[Full-Disclosure] [Fwd: Window Washer 5.5: False Sense of Security]

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Date: 08/25/04

  • Next message: Feher Tamas: "[Full-Disclosure] Electronic Jihad on August 26, 04 ??" 
    To: full-disclosure@lists.netsys.com
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 2004 11:56:54 +0200

    FYI

    -------- Original Message --------
    Subject: Window Washer 5.5: False Sense of Security
    Date: 23 Aug 2004 19:53:54 -0000
    From: First Last <wbglinks@wbglinks.net>
    To: bugtraq@securityfocus.com

    Letter sent to Webroot a few weeks back, no response as of yet:

    Hi,

    I'm currently writing a tech paper on the recovery of information from

    used hard drives.

    And after doing some experimenting with different types of
    security/privacy software I found that your product, Window Washer 5.5,
    is providing its customers with a false sense of security.

    The problem I found with your software was with one of the features of

    Window Washer 5.5, under the Options/Security settings. The 'Add

    Bleach to Wash' does not work.

    After experimenting with this feature and using common, freeware

    recovery programs I was able to easily recover %100 of the information

    that was suppose to be "bleach"ed by your product. Didn't matter

    the pass setting, I was still able to easily recover the targeted bleached

    data. Though a user defined setting seemed to work a little better, just

    the FAT entries were scrambled and not the actual data information!

    I could easily give new names to the scrambled FAT entries, and recover

    the "bleached" data, even after a user defined bleach setting of 50
    (also the right-click Shred (Wash and Bleach) feature fails in the same
    manner).

    I thought I would write Webroot and see what you guys had to say before

    publishing my findings.

    In your help file for Window Washer, you guys state:

    "You can make your wash more secure by adding "bleach." The bleach

    overwrites each file that Window Washer deletes with random characters.

    You cannot recover bleached files using an undelete or unerase program."

    This is simply untrue and I hope perhaps an explanation from your company

    could show my findings in a different light. I would be more than happy

    to send you my method of testing your product, including the name of

    the recovery tool(s) that were used.

    Thank you for your time,

    WBG Links

    www.wbglinks.net

    _______________________________________________
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  • Next message: Feher Tamas: "[Full-Disclosure] Electronic Jihad on August 26, 04 ??"

    Relevant Pages

    • Window Washer: False Sense of Security
      ... Below is a recent letter sent to the guys at Web Root, ... Window Washer 5.5, under the Options/Security settings. ... Bleach to Wash' does not work. ... recovery programs I was able to easily recover %100 of the information ...
      (comp.security.misc)
    • Window Washer: False Sense of Security
      ... Below is a recent letter sent to the guys at Web Root, ... Window Washer 5.5, under the Options/Security settings. ... Bleach to Wash' does not work. ... recovery programs I was able to easily recover %100 of the information ...
      (alt.computer.security)
    • Window Washer 5.5: False Sense of Security
      ... And after doing some experimenting with different types of security/privacy software I found that your product, Window Washer 5.5, is providing its customers with a false sense of security. ... Bleach to Wash' does not work. ... I was still able to easily recover the targeted bleached ... I thought I would write Webroot and see what you guys had to say before ...
      (Bugtraq)
    • Window Washer 6.0: False Sense of Security
      ... This is the exact same problem I discovered with past versions of Window Washer: ... Allowing a main feature/function of this product to not work properly is not acceptable. ... The 'Add Bleach to Wash' does not work. ... You cannot recover bleached files using an undelete or unerase program." ...
      (Bugtraq)