Best way to *securely* erase a HDD?

[amdhunter]

Next time just buy a Maxtor drive. While they don't securely erase on it's own...you can be 100% sure the data on it will be lost forever in a few months anyway.

 

[Red Squirrel]

dban, or even shred (built into most linux distros).

I usually just do a 25 pass and pretty sure that's more then good enough. If there was very sensitive data then I keep the drive for myself, or destroy it.

 

[ElFenix]

sounds like dban ties your system up doing just that for however long it takes.

i use eraser from within windows.

 

[Analog]

http://unitednuclear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=70_71&products_id=285

 

[Red Squirrel]

sounds like dban ties your system up doing just that for however long it takes.

i use eraser from within windows.

Yeah that's actually why I prefer shred. Just hook the drive to my server, and do it from there. The server is out of sight out of mind and on 24/7.

 

[0roo0roo]

unless you think the criminals are going to invest in an electron microscope and the rest of the crew no ones going to get anything from a drive written over with a single pass and even the electron microscope techniques never been proven in practice.
wasting electricity with 25 pass nonsense is a way for an it consultant to play halo all day while pretending to do work.

 

[mjrpes3]

Has any team been able to recover data that has had a one pass wipe, let alone a 25 pass?

 

[shortylickens]

Has any team been able to recover data that has had a one pass wipe, let alone a 25 pass?

One pass? FBI and CIA and ONI and NSA do it all the time.

 

[mjrpes3]

I'd recommend opening up the drive and breaking the actual disk. On top of the satisfaction you get from destroying something, you can save the super magnet inside and impress your friends and family with it.

 

[mjrpes3]

One pass? FBI and CIA and ONI and NSA do it all the time.

This article disagrees:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/116368

Does the FBI and CIA and ONI and NSA have super secret technology that they will kill people who leak info about?

 

[akshatp]

sounds like dban ties your system up doing just that for however long it takes.

i use eraser from within windows.

Thanks.. I used Eraser and it looks like it wrote a bunch of 216MB files until the drive filled up and then formatted it.

No real critical data, just wanted to make sure its wiped before I ship it off.

Thanks everyone

 

[akshatp]

I'd recommend opening up the drive and breaking the actual disk. On top of the satisfaction you get from destroying something, you can save the super magnet inside and impress your friends and family with it.

Im not sure the person I sold it to would be too pleased with this method

 

[sjwaste]

When I was in the Navy I spent time at a Comm station in Iceland. Somehow I ended up being the security officer for my division. Last I heard the only absolutely sure way no one will ever read old data off your hard drive again is to put it in an incinerator. That was our standard prodecure, handed down to us by forces much higher. Anything else has at least some risk.
For you, just use a standard windows command or perhaps a free utility. Thats probably enough for what you wanna do (protect yourself and family from a casual user).

Physical destruction takes less time, too. Honestly, I'm not sure why anyone would bother with drive wiping. Disassemble the damn thing and break up the platters. If you're really paranoid, scatter them around the county or something.

HD's are cheap enough that I don't really have any inclination to resell.

 

[0roo0roo]

This article disagrees:

http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/116368

Does the FBI and CIA and ONI and NSA have super secret technology that they will kill people who leak info about?

yup its a theoretical "myth" based on some very old information on old tech drives that got carried over into the present.
http://www.heliosdf.com/blog/?p=47
http://www.nber.org/sys-admin/overwritten-data-guttman.html

 

[coolVariable]

How about we close this or move it to one of the relevant TECH forums?

 

[seepy83]

People that stay current with Security news know that 1 pass is sufficient.