[ISN] Security UPDATE -- Wipe Old Hard Disks Clean Reprise -- April 20, 2005

From: InfoSec News (isn@private)
Date: Wed Apr 20 2005 - 22:23:21 PDT


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1. In Focus: Wipe Old Hard Disks Clean--Reprise

2. Security News and Features
   - Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   - SSL VPN Products 
   - IIS Application Isolation
   - eEye Releases Free WiFi Scanner

3. Instant Poll

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==== 1. In Focus: Wipe Old Hard Disks Clean--Reprise ====
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

A year ago, I wrote in this space about tools that you can use to wipe 
hard disks clean of all data. In that article, I mentioned four 
software-based tools. This week I learned about two more tools and 
about another type of product that can help when you need to erase a 
disk. 

The tools I mentioned in the previous article (first URL below) are 
Autoclave (no longer supported), LSoft Technologies' Active@KillDisk 
(second URL below), Stellar Information Systems' Stellar Wipe Safe Data 
Eraser (third URL below), and Heidi Computers' Eraser (fourth URL 
below). 
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Because Autoclave, formerly provided by the University of Washington, 
is no longer supported, the university now refers people to the open 
source Darik's Boot and Nuke tool (DBAN). DBAN works from a bootable 
floppy disk, can erase data in various modes (DoD short, random number 
streams) and works with PCs and PowerPC platforms, including Apple 
Macintosh. DBAN is also bundled with Heidi Computers' Eraser. 
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If you have Windows XP, then maybe you know that it ships with a 
command-line tool, cipher.exe, designed to manage encryption on entire 
volumes as well as directories. One of the features of cipher.exe is 
that it can wipe a disk to help prevent data recovery. The tool's /? 
switch gives you a list of all the available command-line options. You 
can use the last option, /W, to wipe an entire disk or a select 
directory. There are, of course, other tools that can do the same job, 
which you can probably find using your favorite search engine.

Wiping an entire disk clean (so that you can recycle or dispose of it, 
donate it to charity, or return it under warranty) is sometimes quite a 
problem, especially if the disk is in a system that can no longer boot. 
You can of course try to use some sort of bootable CD-ROM and then run 
a software-based tool to wipe the disk. You can also remove the disk 
and put it into another system, boot that system, then wipe it clean. 

Another method, which I think is very handy, is to use a custom 
connector that lets you connect a disk to any system using a USB or 
FireWire port. Such connectors are relatively inexpensive and have the 
added advantage of letting you connect any ATA disk to a supported 
system, including a laptop, which is also a great way to get a bunch of 
extra disk space when you need it. 

The Dan's Data Web site reviews at least four connectors I think you 
might be interested in. One is an external drive box shell from 
Sunnytek Information available for ATA and SATA configurations (review 
at the first URL below). You can insert just about any regular ATA disk 
you can think of inside the shell. Another is ComboDock by WiebeTech, 
which is a small external connector box that connects to the back of an 
ATA disk (review at the second URL below). Yet another is the USB 2.0 
to IDE Cable, available from USBGEEK.COM (review at the third URL 
below). And finally, there is the R-Driver II USB to IDE cable (review 
at the fourth URL below), which I think is the best choice because it 
lets you connect regular ATA drives and the mini-ATA drives that are 
typically used in laptops and other portable computing devices. 
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One thing to keep in mind is that USB 2.0 (up to 480Mbps) is much 
faster than USB 1.x (up to 12Mbps). And likewise, FireWire 1394b (up to 
800Mbps) is twice as fast as FireWire 1394a (up to 400Mbps). If you 
don't have USB 2.0 or FireWire 1394b in your system, you can buy an 
inexpensive add-on card to significantly speed up read and write times. 

Any of the ATA connectors I mentioned let you add a disk to a system in 
just a few seconds. Not only can you use them to wipe data off disk, 
but because they offer complete portability, you can also use them with 
CD-ROM and DVD drives to create your own portable backup solutions. 

If you're interested in these connectors, be sure to read the related 
hardware reviews at Dan's Data.

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Recent Security Vulnerabilities
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files. Learn how to isolate applications in Brett Hill's article on our 
Web site. 
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eEye Releases Free WiFi Scanner
   eEye Digital Security announced the release of its free Retina WiFi 
Scanner, which is designed to help detect active wireless devices, 
including those that might already be connected to a company's wireless 
network. 
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Security Matters Blog 
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Honeynet Project Challenge: Scan 34
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