00:21:42 EDWARD SNOWDEN ON INTERDICTION00:23:24 OTHER ACQUISITION METHODS00:25:13 NOVACUSTOM PARTNERSHIP00:26:00 BUSKILL + NICHE LINUX DISTROS00:26:57 QUBES DOM000:28:27 UBUNTU & TAILS00:30:02 DOES BUSKILL SUPPORT CHROMEBOOKS?00:31:19 GETTING INVOLVED IN PRIVACY + ADVOCACY00:33:05 HOW PRIVACY IS VIEWED WORLDWIDE00:36:55 PERSONAL CHALLENGES WITH PRIVACY00:39:11 GO-TO PRIVACY & SECURITY TIPS00:40:11 BUSKILL + SECURITY KEYS?00:43:06 SECURITY THROUGH OBSCURITY00:45:25 CLOUD-BASED PASSWORD MANAGERS00:46:09 LIVING WITHOUT A PHONE00:51:57 CAN IT GET WORSE?00:53:18 PROPRIETARY BROADBAND00:58:49 WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT NOVACUSTOM?01:00:56 OUTRO🎥 VIDEOWatch on YouTube 🧡 SUPPORT TECHLOREKeep Techlore Talks independent & growing: ★ Support this podcast ★

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This episode is 1 hour and 2 minutes long.

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This episode was published on November 22, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Even with encryption and 2FA, if someone steals your logged-in laptop, you're compromised. Michael Altfield created Buskill - an open source USB "dead man switch" - to solve this analog attack vector. In this interview, you’ll hear about the real...

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