Hard drive security

[tjvincent]

How is everybody wiping the hard drives when machines are coming back, I am familiar with DBAN, but I want something fast and easy.

[bilyahn]

For the most part we just reformat the hard drive.

[zed255]

I like to use a Linux command:

dd bs=4096k if=/dev/zero of=/dev/[your device here]

This will write 4MB blocks of zeros from the very first sector to the end of the device. Quite fast considering what its doing and since it operates block level absolutely everything is overwritten. Best to do this from a 'Live CD' with the target drive the only one in the system unless you proficient with Unix, Linux or BSD variants 'cause it's easy the hose the wrong drive if you don't know what you're doing .

[robertdaniel]

If you are using xp.in an explorer windowclick tools -> folder options -> view tab -> uncheck use simple file sharing in 'my computer' click the security tab. change the file owners in the advanced button.

[Joe Foe from Buffalo]

I work for a locally owned and operated company that would address this issue once and for all for anyone that needs information security is a challenge for every business and government agency. This is a sample of what we sell/service.
Paper Shredders and Disintegrators for Data and Document Destruction

This is our website
Standard Duplicating - RISO, Duplicating, Shredding, Mailing, Printing, Inserters, Conveyers, Bulk Mail, Satori

[cobiray]

With this becoming a hot button issue in the last few months, we have adopted a new policy where we offer the customer a pay service where we replace the drive and give them the one from the machine back so they can dispose of it as it pertains to their own industry standards. If they do not wish to have this done they sign a document which says they've declined the service and our company is not responsible for the data that may or may not be on the drive when it goes away. If you take the time to pull every drive and scrub it, you're looking at a lot of time to do just one drive (depending on the software used). We've determined this to be the most cost effective for both the customer and the company.

[Joe Foe from Buffalo]

Good idea! FYI I forgot to post I'm from Buffalo NY that has made this a issue as of late with this story.

Mayor says Police IT Dept didnt erase copiers | WIVB.com

But even with this so close to home no one has shown any interest in the security issues.

[bilyahn]

Good idea! FYI I forgot to post I'm from Buffalo NY that has made this a issue as of late with this story.

Mayor says Police IT Dept didnt erase copiers | WIVB.com

But even with this so close to home no one has shown any interest in the security issues.

The only interest we have around here is at the local prisons and then only for the inmate law library copiers, none of the others although we have offered the data security feature for at least 7 or 8 years.

[RHBlakeman]

Same here - if they are replacing the drive they get the old one back - their security is not my problem. If they are donating the machines they sign a document that they understand that by not replacing the drive with a new unused one they risk data security and leave me non-liable, despite the drive being dban'd then reformatted and reloaded. That way they assume all responsibility and liability. Customers that have regulations to adhere to such as prisons, medical/dental under hipaa, etc are automatically given a form that states that regardless of the things done to the machine they are totally responsible and liable for data security by opting to leave the old drive in the machine, regardless of wiping and reloading. I do recommend they look into grninding their old hard drives, or at least pulverizing them with a sledge hammer. All too many people with the right intentions have donated their old machines only to find some Nigerian was able to recover the data from that old Win95 machine they gave to some charity that was supposed to be used to give computers to those in need when they actually end up in shipping containers and get stripped for metals. There was a PBS documentary not long ago on this too, Digital Junkyard I think it was called.

I bought a "refurbished" 100gb 2.5" drive from a well known national retailer not long ago and I looked at the drive before I initialized it to load Windows - corporate files on it, many with passwords, account numbers, etc. I could very well have sold that info or used it but I dban'd it and reloaded it. My own drives are damaged beyond recognition then given to a friend that sells scrap by the ton to a yard that grinds and sorts (magnetically) as soon as it's unloaded - no hands in the mix between my sledge hammer and the offload hopper at the scrapper - other than his and mine loading and unloading. This guy wouldn't know a toaster from a hard drive so he won't be trying to read the drive, he barely knows how to turn his PC on.

[RyanPacific]

The company I work with also will charge a service to people who are selling/donating/recycling etc. I usually will take the drive and perform a redundant secure wipe with (Wipe: Secure File Deletion) then i usually will finish off with a low level format utility from the HDD manufacturers web site. I've never been able to retrieve lost data after this procedure.

[Vulkor]

Thank Goodness we don't have a bunch of Paranoid individuals in East Texas freaking out about Hard Drive Security. We do a Hard Drive Format via the SP Mode usually. If it does become an issue I think We'll just sell the customer the HD as mentioned above. For any customer that much worried we'll sell the HDD tool Ricoh offers that deletes all info after every job.

[jonhiker]

this issue comes up now at every network install. i also just do an hdd format on the old copier and that keeps them happy. sales should soon be selling a lot of DOSS options. we are also offering to replace the drive either with one they provide or charge them for a new drive.

[fixthecopier]

The government has 2 types of HDD. Red for classified, green for nonclassified. Red sticker machines have to be identified on the outside, also with a red sticker. All these HDDs have to be removed and destroyed.
My 300+ bizhubs on base were ordered without HDD, and are not allowed on the net. I was just told that they may make me go to all the red machines and physically damage were the HDD connects. You see the biggest concern from the Army is not the HDD getting out in the public, the biggest concern is that someone working for them would install the HDD to collect info and then sell it. There are posters in these buildings about spies. One shows all of the people who sold out our country in the past several decades. As one of my escorts pointed out, they all had top secret clearances, and all but one did it for money. The one did it for political reasons.

[cobiray]

There are posters in these buildings about spies.

That kinda makes the dogs playing poker in my man cave dull and boring.