Interrupt Labs
Security & Privacy
Ovrdrive USB
A privacy-focused, open-hardware USB flash drive with a hidden feature that protects your data
Interrupt Labs
Security & Privacy
Ovrdrive USB is an open-hardware USB flash drive with an inconspicuous enclosure and a hidden security feature tucked away inside it. If you plug the device in normally, it will appear blank, but if you quickly plug it in three times in a row, you will be able to read and write data. We built Ovrdrive for journalists working in hostile environments, security researchers, and anyone interested in open hardware.
All project assets are open source, including the software tools we used to design our PCB. Ovrdrive’s removable enclosure gives you easy access to the board. You can program its microcontroller using using a 6-pin header with a 1.27-mm pitch.
Ovrdrive also includes circuitry that can invert the voltage supply to the flash chip, which heats it up to over 100° Celsius. While that’s not quite hot enough to destroy a flash chip, it’s probably hot enough to act as a catalyst for whatever DIY "self-destruct" implant you might choose to design, build, and stuff inside the enclosure.
So, if your threat model—or your idea of a good time—calls for the permanent, hardware-level destruction of data, you can break a trace on our PCB and start experimenting. (This feature is disabled by default for obvious reasons.)
| Product | Ovrdrive USB | IronKey Keypad 200 | Secure Key 3NXC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Interrupt Labs | Kingston | Aegis |
| Encryption | Software (user defined) | Hardware (XTS-AES 256-bit) | Hardware |
| Discrete | Yes | No | No |
| Open Source | SW + HW | No | No |
| Capacity | 8 GB | 16 GB | 16 GB |
| USB Version | 2.0 | 3.2 | 3.2 |
| Dimensions | 60 x 18 x 8.5 mm | 80 x 20 x 10.6 mm | 81 x 18.4 x 9.5 mm |
| Destruction | Yes | No | No |
| Cost | $79 | $96 | $93 |
We designed Ovrdrive for everyone, and it’s 100% open source. Check out our GitHub repo! All of the CAD tools we used to design this device are open source as well. We would like to thank the developers and maintainers KiCad, FreeCAD, GNU/Linux, and Arch Linux. Feel free to join our open source hardware community on Discord!
Our manufacturing partner, PCBWay, will assemble our PCBs. The enclosures are off the shelf and shipped to us from a manufacturer in China. We will assemble and test Ovrdrive here in Switzerland.
After our production run is complete, we will package everything up and send it along to Crowd Supply’s fulfillment partner, Mouser Electronics, who will handle distribution to backers worldwide. You can learn more about Crowd Supply’s fulfillment service under Ordering, Paying, and Shipping in their guide.
We have spun this board three times, and tested our design for the production model extensively. To mitigate any unforeseen risks related to the PCB, I will manufacture and test a batch of 10 boards before beginning production at scale.
"As a product aimed at journalists, researchers, and others needing an extra storage security layer, the Ovrdrive USB design may be a good choice. ...[It] serves as an excellent security knowledge check for unwanted third-party drive users."
"The Ovrdrive USB flash drive emerges as a notable solution for those who find themselves in precarious situations where data security is not just a preference, but a necessit"
"Not only does the device boast a Mission Impossible-style self-kill ability, but it also has a secret feature that hides data unless you plug it in the correct way."
Produced by Interrupt Labs in Basel, Switzerland.
Sold and shipped by Crowd Supply.
An open-hardware USB flash drive with a hidden self-destruct feature
Basel, Switzerland · interruptlabs.ca
We are an engineering consultancy and product development firm developing open-source hardware and software. We focus on enabling researchers and hackers to learn and explore the boundaries of hardware security.
