Re: Hard Drive data security

creative_at_mutemail.com
Date: 10/04/04

  • Next message: J. Theriault: "Re: Hard Drive data security" 
    To: "Leong Kok Wah Kenneth" <LeongKWKenneth@ocbc.com.sg>
Date: Mon, 4 Oct 2004 07:39:49 +0200

    Hi Kenneth,

    a - Encase is a professional tool you want only is you're specialized in
    Computer Forensic, try to go to www.softpile.com or look for
    Smartrecovery.exe on Google. These are quite simple tools, you see it all
    depends on how confidential your data is. For example you have very
    sensitive data so you need to completely clean yr computer, but if it's on a
    lower level of confidentiality then don't go crazy on your HDD.

    If one want to recover data from you, one will only spend a time equivalent
    to the value of the data. If you have any doubt about the value of your
    content then go for the best level of cleaning. try
    http://www.freebits.co.uk/security.html
    or search - Erase data download free - on Google.

    b - Norton Ghost is perfect for making an image of yr HDD.

    c - If you clean and don't rewrite new data on the disk, then with tools
    such as Encase it is possible to find info, but then again is the
    info you own worth the trouble? That's for you to evaluate, I beleive if I
    was a bad guy trying to spy on you I would really bother if you're a
    competitor, a bank manager, etc. Otherwise I don't see why I should
    bother so much. I hope you see what I'm trying to explain.

    d - So suggestion is :

        Take a brand new HDD or one completely clean.

        Use Norton Ghost to make an image of your 'old' HDD, check the integrity
    on an other computer, if it is ok then you can wipe your 'old' HDD.

        Use Smartrecovery or similar tool on 'old' HDD to try to recover data,
    if you can, then you will have to keep on cleaning it and reformat
    it until you are satisfied.

    Hope that will answer yr questions,

    Creative

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Leong Kok Wah Kenneth" <LeongKWKenneth@ocbc.com.sg>
    To: <creative@mutemail.com>
    Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 3:52 AM
    Subject: RE: Hard Drive data security

    Hi, Creative.

    Thanks for responding to my email.

    Indeed, I appreciated your sharing.

    I have further queries and confusion which I hope you could advise me :
    a. from what I understood and tried to search for Computer Forensic
    tools before, most of popular trial version such as Encase are not
       available as Full version. I meant that they can be only used to
    detect but not available to recover all the lost/corrupted data.
       So, where do you think I could find a full working version(limited by
    trial period-30days)?

    b. I heard some people suggested using the Norton Ghost to dump the full
    image and load it onto another machine. Is it workable?

    c. Instead of using any free/commerical diskwiping tools to 'cleaned'
    the data away, by restoring another image into the system and then do
       a fdisk followed by re-formatting the hdd. Do you think the original
    data (ie before reloading the restored imaged)could be recovered?

    kenneth

    -----Original Message-----
    From: creative@mutemail.com [mailto:creative@mutemail.com]
    Sent: 02 October 2004 06:36
    To: Leong Kok Wah Kenneth; Paul Kurczaba;
    security-basics@securityfocus.com
    Subject: Re: Hard Drive data security

    Kenneth,

    I personnaly use Computer Forensic Tools, try a search on Google, you
    will probably find a trial version available, the good point of this
    kind of tool is that they will allow you to make a bit & bit copy of the
    HD, plus will include a tool to erase the data when its done. Then you
    can try to restore info just to check if HD is completely clean.

    Use a new HD if possible or a HD which has been completely formatted and
    make sure there is nothing left in it. Use this HD as a slave and the
    old one as a master then you can start the copy.

    Check the slave HD on another computer to be sure the copy is complete
    and well done (that should normally work very well). You will then have
    an exact copy of your HD including applications, data, etc.

    This is the way we work when doing investigation, data are NEVER
    recovered from the original HD, so you can be pretty confident.

    Creative

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Leong Kok Wah Kenneth" <LeongKWKenneth@ocbc.com.sg>
    To: <creative@mutemail.com>; "Paul Kurczaba" <paul@myipis.com>;
    <security-basics@securityfocus.com>
    Sent: Friday, October 01, 2004 4:02 AM
    Subject: RE: Hard Drive data security

    Hi, guys.

    May I joined in the discussion?

    Creative : 1. what software should we use to make a copy bit & bit of
    data and what about if it is failing?
               2. won't these data after restoring into another drive fail
    to boot-up the system if the 'bad' data is a system file, etc?

    Thanks
    kenneth

    -----Original Message-----
    From: creative@mutemail.com [mailto:creative@mutemail.com]
    Sent: 01 October 2004 06:11
    To: Paul Kurczaba; security-basics@securityfocus.com
    Subject: Re: Hard Drive data security

    You will have to make a copy bit by bit of your hard drive, then you
    must use a software like Evidence Eliminator in order to delete your
    data from the HD that Dell will take back.

    Creative

    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Paul Kurczaba" <paul@myipis.com>
    To: <security-basics@securityfocus.com>
    Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 2004 6:11 PM
    Subject: Hard Drive data security

    Hi,
       I have a question about hard drive data security. The hard drive on
    my notebook is failing and Dell is going to replace it. They are going
    to take the old one with them. How can I securely remove the data from
    the hard drive?

    Thanks,
    Paul

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