[ISN] Security UPDATE -- The Challenge of Data Destruction, Part 2 -- May 18, 2005

From: InfoSec News (isn@private)
Date: Fri May 20 2005 - 22:13:31 PDT


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1. In Focus: The Challenge of Data Destruction, Part 2

2. Security News and Features
   - Recent Security Vulnerabilities
   - Trend Micro Acquires InterMute; Novell Acquires Immunix
   - What IT Pros Must Know About Sarbanes-Oxley
   - Microsoft Plans Gatekeeper Security Contest

3. Instant Poll

4. Security Toolkit
   - Security Matters Blog
   - FAQ
   - Security Forum Featured Thread

5. New and Improved
   - Stop Buffer Overflow Attacks

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==== 1. In Focus: The Challenge of Data Destruction, Part 2 ====
   by Mark Joseph Edwards, News Editor, mark at ntsecurity / net

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the challenge of data destruction. Based 
on the number of responses to that column we received, the issue is 
something a lot of you have to deal with.

A couple of readers wrote to suggest that heating the disks to a high 
temperature might help destroy the magnetic properties of the platters. 
One reader in particular said that people who work in universities 
might find this concept to be an interesting exercise for students 
working in the physics labs. 

Two more readers presented what I think is a very economical idea in 
terms of both time and money. They suggested having the drives crushed 
in a hydraulic press. One of the readers contracts with a local machine 
shop to do the work. He stands by while the drives are crushed, and 
each visit costs less than $100. The other reader said he first wipes 
disks with a software tool, then takes them to a local automobile scrap 
yard. A worker at the scrap yard crushes the drives in exchange for 
beer! The crushed parts could be separated into multiple lots and 
disposed of at several trash dumps and recycling locations.

Another interesting idea is to use an oxyacetylene cutting torch or arc 
welder to destroy drives. This sort of approach would certainly destroy 
data, however it could become expensive in terms of time and money 
depending on who did the work. And as one reader pointed out, the fumes 
released from burning drive components could be toxic. 

Yet another reader wrote to suggest driving a nail through each drive. 
I agree that would work, but it's a lot of hammering if there are a few 
hundred drives to destroy. The same reader also pointed out an error I 
made in mentioning liquid hydrogen as a way to freeze a drive. The 
proper chemical is liquid nitrogen. I apologize for that mistake. 

A novel solution is to use a shredder. A reader said he contracts with 
a company that offers an on-site shredding service for documents. As a 
demonstration of its shredder's ability to shred other materials, the 
company shredded an old laptop into pieces no bigger than a fingernail! 
Because the reader already contracts with the shredding company for 
other shredding needs, having it destroy old disk drives costs the 
reader nothing extra. 

What if you want to recycle your hardware so that it can be used again 
by someone else? A reader suggested using a computer recycling company 
such as RetroBox, which charges a fee to collect your old systems and 
wipe the drives of all data using technology that meets Department of 
Defense specifications. RetroBox then sells the refurbished systems and 
returns part of the proceeds to your company. Depending on your 
policies and needs, this could be a reasonable solution. 
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Finally, another reader suggested using a data encryption solution that 
requires a hardware-based key to access the data, such as SecureIDE (at 
the URL below). If no key is available, then in theory the data can't 
be accessed. This is a reasonable solution for many businesses, and so 
are data encryption techniques that use software-based keys. However, 
someone might be able to recover the data if he or she has enough 
resources to allocate to the task. 
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Thanks to all of you who contributed to this list of interesting 
solutions.

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==== 2. Security News and Features ====

Recent Security Vulnerabilities
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Alerts, which inform you about recently discovered security 
vulnerabilities. You can also find information about these 
discoveries at
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Trend Micro Acquires InterMute; Novell Acquires Immunix
   Security solution provider Trend Micro has acquired antispyware 
maker InterMute for approximately $15 million. Novell acquired Linux 
application security vendor Immunix, maker of AppArmor.
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What IT Pros Must Know About Sarbanes-Oxley
   Chances are you've already been affected by sections 404 and 302 of 
the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), whether or not you realize it. SOX has 
ramifications for everyone in the corporation from the CEO and board of 
directors down to IT professionals. Randy Franklin Smith examines the 
various IT areas that SOX affects to help you get a handle on your role 
in implementing compliance-related mandates from upper management.
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Microsoft Plans Gatekeeper Security Contest
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Security Matters Blog: Firefox 1.0.4 Fixes Three Critical Security 
Problems
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   If you use Mozilla Firefox, it's time to upgrade to the latest 
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FAQ
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