Santizing laptops harddrive?

Galaril · 05-12-2009, 11:52 AM

I am pretty familiar with most methods for wiping hard drives of data when getting rid of old PCs/laptops but am curious what can be done if the machine does not reboot for some reason. My options for destroying the data is to either destroy the drive physically with hammer, use magnets on it or pull the drive and store it in a safe place. Is this. Has anyone else see or used other methods for accomplishing this at work or home?

Thanks for any help.

Fidatelo · 05-12-2009, 11:58 AM

Have you tried using a linux live cd to boot and then view the contents of the hard drive?

DaddyTorgo · 05-12-2009, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fidatelo

Have you tried using a linux live cd to boot and then view the contents of the hard drive?

ding ding!

i did this over the weekend with one of my drives that wouldn't boot or be recognized in winblows

Galaril · 05-12-2009, 12:41 PM

It is not for a specific machine or situation. My company is going to be decommissioning a bunch over 200 laptops,servers etc and as Director of Information Secirity is my responsibility to make sure the data is non retrievable from these devices when we get rid of them. And the question was asked what if for any reason we can not reboot the device server, laptop, desktop can we do to be sure the data is removed. I will keep that idea in mind with the linux reboot cd idea. Anyone else?

Samdari · 05-12-2009, 12:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galaril

It is not for a specific machine or situation. My company is going to be decommissioning a bunch over 200 laptops,servers etc and as Director of Information Secirity is my responsibility to make sure the data is non retrievable from these devices when we get rid of them. And the question was asked what if for any reason we can not reboot the device server, laptop, desktop can we do to be sure the data is removed. I will keep that idea in mind with the linux reboot cd idea. Anyone else?

When the govt wants to get rid of hard drives with sensitive information on them, they incinerate. The data is then non retrievable.

Galaril · 05-12-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samdari

When the govt wants to get rid of hard drives with sensitive information on them, they incinerate. The data is then non retrievable.

We are probably going to hire a third party to destroy them and then give us a certificate of destruction.

gstelmack · 05-12-2009, 01:53 PM

Move the hard drive into a working machine, then run one of the Linux distros that has file wiping software. I'll have to check at home for the one I found, but it has a pretty good set of patterns it writes and you can control the time spent vs security of the data.

But yes, if possible incinerate them from orbit, it's the only way to be sure.

DanGarion · 05-12-2009, 02:05 PM

Just throw the drives at a block wall a couple times.

gstelmack · 05-12-2009, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DanGarion

Just throw the drives at a block wall a couple times.

That's not nearly as effective as you think it is

There's a reason they use full-on incinerators that melt the darn things down for classified and other sensitive data. It's amazing what you can get off burned, mutilated, twisted hunks of drives.

flere-imsaho · 05-12-2009, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galaril

We are probably going to hire a third party to destroy them and then give us a certificate of destruction.

That's what I would do. You guarantee they're physically destroyed, and in the event that someone doesn't destroy a drive, you've transferred liability to the 3rd party.

Ryan S · 05-12-2009, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Galaril

It is not for a specific machine or situation. My company is going to be decommissioning a bunch over 200 laptops,servers etc and as Director of Information Secirity is my responsibility to make sure the data is non retrievable from these devices when we get rid of them.

In my company we send our disks to an external company who put them through a hard disk shredder. The disk is completely destroyed then melted down.

Check out the before/after picture.

05-12-2009, 11:58 AM	#2
Fidatelo Pro Starter Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Winnipeg, MB	Have you tried using a linux live cd to boot and then view the contents of the hard drive? __________________ "Breakfast? Breakfast schmekfast, look at the score for God's sake. It's only the second period and I'm winning 12-2. Breakfasts come and go, Rene, but Hartford, the Whale, they only beat Vancouver maybe once or twice in a lifetime."

05-12-2009, 01:53 PM	#7
gstelmack Pro Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Cary, NC	Move the hard drive into a working machine, then run one of the Linux distros that has file wiping software. I'll have to check at home for the one I found, but it has a pretty good set of patterns it writes and you can control the time spent vs security of the data. But yes, if possible incinerate them from orbit, it's the only way to be sure. __________________ -- Greg -- Author of various FOF utilities

05-12-2009, 02:05 PM	#8
DanGarion Coordinator Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: The Great Northwest	Just throw the drives at a block wall a couple times. __________________ Los Angeles Dodgers Check out the FOFC Groups on Facebook! and Reddit! DON'T REPORT ME BRO! Last edited by DanGarion : 05-12-2009 at 02:05 PM.

05-12-2009, 12:41 PM	#4
Galaril Pro Starter Join Date: Jan 2004	It is not for a specific machine or situation. My company is going to be decommissioning a bunch over 200 laptops,servers etc and as Director of Information Secirity is my responsibility to make sure the data is non retrievable from these devices when we get rid of them. And the question was asked what if for any reason we can not reboot the device server, laptop, desktop can we do to be sure the data is removed. I will keep that idea in mind with the linux reboot cd idea. Anyone else?

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