[ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk

[Ronan Cunniffe]

Timothy Murphy wrote:
> On Thu 09 Aug 2007, you wrote:
>
>   
>>> I don't understand this passion for deleting data on old disks.
>>> Is it really likely that the disk manufacturer will scan you disk
>>> and steal your secrets?
>>>       
>> 	You're quite right - it's extremely unlikely that anyone would look at
>> your data.
>>
>> 	However, the related impact from trolling public newsgroups with e-mails,
>> almost equally unlikely to be read may be a factor people should consider.
>> I mean, if at least some disk manufacturers didn't look at the data on
>> disks, that's Bruce Schneier out of a job, right there...
>>
>> 	If you genuinely don't understand the concepts of 'secret', 'security' and
>> 'data recovery', have a leaf through http://www.schneier.com/blog/
>>     
>
> I glanced at this, but it seemed completely irrelevant to the point at issue.
> As far as I could see, it was about e-voting.
>
> I am asking what the probability is of someone at Seagate, say,
> scanning your hard disk (out of the tens of thousands they must have)
> finding your secret information and selling it to your rivals.
> I would say it is less than the probability of your being hit on the head
> by a meteorite.
>   
Lawyers are not concerned with probability, only liability.
> I may not have your deep understanding of security,
> but if I had secret information on my hard disk I would encrypt it.
> (I do have and I do.)
>
> Obviously security is reasonably important,
> but much of the discussion about it (and the related topic of terrorism)
> is ludicrously exaggerated.
>
> You don't leave your front door open.
> But that doesn't mean you have to put bullet-proof armour on it.
>   
You do if there's a an entry like "Section 7. iii (b) Bullet-proof 
armour on front doors" in your industry code of practice.
> Incidentally, I assume from your posting that this guy Schneier
> has some sort of financial interest in security.
> Such people are largely responsible for the unbalanced approach 
> to the subject.
>   
Hah.  See http://geekz.co.uk/schneierfacts/

"Bruce Schneier can inverse any matrix just by staring at it, even 
singular ones."
"When Bruce Schneier calculates the square root of a negative number the 
result is real."
"SSL is invulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks.  Unless that man is 
Bruce Schneier."

:-)

Ronan