<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">LOL - One would think, but it's not 'good enough' according to our University's Security Czar!<div> </div><div> <div><div>On Jun 9, 2009, at 11:05 PM, Markus Kesaromous wrote:</div> <blockquote type="cite"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Courier; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; "><div class="hmmessage" style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana; ">Would using a powerful magnet also work?? :) > From: <a href="mailto:ehemdal@townisp.com">ehemdal@townisp.com</a> > To: <a href="mailto:fedora-list@redhat.com">fedora-list@redhat.com</a> > Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 22:58:05 -0400 > Subject: Re: OT: Can Reformatting A Hard Drive To ext3 Destroy All the Data On It? > > > > > Robert L Cochran wrote: > >> I have a hard drive that I need to destroy the data on. What is the most > >> dependable way to do this? Can reformatting the drive as ext3 or ext4 or > >> some other filesystem effectively destroy the existing data? > >> > >> Is there free software that can write zeroes or some form of nonsense to > >> every storage location? > > > > > > Overwriting the disc, even several times, is not enough to guarantee > > that the data _cannot_ be recovered. If you truly need to make the > > data unrecoverable, then a hammer is all that's needed. To be truly > > sure, open the case (also requires a screwdriver or nutdriver), > > and shatter each disc separately. They are usually ceramic these > > days, I think. Anyway, physical destruction is the only real guarantee. > > > > Mike > > Much depends on how "destroyed" your data needs to be. You can certainly > write zeros to a drive > > dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/hda #or whatever device is your drive > > does the trick. But if you have any special partitions for diagnostics, a > "recovery image", or you just have some space on the drive that can't be > reached then this won't really destroy everything. Some drives have > reserved areas that aren't accessible through normal OS means. > > There are programs like Darik's Boot and Nuke (dban.org) that claim to > destroy data by various means. I don't know if they can clean > manufacturer's reserved areas on the drive. > > If you have very sensitive data, then as Mike posted, shatter the drive. > Break it so that no piece of the disk is larger than one disk sector, > otherwise a piece might have a cleanly recoverable chunk of data on it. > > This link might help: > <a href="http://www.stanford.edu/group/security/securecomputing/data_destruction_guidelines.html">http://www.stanford.edu/group/security/securecomputing/data_destruction_guidelines.html</a> > > I know that there are a number of commercial services that offer to destroy > disks, recycle what can be recovered, and provide you evidence of "observed > destruction", although I don't have much experience with them. > > Erik > > > -- > fedora-list mailing list > <a href="mailto:fedora-list@redhat.com">fedora-list@redhat.com</a> > To unsubscribe: <a href="https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list">https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list</a> > Guidelines: <a href="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines">http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines</a> <hr>Windows Live™: Keep your life in sync. <a href="http://windowslive.com/explore?ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_BR_life_in_synch_062009" target="_new">Check it out.</a> -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by <a href="http://www.mailscanner.info/">MailScanner</a>, and is believed to be clean. -- fedora-list mailing list <a href="mailto:fedora-list@redhat.com">fedora-list@redhat.com</a> To unsubscribe: <a href="https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list">https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/fedora-list</a> Guidelines: <a href="http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines">http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Communicate/MailingListGuidelines</a></div></blockquote></div> </div> -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by <a href="http://www.mailscanner.info/">MailScanner</a>, and is believed to be clean. </body></html>