When 'delete' is not enough

With digital data stored on hard drives, anyone can find out who you are and what you are doing.
The New York Times

The story "When 'delete' is not enough" published April 9, 2006 at 6:00 AM is no longer available on CNET News.

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[rcrusoe]

Plan ahead + avoid MS Word doc files

Macs have a feature called file vault that keeps everything in a
users directory in an encrypted file that cannot be opened
without the users name and password. Combined with their
secure memory feature, and "secure empty trash" most business
users will be safe from prying eyes. I'm sure there are add-ons
for Windows that offer similar features. And PGP offers security
programs for both platforms.

As far as MS Word, that program has been responsible for more
leaks than the Whitehouse. Easy fix: NEVER send anyone data in
a MS Word .doc file. Print it to a PDF or save it as a RTF to avoid
all its "features" that will eventually bite you in the as*.

Too much for your users to remember? Then set the default
save as in Word to RTF. That's what we do.

[JFDMit]

Still not safe

Leaving aside for the moment yet another tedious discussion of how Macs rulez and Window suckz, even file vaults and document encryption won't help if the forensics guys go after your HDD.

They won't need to use supercomputers to crack your password, they'll just get a judge to order you to hand it over. If you don't, you'll go to jail until you do.

[hahne59]

Best Method

First,take a handgun and shoot harddrive (after using secure deletion). Then, put in fireplace with fire. When you have a melted hunk of plastic, put in plastic box and encase in cement. Then go to empty marina and rent boat. Go out about ten miles. Drop hard drive over board. Sink with lead weight.

[JFDMit]

You left something out.

You also have to go to the premises of every person you've ever sent an email or document to or had an IM chat with, your ISP, their ISP's, and any caches that may lie between you and them, Google, Yahoo, MSN, all forums to which you've ever contributed, and any adware or spyware companies that may have installed software on your HDD. While there, you have to trash all their HDDs in the same way, to make sure none of your data is sitting on them.

Even then, you've probably missed something. Data illusion is an illusion. If you want to be truly safe, never do anything on your computer that you wouldn't want your worst enemy to see.

OR

Just do a Low-Level Format.

[Sboston]

huh

As it is now in cement I thing the lead weight is a bit much. :)

I think a big bulk disk eraser would be easier. :)

[kamwmail-cnet1]

NY Times - All the news BEHIND the Times

stale dated news
or
just total lies and fabrications:

The New York Times.

[thenet411]

Complete BS

This statement:
""I'm still puzzled why someone would use a product of that name," said Michael A. Gold, a senior partner with the law firm Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro in Century City, Calif., and a chairman of the firm's Discovery Technology Group. The use of any overwriting software can be detected, tipping off investigators that the person under scrutiny has something to hide."

IS COMPLETE BS!

Just because this guy is too stupid to delete data that could end up anywhere, anytime, doesn't mean people that are concious of security shouldn't use such tools. When my company donates used computers to charitable organizations, we always use disk wipers to get rid of data that may have been left behind. We tried magnetizing them once but the drive could never be used again. Live and learn on that one.

But simply using such a tool does not mean someone is a criminal! It simply means that someone wants to get rid of data they don't want anyone else to have. Data like banking records, spreadsheets, QuickBooks database files. There are a million reasons one would have to run software like this. When you get right down to it, there is no reason not to.

So, Mr. Michael A. Gold, I urge you to resign your position immediately. You are far too stupid to be the chariman of such a group.