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Data Still Left on Storage Devices for Sale

Posted by Zonk on from the one-one-zero-one-zero-zero-one-one-zero-one dept.

cluedweasel writes "According to a BBC story many people are still putting up their old PC's and storage devices for sale without taking basic precautions to ensure that confidential data is erased. The suggestion at the end of the story is to get a professional forensics firm to wipe your data or just destroy the item in question. With the low price of storage devices, the latter is probably preferable."

8 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. Your data = bonus by dusik · · Score: 5, Funny

    On the other hand, I always thought it was a good bonus for the custom when I sell a hard drive on eBay with my mp3 and pr0n collection still intact.

    Then again... they probaby would see the reiserfs partition as "Unknown" in the Windows installer.

    1. Re:Your data = bonus by uucp2 · · Score: 5, Funny

      What is your eBay user ID? I'm interested in buying some... storage.

    2. Re:Your data = bonus by Jason1729 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Well that shot right over your head.

  2. Use the military procedure for destroying the data by AltGrendel · · Score: 4, Funny

    1) Write all 1s then 0s to the drive, repeat 5x.
    2) Use acetylene torch and reduce drive to slag.
    3) Encase slag in concrete.
    4)Drop concrete in Marianas trench.

    --
    The simple truth is that interstellar distances will not fit into the human imagination

    - Douglas Adams

  3. how do I get in on that scam? by Lumpy · · Score: 5, Funny

    professional forensics firm to erase your hard drives? really?

    how do I market myself as this and sell that service to people? sounds like a great article to whip up some Fear frenzy that we geeks can make good money on.

    "Yup, I can safely eradicate your data and wipe that drive, no it's not easy, but that is why it costs $100.00.

    thank you, no we dont accept personal checks."

    adding that to my spyware cleaning racket and I can quit my job as a web programmer/IS manager.

    This rocks, any way to get CNN to stir it up as well to help the fear factor in the general public?

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  4. Re:Use the military procedure for destroying the d by MightyMartian · · Score: 5, Funny

    5) Ship via US Postal Service

    --
    The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
  5. Re:Not only good drive but also bad drives by Otter · · Score: 4, Funny
    That's right, just a single-pass overwrite with zeros will do. Everything else you hear is either 8+ years out of date, or uninformed bullshit, or a scare story.

    Have they made some change to zero in the last 8 years that makes it less constant?

    --
    What I'm listening to now on Pandora...
  6. Re:Not only good drive but also bad drives by nherm · · Score: 5, Funny

    I tried using 2000+ passes using /dev/urandom, but somehow I ended up with a full installation of Windows 95.

    Then a friend of mine told me something about monkeys hitting typewriters and Shakespeare's complete works...