💀 Dead Man v1.2 💀

For the truly paranoid among us 🕵️
Because sometimes you need a fail-safe that doesn't require trust in anyone but yourself.

A Windows-based automatic data destruction system that triggers after X days without login.

✨ NEW in v1.2:

🔧 Fixed Startup Trigger - SelfDestructCheck now runs reliably on system startup
🧹 Auto Config Cleanup - Deleted items automatically removed from config
⏱️ Optimized Task Delays - Prevents race conditions (10s startup, 3min login)
🐛 GUI Bug Fixes - Fixed null reference errors with PlainFile items
🔄 Menu Loop - DeadMan.exe menu returns after each action instead of closing

v1.1 Features:

🚀 Smart Launcher (DeadMan.exe) - Interactive menu with auto-installation
🔄 Update Checker - Compare local version with GitHub releases
💾 Config Backup/Restore - Save and restore your configuration
📂 Custom Install Path - Choose where to install Dead Man
🛡️ Enhanced Security - Hardened validation and error handling

🚀 Two Ways to Use

🎯 For Regular Users → Use DeadMan.exe (simpler, interactive menu)
👨‍💻 For Developers/Purists → Use PowerShell scripts directly (DeadMan.ps1 or .bat files)

Deutsche Version / German Version

⚠️ WARNING

USE AT YOUR OWN RISK! This tool can permanently delete your data. ALWAYS test in Safe Mode first and create backups of important data!

🎯 Features

Core Features

Automatic Trigger: Activates after X days without login
Safe Mode: Test the system without actual deletion (simulation)
Multiple Deletion Types:
- Plain files and folders
- VeraCrypt containers and keyfiles
- BitLocker recovery keys
GUI Control Panel: Easy-to-use configuration interface
Windows Tasks: Automatic monitoring on system startup and login

v1.1 Features

Smart Launcher Menu: Interactive menu with installation detection
Auto-Update Checker: Compare your version with latest GitHub releases
Config Backup/Restore: Export and import your configuration with validation
Custom Installation Path: Install anywhere, not just C:\DeadMan
Enhanced Security: Comprehensive input validation and error handling
About Dialog: With dancing Bart! 🕺

🕵️ Who is this for?

This tool is for the truly paranoid - people who:

Need a fail-safe in case of emergencies
Don't trust cloud services with sensitive data
Want full control over their data destruction
Need plausible deniability (Safe Mode looks like the real thing)
Understand the responsibility that comes with such power

Not recommended for:

People who forget their passwords regularly
Casual users who just want "some security"
Anyone who doesn't fully understand what this does

📁 Project Structure

DeadMan/
├── config/               # Configuration files (auto-created)
│   ├── config.json
│   └── last_login.txt
├── logs/                 # Log files (auto-created)
│   └── log.txt
├── media/                # Media files
│   ├── bart.gif          # Our dancing Bart! 🎭
│   └── screenshot.png    # GUI screenshot
├── scripts/              # PowerShell scripts
│   ├── gui-config.ps1
│   ├── setup-tasks.ps1
│   ├── selfdestruct-check.ps1
│   └── update-last-login.ps1
├── setup/                # Installation & utility scripts
│   ├── installer.ps1
│   ├── uninstaller.ps1
│   ├── check-updates.ps1
│   ├── config-backup.ps1
│   ├── install.bat
│   ├── start.bat
│   └── create-shortcut.ps1
├── run.bat               # ⭐ Smart launcher (auto-install + start)
├── uninstall.bat         # Uninstaller
├── check-updates.bat     # Update checker
├── backup-config.bat     # Config backup/restore
├── DeadMan.exe           # Main launcher executable
├── DeadMan.ps1           # PowerShell launcher
├── .gitignore
├── LICENSE
└── README.md

🚀 Installation

Prerequisites

Windows 10/11
PowerShell 5.1 or higher
Administrator rights for installation

Quick Install (Recommended) 🎯

Download and extract
- Download DeadMan-v1.1-Installer.zip from Releases
- Extract to any folder
Double-click run.bat
- That's it! The script will:
  - ✅ Check if already installed
  - ✅ If not: Auto-install to C:\DeadMan + create desktop shortcut
  - ✅ If yes: Launch directly
Configure
- Select [1] GUI from menu
- Add items and test in Safe Mode!

Manual Installation (Advanced)

Clone from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/iamrealguexoxo/DeadMan.git C:\DeadMan
cd C:\DeadMan

Install:

Double-click run.bat (auto-detects and installs)
OR: setup\install.bat for manual installation

Launch:

Double-click run.bat or DeadMan.exe

Additional Tools

Update Checker:

Double-click check-updates.bat or select [3] from menu
Compares local version with latest GitHub release
Opens release page if update available

Config Backup/Restore:

Double-click backup-config.bat or select [4] from menu
Backup: Exports configuration to Documents folder
Restore: Imports configuration from backup file
Useful before reinstalling or testing

Uninstallation

Double-click uninstall.bat
Removes Windows Tasks and desktop shortcut
Optionally deletes installation folder

🎮 Usage

Initial Configuration

Start Control Panel
- With EXE: Run DeadMan.exe → Select [1] GUI
- With Scripts: Run start.bat or DeadMan.ps1 -GUI
Set days: Number of days without login (default: 30)
Safe Mode: ⚠️ KEEP ENABLED for testing!
Add items:
- Plain Data: Regular files and folders
- VeraCrypt: Encrypted containers and keyfiles
- BitLocker: Drives (deletes recovery keys only)
Save Configuration: Click "Save Configuration"

Tabs in Control Panel

📄 Plain Data

Add Folder...: Add folder to be deleted completely
Add File...: Add individual files for deletion
Remove Selected: Remove selected entry

🔐 VeraCrypt

Add Container...: VeraCrypt containers (.hc, .vc)
Add Keyfile...: Keyfile files
Will be deleted when triggered

💾 BitLocker

Drive: Enter drive letter (e.g., D:)
Add Volume: Add drive
Only deletes recovery keys, not the data!

Testing in Safe Mode

Configure the system with Safe Mode enabled

Manual test (as Administrator):

cd C:\DeadMan
.\scripts\selfdestruct-check.ps1 -ForceSafeMode

Check logs:
```
Get-Content .\logs\log.txt -Tail 50
```
In Safe Mode, nothing is deleted, only simulated!

⚠️ Disabling Safe Mode

ONLY AFTER THOROUGH TESTING!

Open Control Panel (start.bat)
Uncheck "Safe Mode (Simulation nur)"
Click "Save Configuration"
⚠️ System is now LIVE!

⚙️ How It Works

Scheduled Tasks

After installation, two Windows tasks run:

1. DeadMan-UpdateLastLogin

Trigger: On every user login
Action: Updates config\last_login.txt with current date
Permissions: User-level

2. DeadMan-SelfDestructCheck

Trigger: On every Windows startup
Action: Checks if threshold exceeded → executes deletion if necessary
Permissions: SYSTEM (highest privileges for deletion operations)

Workflow

1. Windows starts
   ↓
2. Task "SelfDestructCheck" runs
   ↓
3. Reads last_login.txt
   ↓
4. Calculates difference to today
   ↓
5. If days >= threshold:
   ├─ Safe Mode: Simulation → Log
   └─ Live Mode: REAL DELETION!

📝 Configuration File

config/config.json:

{
  "DaysWithoutLogin": 30,
  "SafeMode": true,
  "Executed": false,
  "ExecutedAt": null,
  "Items": [
    {
      "Type": "PlainFolder",
      "DeleteMode": "DeleteFolder",
      "Path": "C:\\SensitiveData"
    },
    {
      "Type": "VeraCryptContainer",
      "DeleteMode": "DeleteFile",
      "Path": "D:\\secret.hc"
    },
    {
      "Type": "BitLockerVolume",
      "DeleteMode": "DeleteRecoveryKeys",
      "Path": "",
      "Drive": "E:"
    }
  ]
}

🗑️ Deletion Modes

Type	Description	Action
`PlainFolder`	Regular folder	Deletes folder + contents recursively
`PlainFile`	Regular file	Deletes file
`VeraCryptContainer`	Encrypted container	Deletes container file
`VeraCryptKeyfile`	VeraCrypt keyfile	Deletes keyfile
`BitLockerVolume`	BitLocker drive	Deletes all recovery keys

🔧 Manual Operations

View Tasks

# PowerShell
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object { $_.TaskName -like "DeadMan*" }

# Or open Task Scheduler
taskschd.msc

Tasks are in the Root level of Task Scheduler Library!

Manual Test (Safe Mode)

# As Administrator
cd C:\DeadMan
.\scripts\selfdestruct-check.ps1 -ForceSafeMode

Check Last Login

Get-Content C:\DeadMan\config\last_login.txt

View Logs

Get-Content C:\DeadMan\logs\log.txt -Tail 50

Edit Config

notepad C:\DeadMan\config\config.json

Create Desktop Shortcut

.\create-shortcut.ps1

🛡️ Security Considerations

Storage Location: Keep this tool in a location only YOU can access
Encryption: Use full-disk encryption (BitLocker/VeraCrypt) for maximum security
Config File: Contains paths to sensitive data - protect it!
Admin Access: Consider what happens if someone gains admin rights
Test Thoroughly: Always test in Safe Mode before going live!
Backups: Create backups of important data in secure locations
Plausible Deniability: Safe Mode logs look convincing but don't actually delete

💡 Paranoia Tips

Multiple Layers: Use this with full-disk encryption
Hidden Installation: Install to a non-obvious location
Decoy Data: Keep some "interesting" decoy files to make discovery less likely
Time-Delayed: Set to 7-14 days for travel/emergencies
Test Runs: Periodically test in Safe Mode to ensure it works
No Traces: Consider what logs this leaves (Windows Event Log, etc.)
Offline Backups: Keep important data on air-gapped offline storage

⚡ Uninstallation

Via PowerShell (as Administrator)

# Delete tasks
Unregister-ScheduledTask -TaskName "DeadMan-UpdateLastLogin" -Confirm:$false
Unregister-ScheduledTask -TaskName "DeadMan-SelfDestructCheck" -Confirm:$false

# Delete folder
Remove-Item -Path "C:\DeadMan" -Recurse -Force

Manual

Open Task Scheduler (taskschd.msc)
Delete both tasks:
- DeadMan-UpdateLastLogin
- DeadMan-SelfDestructCheck
Delete the C:\DeadMan folder

🐛 Troubleshooting

Task doesn't run

Check Task Scheduler for errors
Ensure script paths are correct
Run PowerShell as Administrator

GUI doesn't start

Check PowerShell Execution Policy:

Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Right-click start.bat → "Run as administrator"

Logs are empty

Ensure logs/ folder exists
Check write permissions
Run scripts as Administrator

About dialog shows no GIF

Ensure bart.gif is in root directory
Check if file is corrupted
Fallback: ASCII-Art Bart will be displayed

📝 Changelog

v1.2 (2025-11-20)

Fixed: SelfDestructCheck scheduled task now runs reliably on system startup
Fixed: GUI null reference error when loading PlainFile items
Fixed: Task timing race condition with optimized delays (10s startup, 3min login)
Fixed: Menu loop - DeadMan.exe returns to menu after each action
Added: Automatic cleanup of deleted items from config.json
Improved: Task execution order to prevent date overwriting

v1.1 (2025-11-19)

Added: Smart Launcher with interactive menu
Added: Update checker for GitHub releases
Added: Config backup/restore functionality
Added: Custom installation path support
Enhanced: Security hardening across all scripts

v1.0 (Initial Release)

Core Dead Man Switch functionality
GUI configuration panel
Safe Mode simulation
Multiple deletion types support

📜 License

MIT License - Use at your own risk!

🙏 Credits

Created by: iamrealguexoxo 🎭
Inspiration: BartsTOK and other projects

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Test thoroughly
Keep Safe Mode as default
Document all changes
Consider security implications

⚠️ Legal Disclaimer

This tool is provided as-is without any warranty. The authors are not responsible for data loss or damage. Always test in Safe Mode and create backups of important data. Use responsibly and legally.

This tool is for legitimate privacy and security purposes only. Users are responsible for compliance with applicable laws.

Enjoy Dead Man! 💀🕺

Remember: With great power comes great responsibility. Or something like that... 😎

🌍 Languages

English: This file
Deutsch: README_DE.md

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 17 Commits
media		media
scripts		scripts
setup		setup
.gitignore		.gitignore
DeadMan.exe		DeadMan.exe
DeadMan.ps1		DeadMan.ps1
LICENSE		LICENSE
README.md		README.md
README_DE.md		README_DE.md
backup-config.bat		backup-config.bat
check-updates.bat		check-updates.bat
run.bat		run.bat
uninstall.bat		uninstall.bat

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