on random rewrites as a secure method of wiping hard drives:
Secure erase not so secureWhen writing finite bits to the disk sector, there is a finiteprobability that the resultant string of randomised bits MAY in factgenerate something incriminating.
For example: (regardless of how unlikely this may seem), any string ofrandom characters may well create a brand new wordfile on the computerby pure chance .. which contains legible words, which string togetherto form sentences which may in turn connect the previous owner of thehard disk with Al-Qaida, the Mafia, insider trading, un-patrioticactivites, Linux ‘development’, or any manner of unsavory activities.
The larger the hard disk being randomly ‘wiped’ in this fashion, thegreater the probability that some new and undesirable content would becreated by chance.
I for one would NOT place my trust in such a tool, risking a lifetimeof torment in Guantanimo Bay in exchange for the ’security’ of havingmy hard disk cleaned prior to resale.
The solution ? One should purchase a new copy of the Vista for thesaid hard disk, and install this on the disk. This would effectivelywipe clean the disk of any previous content. The disk could then bedisposed of cleanly, with a note that the new owner must purchaseanother legal copy of the Vista before installing the disk.
In this situation - everyone wins.
January 21st, 2008 at 10:44 am
Originally appeared here:
http://talkback.zdnet.com/5208-12694-0.html?forumID=1&threadID=35046&messageID=646740&start=0
January 24th, 2008 at 5:08 pm
Yes, I have a friend that works for the NSA and he has verified that so-called “linux development” is in fact a terrorist activity.
January 24th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
The Windows activation policy would deactivate the copy anyway, so no worries here, you won’t even have to pass any notes to the new hard drive’s owner. One remaining problem is that the Windows installation nowadays still can’t take all the hard disk space, leaving some previous information to remain there intact — though Microsoft is getting better and better in this regard, they would probably reach perfection in this area in not too distant future as well.