Cheap Bulk Eraser for Hard Disks?

cute-boy asks: "Recently I had to replace some hard disk drives from the same batch which had failed, while still under warranty. Because the drives were no longer recognized by the SCSI controller, it was not possible to erase the data on them. In view of the sensitivity of the data contained upon them, and the chance this was still forensically recoverable, our company decided to buy new drives rather than risk the disclosure of their contents by returning then to the supplier. How would you non-destructively (physically) destroy data on a hard disk without access to a bulk eraser? Obviously in this case it's a bit late to be thinking of using encryption."

Comments

Why no physical?

[daeg]

Why are you against physical destruction? Let your IT department have a field trip to an abadoned parking lot with some sledge hammers.

Re:Why no physical?

[bhmit1]

A bulk eraser, aka degausser, will destroy not only the data, but also the factory written tracks. The end result is that the drive can never be used again. This may invalidate the warranty if the manufacturer doesn't offer the "send back the face plate" option. Not to mention, most of these degaussers cost 10 times that of a replacement drive according to a quick google search. Considering your line of work, make sure you pick drives from manufacturers that allow replacements without sending back the data.

If you've got your heart set against the physical

[voice_of_all_reason]

...and they can be quite fun... I guess your only option is to open up the new drives, swap the platters, and erase the data that way. Then swap the platters again if you wish so that they're (technically) new again.

Never tried it myself, though everyone on the intrawebs largely agrees that there are legions of the mighty dust army waiting breathlessly for you to crack open the drive so that they can invade it. There is apparently no invention of man capable of withstanding their attack, meaning a high possibility that if you perform this operation and then plug the drive back in, a single dust atom will be all that is needed to whir around frantically in the formerly pristine environment, loosing the veritable fires of Hades on your poor machine until it erupts in a wild, flaming mess, sending shards of platter in all directions to seek the soft flesh of babes and women.

So yeah, they don't recommend doing that.

Or maybe try somebody like these folks

[GarrettZilla]

http://www.semshred.com/content291.html

Special return options...

[Fallen Kell]

Well, most all hardware manufacturers will offer you replacements even without sending back the complete drive. You need to contact them by phone and setup the special RMA. For instance, we can't send back any of our disks if they fail due to the data. We can only send back non-electrical and non-memory containing parts. A lot of times we simply send back the cover plate to the disks. I know for a fact that Seagate and Western Digital will take back disks like this if you explain the situation.

Also depending on who your vendors are, you can usually upgrade your service so that you do not need to send back failed disks. Dell for instance has this as part of one of there higher level support contracts.

Did you talk to tech support?

[Bombcar]

Maxtor, Western Digital, and Hitachi all replaced drives that we'd sold into sensitive environments with little fuss. Hitachi needed a signed form faxed back, Maxtor & Western Digital needed the top cover of the drive.

Re:Magnet!

[Nutria]

Magnets! They might bend the heads and scratch the surface, making if that is what you cann 'non-destructive', but it always works.

The military doesn't think so.

There's

• Software wiping (MilStd 5220.22-M)
  
• Degaussing (MilStd 5200 28-M)
  
• Destroying the platters. "destroyed by melting, incineration, crushing, or shredding."

This is more difficult than you think.

http://cc.uoregon.edu/cnews/summer2005/purge.htm

For example, see the March 2004 Network World article "Inside the DoD's crime lab," which recounts how the Department of Defense computer forensics lab has been able to successfully recover hard drives that have been "thrown off of balconies and even shot with AK-47s, as in one recent battlefield case."

So, hitting with a sledghammer doesn't seem very effctive.

A power drill and wire cup brush (http://shop.com.edgesuite.net/ccimg.shop.com/2300 00/230300/230375/products/lg_33486043.jpg) would definitely work, as would various acids (which have hazards of their own).

Re:Physically destroy the platters

[ryanhos]

Won't that just round the corners off the windows and smooth out the text so it doesn't look so BuMpY?