You have 30 minutes: Where would you hide a USB drive from the FBI?

[ActualViking]

I'd live my life in such a way that I wouldn't need to worry myself about it.

Isn't that cheating?

 

[fireworksordie]

If I had a big candle in a glass or metal container, ideally like a dark red wax, I would melt it on the stove and put the drive in the wax, and then put it in the fridge to re-solidify

 

[ActualViking]

My USB sticks are those small ones not much bigger than the connector itself, that makes hiding one a bit easier than those bigger ones (and just more handy to bring on the go).

Now I presume those searching will be on the look out of a USB stick, which means they would use metal detectors, so therefore hiding the stick somewhere with lots of metal for "camouflage" seems like a good move. Having half an hour it is ample time to take something apart, hide the stick and then put what ever back together.

With 30 min I would
A. Take a door of its hinges, carefully unscrew a hinge from it, work on the wood behind the hinge mounting enough to fit the stick. Put the hinge back on and put the door back on its hinges.
B. just for fun - I would take a different USB stick, load it with random generated data in encrypted form and then hide it in my freezer.

 

[Dr Roboto]

Here is a super simple one that everyone missed. Put it behind the AC outlet cover (or switch) in any room. There is only one tiny screw that holds it on and the whole operation would take 1 minute. Tons of space for a USB stick. I find it hard to believe they will remove every single outlet/switch cover in your house. If you really want to hide it even better, you can shove it through the holes where the wires come in. In most outlets/switch boxes there are empty holes just about the right size to shove a usb stick through.

 

[yRaz]

Just encrypt the drive and then it doesn't matter if it gets stolen. We have 2FA usb keys at work that fry themselves if they suspect foul play, that's also a solution that circumvents the whole needing to hide the drive problem

 

[firespray]

I would upload it to my R2D2 unit and have them put in an escape pod...

 

[Nemts]

This is actually brilliant, on someone else’s property is a genius move although I’m not sure how I’d hide it on my neighbor’s property…

Tape it to the bottom of a Frisbee and throw it on their roof.

 

[Moochy]

Where the sun don't shine

 

[3ogdy]

FBI, stop using TechSpot to gather information from its users. We ain't brainstorming for you. Moreover, we'd put ourselves in a bad position.

Answering FBIs question: I'll hide it where you can't find it. That's the best spot.

 

[3ogdy]

If you're being raided and the FBI has a warrant for "technology", they can take any and all digital devices, but they can't touch non tech.

Hide it in your cereal box or food.

Furthermore, if I have 30 minutes, I can hide it IN MY NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY as that's outside the scope of the warrant.

30 minutes is a long time actually. I could drive to my friend's house and back in that time.

I was wondering about this : Do the FBI announce their visit prior to actually knocking on your door (more like knocking your door down, but whatever)?

 

[Thrackerzod]

Keep in mind that dogs can be trained to sniff out electronics.

 

[Baldrickalpha1]

Unscrew the back of the tv, remove the shell of the usb drive, stick the drive alongside the circuit boards in the tv, replace the back.

 

[Tantor]

Inside the house: Remove a bedroom door (three pins). Drill a 3/4" hole in the bottom of the door. Stash the stick in there. Plug with a wood dowel. Put the door back on.

Outside the house - Dig a 2 foot deep hole with a spike point crowbar. Drop the USB stick in there. Cover with dirt. Such holes are usually very small in diameter, and do not create fresh dirt.

Hopefully any 'electronic' odor will be minimized in case they bring in dogs.

 

[Mowserx]

Furthermore, if I have 30 minutes, I can hide it IN MY NEIGHBOR'S PROPERTY as that's outside the scope of the warrant.

30 minutes is a long time actually. I could drive to my friend's house and back in that time.

I’m sure your neighbors and friend appreciate you dragging them into your mess

 

[Che Cazzo]

- Inside a mouse that you fed to your angry pet boa constrictor.
- Inside a chicken you feed to the only alligator in the lake in my apartment complex (technically not part of the house, but the chicken is!)
- Inside a nut you give to squirrels that live on the oak tree whose branches are right over my patio.
- Wrapped in waterproof stuff and then inside a bottle of red wine
- Wrapped in waterproof stuff and then inside a pot of simmering meat and bones stew with one bone larger than the others.
- Inside a hollowed out (but not empty) Preparation H tube.....
- Inside a steaming pile of Brussels Sprouts .....

 

[Mikefrig]

I would put it in a pocket of meat and let the dog swallow it.

 

[tmurray]

Assuming it's something I need to have later, so I can't destroy it.

Break open the plastic housing. Desolder the USB port. Leave the PCB somewhere on my bench with a bunch of other circuit boards. Toss the USB port in the bin of random cables, or destroy it somehow.

Extra points: desolder the whole flash chip. Toss or destroy the PCB.

Later, I can scavenge similar flash drives to recover the data.

 

[dmagaw3503]

Install a fake electrical connection near air handler outside with a cover plate it would be a pipe into ground with a 90 turn that has a cover plate. Then pipe part way into house if you already have one for legit reason use that.

 

[D4ddy5H0m3]

I'd live my life in such a way that I wouldn't need to worry myself about it.

Borrrrrringgggg

 

[Y2JB47]

Encrypt the contents, rename single file to data.bin, pop the file deep within some folder hierarchy and surrounded by lots of other binaries and upload to google drive then destroy the usb.

 

[George Morley]

I'd microwave it.

 

[Urahara Kisuke]

They may already be watching you, going outside or leaving could allow them to see you hide it or possibly have local law enforcement detain you long enough for them to bring you into their custody.

Maybe a large enough curtain rod or towel rack bar to fit it in could work. This helps if they are scanning with metal detectors along wood trim hollow doors and walls they might spot it but not if it's already in metal where the signal is expected.

If your really desperate and you live on a septic system, wrap it and flush it. You know where to find it from there.

Leave a lot of juicy looking (inside and out) decoys.

Ideally prepare now, have places ready to go that will work better and be able to transfer the data to a medium that wouldn't even be suspected like a bare chip adhered to another pcb to seem like part of the circuit but not accessible without resoldering it back to a proper board or reader

 

[Gars]

In a sock, then wash them both with the other laundry and one always disappear

 

[Balloon]

Put in small bag and place behind the S bend inside your toilet.
Take a ****, wipe *** with toilet paper. Don't flush. Piss in there for good measure.

Who's gunna search without flushing first?

 

[Aranarth]

Ziplock bag and drop into the s trap under the sink.

3/4" auger bit into the top of a door 2" deep.
drop it in leave door ajar

also people look DOWN not UP.
So anything that is up is good.

Hmm how about in the bird feeder?