CBS news story that can affect us all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jonezy999]

I dont know about the rest of the world, but in Australia, it is law that the hdd must be left with the customer, or at least offered to them. As Ricoh exlained to me, the harddrive belongs to the customer, regardless if they own/lease the machine. That said, no customer ever wants thier old hdd.

[nmfaxman]

I got lucky with only one call and that machine is just a copier/ not connected.
Hopefully the story will use it's time on the website and go to archive.
Most people want to see the latest news, not older.
Still seems like a lot of time and work to maybe get one secure document.
Even Norton can't restore an HDD that has been reformatted 2 or three times.

[Shadow1]

Even Norton can't restore an HDD that has been reformatted 2 or three times.

[fixthecopier]

Why bot6her overwriting, one of my customers has a small press with a hydro pump, and it punches a tennis ball size dent through the middle of the HD. nuf said

[Shadow1]

Well, if you want to really get into mechanical data security we can have a lot more fun.

We can offer long range data security - I can secure your data from over 400 yards away with my .243 Varmit Gun.

High tech - I'm thinking a couple shots from a 1.5MV Tesla coil would do a pretty good job.

Hard Core - There are very few security concerns that snat be addressed with a liberal application of C-4. The bits just don't survive being blasted to bits.

...And I haven't even checked "Will it Blend".

[paulg]

I dont know about the rest of the world, but in Australia, it is law that the hdd must be left with the customer, or at least offered to them. As Ricoh exlained to me, the harddrive belongs to the customer, regardless if they own/lease the machine. That said, no customer ever wants thier old hdd.

Same in the UK with Ricoh. only ever known Japanese companies insist on having the HDD's collected if a decommisson well the salesman ensure it happens most of the time as they do things by the book and certain high security places.

Normally when I swap a hardrive in a m/c the customer unless the IT department or an IT savvy customer. The customer will ask me to dispose of it for them, if its the IT admin normally they simply make a joke they will see if they can use it as a spare drive at home unless its fubar.

[fixthecopier]

It just occurred to me,based on the lack of intelligence of the average consumer, I am willing to bet that I could run ads offering to buy peoples used hard drive for 5 or 10 dollars, working or not, and get thousands of responses. So would anybody like a new VISA card that you dont have to pay back?

[Ducttape n Glue]

Don't the copiers with hdd have a built in disk wipe program? I know many printers do and I know HP Designjets have a 3 level disk wipe program. A level 1 simple overwrite, a level 2 overwrite and some other stuff and then a level 3 complete overwrite and other stuff that meets DoD standards. Nothing complicated and no additional software or other security purchases needed.

[fixthecopier]

The real DOD standard for security is to damage the HDD so it can never be used again. I am thinking of picking up a line of disc destroyers, because of the number of rooms I find with these things stacked to the ceiling waiting to be disposed of.

[Ducttape n Glue]

This is the DoD directive : DoD 5220.22-M : It is the standard used for clearing and sanitization of disk media.

Secure Sanitizing Erase: all pointers to the information are erased, and the information itself is repetitively overwritten using an algorithm designed to eliminate any residual traces. This would be a Level 3 Disk Wipe meeting the Dod directive.

A Level 2 Erase: erases the pointers and overwrites with a fixed character pattern. Not DoD.

A Level 1 Erase: erases the pointers, info is still there and overwritten when the space is needed for new info. Software exists specifically to recover this info. It is the least secure. It is the fastest and most common method used. Not DoD.

Shadow1 covered the technical stuff well.

I would think all copiers and printers have this service utility already onboard if not they should.

[fixthecopier]

I understand what is written. I was not contradicting you, I am being truthful. The folks I do a lot of work for, do not allow HDDs to leave their possession. They will not allow a copier without an HDD to be put on the net, that is how paranoid they are. If I clean a security level 6 shredder, I have to leave the vacuum filter. WHY? They have a film of an eastern block operative putting together a shredded document with a computer program. The shreads are almost dust. And I have been told that they have ways of cracking any HDD as long as it is in tact. Therefore, they destroy the ones that have classified info on them. If you find an HDD in a used Army computer it will have a green sticker on it that says "unclassified". All the red ones are destroyed.

[Shadow1]

Ricoh Copiers do not have any HDD security by default (other than passwords on stored documents) but security kits that meet DOD standards are available for any new machine and a lot of old ones. I don't have good info on any other brand, but I haven't heard of any with Disk Overwrite installed and enabled by default. (not sure if some may have it, but its not enabled) One Reason being that to do a wipe correctly takes time, and the users must be educated about how it works to make sure the security provisions are in compliance - for example you can't turn the machine on, make a bunch of copies and shut it right back off again. There will be un-wiped data if you don't take care, so part of Ricoh's installation procedure for drive encryption or overwrite is to train the operators.

[Ducttape n Glue]

"I understand what is written. I was not contradicting you, I am being truthful. The folks I do a lot of work for, do not allow HDDs to leave their possession."

fixthecopier....I just put the info up in case anyone was interested, I don't doubt you at all. I have one customer that uses burn bags and incinerates their hdds and other media.

In the HP's it tells you what each level is and does, and how each level up will take a longer time, but it is part of the service utility on board the unit and offers the choice of which level to perform.

[KenB]

Ricoh Copiers do not have any HDD security by default (other than passwords on stored documents) but security kits that meet DOD standards are available for any new machine and a lot of old ones. I don't have good info on any other brand, but I haven't heard of any with Disk Overwrite installed and enabled by default. (not sure if some may have it, but its not enabled) One Reason being that to do a wipe correctly takes time, and the users must be educated about how it works to make sure the security provisions are in compliance - for example you can't turn the machine on, make a bunch of copies and shut it right back off again. There will be un-wiped data if you don't take care, so part of Ricoh's installation procedure for drive encryption or overwrite is to train the operators.

Good point. HDD security begins with the customer when you come right down to it.

In fact, if you completely follow the installation procedure for the DOSS (Data Overwrite Security System), step 1 is to open the sealed package in the presence of the customer.

[mascan42]

The story is a load of sensationalist bullshit, but now the companies have to respond. Konica Minolta released a letter explaining our standard HDD security features, that we're meant to hand out to any customers that might have an issue with security.