[ILUG] RE: ILUG Digest, Vol 22, Issue 19wiping a faulty hard disk
(O'Leary Patrick)
mark neary
ghostdogtree at inbox.com
Fri Aug 10 00:57:10 IST 2007
i run a comercial refurbishing business and I understand where you are coming from."the boss wants the info erased" is a common occurance.I know that with the reply I am about to give will end up with lots of claims to the opposite but from a long line of experience there is no software answer to your problem.There is no means that will "guarentee" the info will be erased.If it requires a bunch of 1's and 0's to erase data there will be a programme to reverse the 1's and 0's.What you are looking at here is a practical solution in the real world.What are the chances of some super sleuths targetting your hard-drives for particular attention to recover the data so that they know that x user prefers ryan-air to my flight.
degausers are expensive and impractical for sme's.
So find out from the boss what he wants and ask the vendor what they need,Your boss will give very straight forward instructions as to what he wants but the vendor will probibily give you a non-answer.
In the end a proccess that envolves a comercial grade food blender is the way to go.
we need to be practical about haw we erase data.If your boss decides that at the end of a hd's life it suddenly becomes a timebomb thats just silly.If the data is that sensitive it should be treated as such from the start.
regards,
Mark
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ilug-request at linux.ie
> Sent: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 14:57:06 +0100 (IST)
> To: ilug at linux.ie
> Subject: ILUG Digest, Vol 22, Issue 19
>
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> Today's Topics:
>
> 1. wiping a faulty hard disk (O'Leary Patrick)
> 2. Re: wiping a faulty hard disk (Cian Cullinan)
> 3. Re: wiping a faulty hard disk (Proinnsias Breathnach)
> 4. Re: wiping a faulty hard disk (paul at clubi.ie)
> 5. Re: wiping a faulty hard disk (Timothy Murphy)
> 6. Re: Question about ssh (Timothy Murphy)
> 7. Re: Question about ssh (Timothy Murphy)
> 8. Re: Re: Swipe Card System (Gavin Beatty)
> 9. Re: wiping a faulty hard disk (Gareth Eason)
> 10. Re: Re: Swipe Card System (Gareth Eason)
> 11. Re: wiping a faulty hard disk (David Golden)
> 12. Re: Question about ssh (Thomas Rooney)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 11:58:42 +0100
> From: "O'Leary Patrick" <Pat.OLeary at rte.ie>
> Subject: [ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk
> To: <ilug at linux.ie>
> Message-ID:
> <F0A119190C195643B1BB06D01B563E7036F6E3 at CLUSTER-XCH1.RTEGROUP.IE>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> Hi folks,
> I have a few faulty hard disks which i need to return to the
> supplier for under guarantee replacement. The problem is that they have
> an OS installed on them along with some sensitive data. My boss wants all
> the data erased before we return them. The only way i could think of
> erasing them was to run them through a large & powerful video tape
> eraser. I found a working disk, put a few files on it & ran it through
> the eraser, but to my surprise it came out the other side with the files
> still perfectly readable. Any help or suggestions would be greatly
> appreciated on this one. BTW, i considered drilling a few holes in the
> disk itself, but the suppliers may not honour the guarantee then?
>
> TIA,
>
> Pat
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> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 2
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 12:15:41 +0100
> From: "Cian Cullinan" <cian.cullinan at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk
> To: "O'Leary Patrick" <Pat.OLeary at rte.ie>
> Cc: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID:
> <d25b7c300708090415p70ebfb17mec74a5d34e403f6e at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
> First, check with your supplier what they require from you. Sometimes
> the backplate from the disk enough.
> Secondly, if the disks are functional enough for you to read, are they
> functional enough for you to run something like "shred" on?
> Thirdly, a degausser powerful enough to wipe the info on your disks
> will very likely also break some of the sensitive mechanisms in there.
>
>
> Cian
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 3
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 12:24:46 +0100
> From: Proinnsias Breathnach <proinnsias at linux.ie>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk
> To: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <20070809112446.GD20223 at project-bob.org>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
>
> On Thu, Aug 09, 2007 at 12:15:41PM +0100, Cian Cullinan wrote:
>> First, check with your supplier what they require from you. Sometimes
>> the backplate from the disk enough.
>> Secondly, if the disks are functional enough for you to read, are they
>> functional enough for you to run something like "shred" on?
>> Thirdly, a degausser powerful enough to wipe the info on your disks
>> will very likely also break some of the sensitive mechanisms in there.
>>
>
> And the very obvious one you left out :
> If the data is *that* important, it's worth more than the cost
> of a hard-drive ... just put a few holes in it and scrap it, forget the
> warranty.
>
> P
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 4
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 12:48:09 +0100 (IST)
> From: paul at clubi.ie
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk
> To: "O'Leary Patrick" <Pat.OLeary at rte.ie>
> Cc: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0708091246200.28373 at hibernia.jakma.org>
> Content-Type: TEXT/PLAIN; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed
>
> On Thu, 9 Aug 2007, O'Leary Patrick wrote:
>
>> considered drilling a few holes in the disk itself, but the
>> suppliers may not honour the guarantee then?
>
> Strong degaussers may also damage the disk and void the warranty.
>
> You really need to talk to your vendor. They've almost certainly
> dealt with this question many many times before and may even already
> have procedures in place (DEC did..).
>
> It may cost you though.
>
> regards,
> --
> Paul Jakma paul at clubi.ie paul at jakma.org Key ID: 64A2FF6A
> Fortune:
> Churchill's Commentary on Man:
> Man will occasionally stumble over the truth,
> but most of the time he will pick himself up and continue on.
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 5
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 14:00:56 +0100
> From: Timothy Murphy <tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk
> To: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <200708091400.56586.tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> On Thu 09 Aug 2007, O'Leary Patrick wrote:
>
>> I have a few faulty hard disks which i need to return to the
>> supplier for under guarantee replacement. The problem is that they have
>> an
>> OS installed on them along with some sensitive data.
>
> 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?
>
>
>
> --
> Timothy Murphy
> e-mail (<80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
> tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
> s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 6
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 14:03:22 +0100
> From: Timothy Murphy <tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] Question about ssh
> To: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <200708091403.22771.tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> On Thu 09 Aug 2007, Thomas Rooney wrote:
>
>> Look for a plan that comes with data I get about 100MB a month from
>> Vodafone and free calls to other Vodafone users plus 10 other landline
>> numbers helps keep the bills down.
>
> How much does it cost?
>
>
> --
> Timothy Murphy
> e-mail (<80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
> tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
> s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 14:20:29 +0100
> From: Timothy Murphy <tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] Question about ssh
> To: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <200708091420.29238.tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
>
> I think this thread prompted me to try installing MindTerm.
> Has anyone successfully done this?
>
> First of all, am I right in thinking that if I was successful
> I could go into an internet cafe and browse for
> <http://www.myserver.com/mindterm/>
> and this would be the same as making an ssh connection
> to my home computer from a remote machine?
>
> In any case, when I follow the instructions I find
> at <http://www.appgate.com/products/80_MindTerm/50_Running_MindTerm/>
> I get a blank page.
>
> I also tried what was said to be the last free version of MindTerm from
> <http://www.noah.org/wiki/index.php/Category:SSH#MindTerm_SSH_client_Java_Applet>
> but had no better luck.
>
> The only tutorial/howto I could find was
> <http://tldp.org/HOWTO/MindTerm-SSH-HOWTO/index.html>,
> which I did not find very helpful.
> Also it dated from 2001, which may or may not be bad news.
>
> Anyway, I'd be very glad to hear from you gurus
>
> (a) if I am right in thinking that MindTerm should run as I said,
> (b) if anyone is actually running MindTerm in this way, and
> (c) if there is any rival program which serves the same purpose?
>
>
>
>
> --
> Timothy Murphy
> e-mail (<80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
> tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
> s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 8
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 14:24:03 +0100
> From: "Gavin Beatty" <gavinbeatty at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] Re: Swipe Card System
> To: "Kiall Mac Innes" <kiall.macinnes at pix.ie>
> Cc: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID:
> <f6d77fed0708090624u5d9dff22kda600a3cace19e36 at mail.gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
> On 09/08/07, Kiall Mac Innes <kiall.macinnes at pix.ie> wrote:
>> Also, one last bonus for RFID. The reader can be placed inside the
>> house.
>> (mounted to the back of a window or so on..) so that means nothing to be
>> tampered with outside the house.
>
> IIUC, isn't that a bit "Great! No-one can steal my car keys, they're
> safely locked in the car!". That is, if/when the reader or PC in a
> cupboard breaks.
>
> How do you regain access to the house/barn/fridge in such an event
> when using any of the systems mentioned?
>
> --
> www.mathsoc.com
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 9
> Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:49:10 +0100
> From: Gareth Eason <bigbro at skynet.ie>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk
> To: tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
> Cc: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <46BB1B56.7030505 at skynet.ie>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
> Timothy Murphy wrote:
>> On Thu 09 Aug 2007, O'Leary Patrick wrote:
>>
>>> I have a few faulty hard disks which i need to return to the
>>> supplier for under guarantee replacement. The problem is that they have
>>> an
>>> OS installed on them along with some sensitive data.
>>
>> 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/
>
> Best regards,
> -->Gar
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 10
> Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:50:26 +0100
> From: Gareth Eason <bigbro at skynet.ie>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] Re: Swipe Card System
> To: Gavin Beatty <gavinbeatty at gmail.com>
> Cc: Kiall Mac Innes <kiall.macinnes at pix.ie>, ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <46BB1BA2.9 at skynet.ie>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed
>
> Gavin Beatty wrote:
>> On 09/08/07, Kiall Mac Innes <kiall.macinnes at pix.ie> wrote:
>>> Also, one last bonus for RFID. The reader can be placed inside the
>>> house.
>>> (mounted to the back of a window or so on..) so that means nothing to
>>> be
>>> tampered with outside the house.
>>
>> IIUC, isn't that a bit "Great! No-one can steal my car keys, they're
>> safely locked in the car!". That is, if/when the reader or PC in a
>> cupboard breaks.
>>
>> How do you regain access to the house/barn/fridge in such an event
>> when using any of the systems mentioned?
>
> Hi,
>
> Standard practice with any electronic lock is that it also has a
> keyhole,
> allowing the latch to be manually retracted in the case of power failure,
> etc., etc.
>
> Best regards,
> -->Gar
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 11
> Date: Thu, 9 Aug 2007 14:54:27 +0100
> From: David Golden <david.golden at unison.ie>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] wiping a faulty hard disk
> To: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <200708091454.28246.david.golden at unison.ie>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
>
> On Thursday 09 August 2007, Timothy Murphy wrote:
>
>> I don't understand this passion for deleting data on old disks.
>
> Any excuse to whip up a batch of thermite...
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Thu, 09 Aug 2007 14:56:58 +0100
> From: Thomas Rooney <tom at dreadserver.com>
> Subject: Re: [ILUG] Question about ssh
> To: tim at birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
> Cc: ilug at linux.ie
> Message-ID: <46BB1D2A.2010401 at dreadserver.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed
>
> Timothy Murphy wrote:
>> On Thu 09 Aug 2007, Thomas Rooney wrote:
>>
>>
>>> Look for a plan that comes with data I get about 100MB a month from
>>> Vodafone and free calls to other Vodafone users plus 10 other landline
>>> numbers helps keep the bills down.
>>>
>>
>> How much does it cost?
>>
> About ?80pm I also get my email and get cheaper calls when not in the
> country,
> my bill was much bigger on a previous plan.
>
>
>
> ------------------------------
>
> --
> Irish Linux Users' Group mailing list
> About this list : http://mail.linux.ie/mailman/listinfo/ilug
> Who we are : http://www.linux.ie/
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>
> End of ILUG Digest, Vol 22, Issue 19
> ************************************
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