Old Copy Machines Pose Possible Danger of Identity Theft, Data Mining, etc.

[Harvey]

There's not a lot I can add beyond posting this heads up. Hope it's not a repost. Hope it helps someone.

Article on CBS.

Smoother copy of the video than the one on CBS's story page.

Your Office Copy Machine Might Digitally Store Thousands of Documents That Get Passed on at Resale

By Armen Keteyian

(CBS) At a warehouse in New Jersey, 6,000 used copy machines sit ready to be sold. CBS News chief investigative correspondent Armen Keteyian reports almost every one of them holds a secret.

Nearly every digital copier built since 2002 contains a hard drive - like the one on your personal computer - storing an image of every document copied, scanned, or emailed by the machine.

In the process, it's turned an office staple into a digital time-bomb packed with highly-personal or sensitive data.

If you're in the identity theft business it seems this would be a pot of gold.

"The type of information we see on these machines with the social security numbers, birth certificates, bank records, income tax forms," John Juntunen said, "that information would be very valuable."
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[Perknose]

Most people are clones who are bad copies of a flawed original anyway. Turn around and look closely at the person next to you. See the telltale degradation and random artifacts? Clones, I tell you, clones!

Now excuse me, I've got a used copier auction to get to! :sneaky:

 

[BoberFett]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2069050

 

[Harvey]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2069050

Good to know that dennilfloss posted it in OT. We tend to get a different crowd, here, and personally, I think the P&N folks will benefit from the info, possibly more than those in OT. I'll leave it here, and another mod can lock it if he/she thinks it should be done.

 

[Throckmorton]

These articles are misleading. When I first heard about this I was shocked that the files aren't deleted when the printer is done with them. Well they are deleted, but like any deleted file you can restore them. Apparently some copier manufacturers offer the ability to write zeroes or something to prevent restoring the files.

 

[Kirby]

I assume that's why we have stickers saying that they can't be used classified documents here at work.

 

[WHAMPOM]

Harvy, just what would an identity thief do with all those thousands of bare ass images? Those bored office workers with nothing else to do copy their butts. That is if their IT did not erase them. Or save them for the annual office party.

 

[Harvey]

These articles are misleading. When I first heard about this I was shocked that the files aren't deleted when the printer is done with them. Well they are deleted, but like any deleted file you can restore them. Apparently some copier manufacturers offer the ability to write zeroes or something to prevent restoring the files.

The files are deleted IF someone at a company knows enough to wipe the drive. That assumes they even know there's a drive in the machine.

This could pose a threat to anyone who uses a copy machine at any commercial establishment that offers copy services like Kinkos/FedEx, their local rental PO box, supermarket, etc.

 

[Throckmorton]

The machines don't automatically delete the files when they're done with them? Why would they not?

 

[kranky]

The machines don't automatically delete the files when they're done with them? Why would they not?

Sounds like they do it just like a PC does. The files are marked as deleted, but the data is not wiped/overwritten to obliterate the data.

 

[biggestmuff]

I assume that's why we have stickers saying that they can't be used classified documents here at work.

That's a budget issue with your workcenter/office/section/command. You can have a copier for copying classified documents.

 

[WhipperSnapper]

I was completely unaware of this. I'm glad it was posted here in P&N.

 

[Zedtom]

I just wanted to quote my imaginary scenario from the OT thread to show what paranoia can do to corporate honchos who get caught up in these news reports.

When I saw that story I wondered about the paranoid middle management types calling the IT department and freaking out. The conversations would be amusing if they first asked if the drives were wiped before the old units were shipped out, then on second thought asking if they backed up the hard drives so they could check for any unauthorized copies that were made.

"Yeah, we backed up 500,000 images. Do you want to send somebody down to go through them to check for unauthorized use?"

 

[blackangst1]

Thanks Harvey I was also unaware. Good to keep in the back of your mind.