Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

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."

2 of 403 comments (clear)

  1. The Government is the Biggest Culprit... by Blue-Footed+Boobie · · Score: 5, Interesting
    I have my business card out there with many people for the purpose of snagging equipment that would otherwise get thrown out.

    I once received about 30 10GB hard disks from the US Army that were tossed in a collection bin (and someone called me to say they were there) which were not wiped and had a fair bit of info on them. Not talking National Secrets, but info that could have been used to cause problems, none the less.

    By far the worst, however, was a batch of 15 PIII computers I recovered from the INS. Not only had they not been wiped, but all programs and files were fuctional. Talking about Social Security numbers, Green Card information, and on and on. It was terrible.

    Of course, I do the right thing and both wipe and low-level format these before donating on to charity - but it still amazes me what info is given away.

    Both of these cases were 1 year+ after 9/11 too. People don't change.

    --
    DAMN YOU OCTODOG! DAMN YOU TO HELL!
  2. Re:Not only good drive but also bad drives by MoralHazard · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You're either:

    1) Talking about recovery from an old drive, pre-1997, OR;

    2) You're full of shit. Yes, a liar.

    So explain yourself, please, because I will apologize immediately if the case is (1) or you can prove me wrong. Cite me some evidence--press releases from the company you worked for, or a paper written by the research team you worked with. Anything, hell--even your blog is something.

    I've spent my last four years working as an examiner at a computer forensics firm. I have exhaustively researched this topic several times, hoping against hope that something is out there. There is nothing.

    I have encountered a number of documented cases where a party to ligitation claimed that incriminating or exculpatory evidence had been overwritten on a hard drive. In at least two of those cases, the defendants spent more than $500K funding people who said "Oh yeah, I can do that--I just need cash for a lab and a magnetic-force microscope." Nobody EVER recovered over-written data, in any of these cases.

    So prove me wrong.