Dead drops

[cnwilks]

https://deaddrops.com/

Basically, it's a collection of flash drives where people can randomly share files. I'm not sure how I'd feel about plugging a random flash drive up to my laptop, but it's not like we haven't all plugged one in that was handed to us by an almost-stranger.

I'll read up on this a bit more. Would this be something that would make for an interesting cache? Is it allowed?

[guwisti]

There are caches out there that have dead drops I believe. I think some Multis or puzzles to get more coordinates or clues. But yeah, there seems to be concern with safety issues.

[ChuckWalla]

These are not allowed on geocaches published on the Geocaching.com website, precisely for the concerns expressed by cnwilk. Who knows what virus might be on the flash drive that could be passed on to your computer and therefore on to others? If you know of such a cache, please send me an email (chuck.walla@hotmail.com) with the GC code and exact cache name. And if you find a flash drive in a cache, I advise you to not plug it into your computer.

[guwisti]

Well, upon doing a quick search, I'm not seeing any that are listed on geocaching.com . I know a couple of years ago when I heard about this I read some Groundspeak forum threads regarding the possibilities of dead drops and geocaching. The only dead drop geocaches I'm seeing now are listed on Opencaching.

[cnwilks]

I'm pretty experienced with computers, but I'm unsure if a flash drive can automatically put malicious code onto a computer or not. But I have definitely been handed a lot of flash drives by people who I don't know well, and never thought twice about it. They're given out by some companies as promotional items, and I suppose that a real sociopath could get into that supply. Ultimately, a flash drive in a geocache is about the least efficient delivery system for a virus, and the internet is far more useful.

I still haven't watched the video or read the article, but it sure looks a lot like what we do. You can download something from the internet in minutes, but perhaps there is something so cool it's worth traveling somewhere to get it off a flash drive. Is that idea any crazier than going somewhere to find a film canister or a nano?

[kcackler]

I think they're very cool, but yes, drives are able to automatically execute malicious code on insertion and could really ruin your day. If you choose to play with them, be cautious.