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Microsoft Offers New Data-Security Scheme
bingly_beep writes "The BBC is reporting Microsoft's new user security measure, whereby users sensitive information is stored on their PC rather then online, as in their previous offerings, such as Passport. This sounds like a good idea, but any such system would surely require that the user definitely erases the HD on any machine they sell. Perhaps Microsoft should include an option, like 'Prepare this computer for resale,' which utterly destroys all data."
Pimp offers new "disease-free guarantee".
With spending like this, exactly what are "conservatives" conserving?
Yeah, like THAT won't be hacked all to fvck by virus-writers. Great suggestion!
Doesn't installing windows automatically come with built in features that "destroy all data"?
The problem with the feature right now is that it happens when you least expect it, rather than when you'd actually want it to occur.
This could be good or bad. The data, stored on the computer, would not be on the Internet all the time and thus be safer. On the other hand, .Net has great security. A user with little computer knowledge would not protect his/her computer well enough from hackers, etc., which would leave the data "out there." I think that the latter is safer, however.
And, as stated in the article, there had better be a way to destroy all sensitive data if the user wishes to sell the computer.
INACTIVE ACCOUNT
So you either store the information locally, and run the risk of a local exploit thanks to the latest and greatest security hole, or you store the information online, and run the risk of the central site being compromised. The first will be more common but limit the data theft to only a single person, whereas the second will be much less frequent but will limit the data theft to the entire customer base.
In the grand scheme of things, they are both as flawed, just in differing ways.
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rather THAN damnit
please continue
This sounds like a good idea, but any such system would surely require that the user definitely erases the HD on any machine they sell.
Yes, because today it is perfectly ok to sell a system without erasing the hard drive. I mean for real, who stores private or important data on a computer?
Finkployd
MSFT's assumption is apparently that data stored on personal computers is more secure than on servers.
I'm not sure that this is necessarily true.
When you consider that the vast majority of computer users have no idea what a "firewall" is, and that MSFT's track record for security is poor to say the least -- its not obvious that storing sensitive data in designated locations on PC's is the safer route at all.
Some might say this is MSFT's way of passing the buck of responsibility to the end user rather than fixing the problem. Now if data is compromised fault could arguably lie with mom and pop rather than a Microsoft server.
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...is there something fishy about trusting Microsoft to manage confidential data?
Yeah, it's better than Passport, where they not only manage the data but store it too -- but for true privacy, shouldn't the relevant code be open for all to see? At least the encryption algorithm, anyway...
Paleotechnologist and connoisseur of pretty shiny things.
Read the article. Sounds like they've made cookies, but more than one site can read them. My guess is you'd have to authorize the site to read them, but this is bad news.
If a site can trick you into hitting "OK," they could get your info.
Of course the site probably has to be registered with MS in some way. Maybe this is a way for Microsoft to offer a "secure browsing experience" that is also convenient. IE7 will likely view MS-approved sites as "higher security" than SSL approved sites.
Erasing or otherwise formatting a hard drive doesn't do any good to eradicate personal information. I've used these guys on numerous occasions to successfully recover data from hard drives that have been formatted, imaged, etc.
If you're going to sell a computer, swap out the drive containing your data for a new one. They're cheap. Hold onto the drive that houses your data.
SiO2
They are probably afraid of getting customer support calls from people who used that option to "see what it did", or from people who changed their mind and wanted their data recovered, or folks who thought that MS didn't really mean it when they said (with a huge red bold and blinking disclaimer no less) that all data would be erased. Ahd then they'd sue MS, OEM, and CompUSA for the emotional distress caused by the loss of their data.
One little linux command is all it takes, insert linux live CD and su -c"shred /dev/hda" and even the NSA would have trouble getting any data off the harddisk, windows license isn't transferable anyways. Fight software piracy, shred used Windows hard disks!
Apocalypse Cancelled, Sorry, No Ticket Refunds
You can use a 5/7/9 pass DOD overwrite. Or a 39-step Gutmann overwrite. Or the ultrasuperduperTFH method of... You get the idea. It takes a looonng time.
HDDs are cheap, especially one you've used so long you're going to sell the computer.
Take it apart & melt the disks. If you have a lot of them, just use a fish cooker.
"Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, it doesn't go away." - Philip K. Dick
For more information check out this link.
For the lazy, here is a summary:
Many modern operating systems such as Windows XP (NTFS), Mac OS X ( [[HFS+]] ), and GNU/Linux with a kernel version greater than 2.4 (Ext3, JFS, ReiserFS, and XFS) have the ability to use a journaling filesystem that makes complete erasure of data unlikely.
There are several ways to securely wipe files when using journaling filesystems:
Store data that needs to be wiped on a partition (slice, volume, or drive) that uses a non-journaling filesystem. For example, users of Windows can use a Z: drive formatted with FAT32, and users of GNU/Linux can use a partition formatted with Ext2.
Store data that needs to be wiped on a partition that is encrypted using Hard Disk Encryption. This eliminates the need to use a secure wiping mechanism for individual files.
Store data on a temporary partition using any journaling or non-journaling filesystem. When it is time to wipe all files, use a tool such as Eraser or Wipe to securely wipe the entire partition.
Physically destroy the hard drive after use by melting the hard drive. (Passing a magnet over the hard drive will not work.)
So, basically... there is no proper way of protecting yourself from undelete data recovery methods, if you use a journalled file system, aside from keeping some thermite handy!
If you ask me, we should all be encyrpting our data partitions by now!
Just wanted to update and say that, you can safely erase an entire hard drive (even with a journalled filesystem) if you unmount it, and wipe it (ie side step the filesystem driver). This is pretty easy to do in Linux, not sure about Windows... although I know one good method would be to use the hard drive manuacturers low level formatter (running it 3 or 4 times should be enough).
But once again, be wary of any file erasure programs like the one mentioned by the grandparent post. You need to take care that your usage of them is not in vain!
2500 fps!?! That's Unreal®!
Yes and it has been for years.
But just like Mac (now) and Linux it is off by default.
One main reason is that in order to use it (on any OS) you have to use your brain. Basically you have to rememeber to properly handle your user data before mucking about with user accouts or you can permanetly lose everything. This problem has already been demonstrated repeatedly in the Mac user space WRT iTunes downloads which are pinned to used accounts. Destroy a user account before transferring ownership of the data and yo ulose your songs.
Of course, this is the point. But what happens is, 99 out of 100 people that lose everything do so in situations where they didn't really want to.
Thus, use of the systems by people that don't know how they work or what the drawbacks are are more likely to have problems with their data by using the system than by not using it. So, in all cases, the EFS remains turned off by default.
Contrary to popular belief, coding is not all free blow-jobs and beer. Those things cost MONEY!
Sledgehammer followed by a bonfire or wood burning stove ought to do it. Ever wonder why there are no harddrives at government auctions?
Who will guard the guards?