Privacy and security questions

[Gary R.]

I hope some of you are PC experienced enough to know this.  While I am aware that any files saved to a PC's hardrive after being deleted still leave a vague print that the right software can reconstruct.  Now, what I am wondering is do temporary internet files, cookies and cache from pages visited leave a similar reconstructable print, even if nothing is downloaded or saved on a hard drive that only can be removed with re-format?  

[Weather_Man]

Yes, it's basically the same thing. All cookies/cache files are written to the disk. The only thing that makes it temporary is that they are deleted at some point by the system and/or are non-essential. They can be reconstructed as easily as any other file on your computer. That's why those cleaner programs use the 7-pass overwriting method to delete them.

[Fozzer]

Hi Gary...!

...Do I detect that you have been searching some "dodgy" sites, and are afraid that when the Police knock on your door and take your hard drive away with them, that the will be looking for all this "dodgy" material left behind, in all the nooks and crannies... ...?

LOL... ...!

Paul...it's amazing what your "History" and "Cookies" reveal... ...!
... ...!

[Craig.]

Just so you know, even a re-format wont delete files completely. I have managed to save certain things in the past after a complete format.

[congo]

Nothing a 4lb sledge hammer wont cure, I would imagine it's in the essential hacker's tool kit.

[beaky]

A very large magnet might also do the trick... or will it?

[GunnerMan]

Nope. Most people still belive that magnets harm computers. They did in the old days when we used floppy disks and such but now it wont.

I am misleading a magnet will harm components but it must be very powerfull. They have degaussers that will kill harddrives for you they are essentialy a big electric magnet that scrambles and frys the harddrive. You wont be able to do it with any magnet you have laying around your house.

BTW deleteing files does leave a footprint but in most cases I think would be very hard to recover. So I would not worry about it unless you were hosting a ring of child pornography and the FBI is after you.

[Mick_C]

Nope. Most people still belive that magnets harm computers. They did in the old days when we used floppy disks and such but now it wont.

I am misleading a magnet will harm components but it must be very powerfull. They have degaussers that will kill harddrives for you they are essentialy a big electric magnet that scrambles and frys the harddrive. You wont be able to do it with any magnet you have laying around your house.

BTW deleteing files does leave a footprint but in most cases I think would be very hard to recover. So I would not worry about it unless you were hosting a ring of child pornography and the FBI is after you.

Gunners right, there are two schools of thought here. I perform data recovery services through my computer company and can tell you with certainty that formats can be recovered up to 7 deep with software alone.  Even degausing is no barrier to a Level II Cleanroom "forensic" recovery though. If you've really been naughty and the government gets involved, there is just about nothing their programs and procedures can't recover.  

Think about data recovery from the Space Shuttle and airline tradgedies and this becomes apparent.  But these are EXTREME examples. A DOD wipe of the drive is somewhat effective, but can also be "descrambled".

Moral is, if your doing something THAT illegal, stop.

Dang I hate being such a messenger of doom  ::)

Take care friend,
Mick

[congo]

What about my 4 lb. sledgehammer in the glass case on my wall, won't that work unomernot?

I keep it there in case MS gets narky about my NoCD patch for CFS2 !  ;D


I can't see the FBI reconstructing a set of shattered glass platters, are HDD's still using glass platters?


And yeah, don't do bad things guys, it's not nice.

[Mick_C]

LOL congo!

It basically all comes down to money anyway... Data recovery at that level is VERY expensive, we all know how cheap the government is, so...

Here's a cute quip I got from the University of Miami's Miller School of medicine on the subject. I like the wee pic on the website, kinda says it all! (chuckle)

http://it.med.miami.edu/x677.xml

"In the end, only total physical destruction affords total security.