Napoleon wrote: > John Hasler wrote: >> I wrote: >>> If you want to destroy all the data for security purposes install and >>> use shred. It will take quite a while on a large disk. >> >> Ron Johnson writes: >>> This really is a myth. > [snip] > (Should have gone to the list but I screwed up the first time - sorry). > > Overwriting with zeros (or ones) once is not at all secure. It can > easily be nearly 100% recovered by someone with the necessary > equipment, even more so on a modern drive. > > Overwriting multiple times with random data provides higher security. > Physical destruction of the disk (i.e melting or physically shredding > the disk) is the only sure-fire security. I recall this discussion before. There is a way to eliminate the contents of a hard disk without physical destruction. A powerful enough EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) aimed at the drive would be enough to permanently erase the contents. However, I doubt that anyone here has data on their drives sensitive enough for a government to want it (they have the equipment to retrieve data, barring physical destruction or EMP).
Wiping a hard drive is usually enough, if you are going to sell it or give it away. Chris -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
