Secret Mac

From: Tothwolf <tothwolf_at_concentric.net>
Date: Fri Apr 19 03:41:27 2002

On Fri, 19 Apr 2002, Chris wrote:

> The thing I and the guy who told me about it were laughing at is how
> useless their "destruction" methods really were.

I've had the same discussion with people down here who were drilling holes
in drives. Given enough time and effort, a large amount of data can still
be extracted from those tortured drives.

> They are using an off the shelf secure delete program (Norton?) and
> then opening the top of the HD and hitting it with a mallet to damage
> the platters.

The places I've been around locally didn't even bother with wiping the
drives off with software.

I actually spent two full days one summer wiping data off ST-225 drives in
two pallets of IBM PC/XT systems. It was strictly volunteer work, and I
didn't get so much as a free lunch out of it. The two pallets of PC/XT
systems sold for $5 each at auction 3 weeks later. I'd have bought them
myself if I would have had the room, but I imagine some scrap metal dealer
was the purchaser.

> So what does this mean... well, I am sure one of those data recovery
> companies could still extract the info from the drive if someone was
> willing to pay the fee (which I would assume a rival company that
> really wanted the info, and was willing to bribe the trash hauler
> would be able to afford).

Of course a good data recovery company could. But what percentage of these
drives are going to have "confidential" data on them? I'd imagine only a
small fraction of all those systems ever had anything "confidential" on
them, and even those could be erased with software in such a manner as to
make the data 99.9% (or more) unrecoverable.

> The computers are (were? they may be done now) under guard and only
> accessable after the hauler has collected the contents of the dumpster
> and driven off property... I do know this first hand... I tried to
> make a midnight run to collect some of the PC remains since it was
> supposed to ONLY be the mobo and HD being trashed, that leaves lots of
> good parts for the picking... but I was stopped at the manned gate,
> where I could see the dumpster and a poor guard sitting by it reading
> a book... in the cold of winter... so he wasn't there for kicks... and
> no, the guard at the gate wouldn't look the other way for $100 which
> was all I could afford to offer (didn't try the garbage truck
> driver... too afraid it is a Soprano Special company).

I've really been wondering what is happening to systems being sent to TDC
(Texas Department of Corrections) down here in Texas. After SB1105 76(R)
was passed in 1999, all state agencies or state funded groups have been
required to send their "data processing equipment" (computers) to TDC.
They are required to remove any data from the PC, so most just remove the
hard drive (and don't reinstall the mounting bracket). They don't usually
send TDC the monitors, keyboard, mice, or cables that go along with those
systems. Strangely enough, they do send terminals to TDC. I really can't
imagine how TDC plans to refurbish/resell stripped computers that lack
their monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Here in Houston at least, I've seen
everything from an Apple II or a Mac 128k to an IBM/360 packed up for
shipment to TDC. Some scrap metal dealer or trash hauler must have a
really sweet deal going with TDC...

-Toth
Received on Fri Apr 19 2002 - 03:41:27 BST