Panic Button secures data -- by destroying it

One of the biggest worries about someone gaining unauthorized access to your computer is that they can view and steal your data.

The CyberYozh security group has launched a product that protects your sensitive files, browser data and more, by taking the nuclear option of destroying it.

Panic Button is, says the company, useful in emergency situations when a user cannot prevent someone from accessing his or her computer. When activated, Panic Button is capable of destroying files specified by the user as well as their activity in an OS and a browser. It can also be activated in logic bomb mode, destroying data automatically when unauthorized access has been detected on the user's device.

"Panic Button solves the problem of malefactors getting physical access to the valuable data, when they get the password secretly, for example, by overseeing it, or visibly, forcibly, or by using special forensic tools," says Nikolay Stashevsky, project manager of CyberYozh security group. "It also solves the problem of lack of opportunity to find out about secret unauthorized physical access to the device. It triggers automatically if a perpetrator gets access to your device."

Features include the ability to disguise the button as a game or text document, or create a custom shortcut that will instantly trigger the panic button. Notification alerts can let colleagues or family know about Panic Button's activation on your computer. The program can send notifications to email and XMPP addresses specified in the settings menu as soon as you press the button.

The software costs $39.99 for a year, or $99.99 for lifetime use. You can download a free trial from the Panic Button site -- just make sure you've made a backup!

Photo Credit: argus/Shutterstock