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A comment on Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' Protester. Parent comment

Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by gruez on Thursday March 05, 2026 @05:53PM (#47268384)
>So, actually, Proton COULD read your email (IFF you use webmail).

The authorities can also read your self-hosted email if they had a warrant to search your house. Even if you enable FDE they can do a cold boot attack.

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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by golem14 on Thursday March 05, 2026 @07:41PM (#47269269)
I believe that you would not expect that level of interaction with LEAs for a "stop cop city" dude that hasn't even been charged with a crime.

I'd count that up as a hypothetical win of the self-hosted main in your own location.

If you are Dr. Evil, OTOH, other calculi apply.

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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by encrypted_bird on Thursday March 05, 2026 @07:20PM (#47269097)
Just out of curiosity, what is a cold boot attack?
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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by gruez on Thursday March 05, 2026 @07:24PM (#47269132)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_boot_attack

tl;dr they pull the decryption keys from your computer while it's still running, which of course it is because your mail server has to be up 24/7.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by wildzzz on Thursday March 05, 2026 @08:55PM (#47269852)
Simple solution: put your server inside of a cabinet or enclosure that immediately powers it off if opened with a hidden micro switch. Additionally, write a little udev rule to immediately power off if any new USB device is connected or Ethernet is unplugged.
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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by encrypted_bird on Thursday March 05, 2026 @10:43PM (#47270589)
So a trip-switch for the server?

How would one access it if one needed to do config changes or, really, anything the server for legitimate purposes?

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by quesera on Thursday March 05, 2026 @11:36PM (#47270918)
ssh in and shut down first (and/or just use a properly reliable filesystem).

Mail transfer can tolerate multi-hour interruptions. Imagine the drama if it couldn't!

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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by encrypted_bird on Friday March 06, 2026 @11:17PM (#47284435)
If you can ssh in, couldn't they ssh in?
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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by encrypted_bird on Thursday March 05, 2026 @10:42PM (#47270575)
That is fascinating! Thanks for sharing!
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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by Tepix on Thursday March 05, 2026 @05:55PM (#47268400)
What if you use encryption?
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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by perching_aix on Thursday March 05, 2026 @06:49PM (#47268849)
FDE stands for "Full Disk Encryption" in this context.
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Re:Proton Mail Helped FBI Unmask Anonymous 'Stop Cop City' P... by renewiltord on Thursday March 05, 2026 @06:37PM (#47268763)
The only solution is blockchain
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