Show HN: PanicLock – macOS has no Touch ID kill switch like iOS, so I built one

Show HN: PanicLock – macOS has no Touch ID kill switch like iOS, so I built one(github.com)

10 points by seanieb 100 days ago | 4 comments

seanieb 100 days ago |

Built this after the FBI raided a Washington Post reporter's home last month. The search warrant had a section called "Biometric Unlock" giving agents permission to use her face and fingers to get into her devices.

On iOS you can squeeze the side buttons and Face ID's gone. Two seconds, works in your pocket. macOS has nothing like it.

PanicLock sits in your menu bar. One click (or keyboard shortcut)locks the screen but asks for a password. When you log back in Touch ID will still be active. Free, notarized and no data collection.

There's good reasons to keep Touch ID on day-to-day. It stops people watching you type your password, cameras catching it, that sort of thing. This is just for when you need it off sharpish.

More on the legal side of things (circuit split on compelled biometrics, border searches, etc.): https://paniclock.github.io

Happy to answer questions or hear what you think.

hasmatteam 100 days ago |

Does it remove the disk encryption keys from memory?

djhn 99 days ago | |

What kind of tools would you need to dump the ram of a locked macbook with disc encryption on? Seems like a pretty advanced microsoldering job. Facilities, equipment and skill requirements would limit this to extremely high profile investigations surely?

seanieb 100 days ago | |

Not yet. My focus was getting the computer locked. I hope to add that or similar functionality that will remove the disk keys in the future.

Right now it looks difficult to implement. There's no instant "purge keys from RAM" command and shutdown is slow. Maybe aiming for a similar state to logout might be a good middle ground? Logout locks the keychain and kills apps.