Fast HD Purge Program?

There are no guarantees that using a magnet will delete all of the data off of a drive. DoD requires that if you are going to use a magnet to wipe a drive the magnet has to be able to fluctuate the power of the magnetic field to insure the data is wiped. With a normal magnet that you cannot change the magnetic field, you may end up leaving a lot of data available for a forensic scientist to find. Degaussing is much more effective than a magnet, but again, you have to use a degausser that is specifically designed to wipe a harddrive.

Here is a DoD memo with guidelines on destroying data: www.doim.army.mil/a2rmp/docs/harddrives1.doc

I would question the external magnet method as well. The magnetic density on todays hard drive is extremely strong (meaning very dense and powerful). It would take a seriously powerfull magnet. Esecially since most HDs are shielded. You can very the magnetic field by swirling it around the object but again, it's just not going to be powerfull enough.

The bottom line here I think is: there is NO quick way to destroy the data. Why not encrypt the drive instead?

I wanted to dig this post up from the grave to see if there are any new developments out there. After doing some research, I have come to the conclusion that I would only build a hard drive degausser is to prevent somone in my department from using anything that I have against me.

Issue:

Management has changed in my department (IS) and now management is on a witch hunt. A hunt that would give them any reason to hold anything against us , the department. The management now constitutes 2 techs that got promoted and now think they are over our heads for lack of real managerial skills. Why I know? I have 2 bachelors degrees in Science in Information management and Mangagement and have been harrassed because of their lack of education. I have been reprimanded with little issues used against me such as computer games and such which were pre installed. Mind everyone that reads this, I work as a Network Admin in the department. Lets put it this way, I respect anyone with extensive experience with no education, but neither of them have education or current up to date experience.

I want to build this degaussing device because as of my current social engineering of everyone in management all the way up to our director, I have read and heard from reliable third party information, that anything and everything will be used to hold against us. This includes, studying at work (IS related certifications), and gaming activity (Installed with OS or non-pre installs), internet activity (casual surfing on non company time), etc.... Recent developments and comments made by our supervisor, auditing will start to occur without anyone's knowledge including us within the department. Being company policy I don't care because it is company policy. But springing this on us, being in the department, I feel as if the department is an outsider like the rest of the departments. After all, in our policy, our techs/admins, job description states that we do the auditing of machines in the company.

With that, I am looking at any ideas how to create a degaussing machine that will do enough to render the Hard drive inoperable without the fear the it will be sent to a government agency for further recovery. It wouldn't be in the companies best interest to send off hard drives with shareware and free screensavers to justify the cause.

The degaussing device would have to be small enough to fit in a back pack with the preffered use of the 110v AC outlet with a Coercivity strength greater that 1700.

I was thinking along the lines of using a 300-400watt power supply as the means of power and a TV coil wrapped around a block or something that can be placed inside an open computer and turned on to degauss.

Any comments would greatly be appreciated.

Enforcer

De-gaussers get VERY hot VERY quickly

at present I work in the NHS [UK] and part of the contract was to strip out old HDD's and de-gauss prior to them being sent to the scrap man .......

Using the manufacturers instructions, it still tripped out on the thermostat within two minutes...........

Although, reading the first section of your post .........
If the atmosphere there is THAT bad ............................. LEAVE.

You have qualifications and experience [although you appear to be sadly lacking in common sense, viz-a-vie the surfing / gaming attitudes.]

You are at WORK
leave your ideas of what constitutes a good day on the PC till you are at home on your own system..............

I have free access to ALL areas of the entire Enterprise Domain, yet I do not abuse ANY of it, I do not surf nor play at work.

Further to your request for de-gauss input .........
is the item to be kept in your machine permanently ?
or do you intend to carry it round in a rucksack [NOT a good idea in the UK at the moment]

IF you are intending to carry it ............................ how does that fit into a rapid response tool ?

I feel that you are out of options, and SERIOUSLY need to think of a NEW employer .......

Pax

instead of planning a fast action clean up why dont you just remove the games from your computer, and stop surfing. its simple. their equipment, their building, their rules. No sane employer will run recovery on a hard drive just to bust an employee that is playing games. thats stupid and a HUGE waste of time/money. but they have every right to fire you/repremand you for playing games on the clock, or surfing nonwork related webpages (reguardless of if you are on the clock or not). and im sure you will be in a hell of a lot more trouble when you get caught drying to run the scam you are doing. Besides if they are doign things the way you make them sound then you will get caught. besides how do you explian having to restore your computer, or getting a new hard drive to the employer?

Let me give some background:

Before our current lower management came on, our last manager was pretty liberal. Since I work third shift, my director and manager didn't have a problem with me studying for certs and looking at new technology as well as catch some Z's on the shift as long as I got the work done which I always did. My old manager even made a comment that there was a reason why they bought us all DVD players in our workstations.

I am one for always following management and guidelines that are set in place. But since this ass got into his position, all he had to do was make a schedule and now after putting my hard time in this company, longer than him, I will be working weekends after 5 years. And when I try to talk with him and management, all he wants to say is work it out with your wife. Granted this is the same ******* who bitched as a tech that he didn't need his job and left in the middle of the day. The same bastard who said he needed weekends off to spend time with this 16 year old daughter.

In the end, he is finding anything and everything to hold against me and the rest of the department to justify why he is a manager and the supervisor is a supervisor.

I can rant on forever but the bottom line, I have no games, no nothing on my computer. I don't even surf the net for anything at all.

Now why shouldn't someone like me expose these people as frauds? Maybe it isn't my place, but I promise that I won't stand and do nothing to protect myself.

As for seeing my re-installing back to factory and the questions of dead drives? Well. it happens all the time.

I learned that I can't BS my way in this industry like these 2 idiots did. Because I will swim and stay afloat and not sink like these fools believe me to do.

For the security stuff, and getting back to having access and limitations, I was told by my supervisor in which I will get that in writing, that I was permited to get a footprint of the network with no restrictions.

Quote:

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Originally posted here by foxyloxley


Although, reading the first section of your post .........
If the atmosphere there is THAT bad ............................. LEAVE.



You have qualifications and experience [although you appear to be sadly lacking in common sense, viz-a-vie the surfing / gaming attitudes.]

---

It was a mere example of what they are pinning people for even though we many eye witness accounts with me being on of them, he has been seen surfing on non-related work sites as well as playing post installed games on his work PC. I do not play games on my computer, It was merely referenced that I have solitare and minesweeper on my computer implying that I sit there and play these games.

Quote:

---

You are at WORK
leave your ideas of what constitutes a good day on the PC till you are at home on your own system..............

I have free access to ALL areas of the entire Enterprise Domain, yet I do not abuse ANY of it, I do not surf nor play at work.

Further to your request for de-gauss input .........
is the item to be kept in your machine permanently ?
or do you intend to carry it round in a rucksack [NOT a good idea in the UK at the moment]

IF you are intending to carry it ............................ how does that fit into a rapid response tool ?

---

Pax

I see it as one of those things for our supervisor to ponder. This is the same person who left lophtcrk on the server as well as other non-related porgrams for everyone to see and if not use. So since I already know that I have signed something stating that I have no rights to privacy on my workstation which I have no right to be upset about, gives him a challenge since he openely mocks his subordinates of being incompetent and nothing more than people that do grunt work.


I feel that I am a genuine worker. I do what I am told, and try to excel in my field. I feel that I have too much to learn and can never say that I "know everything" as it is stated in our supervisors job description. In short, it states that the supervisor doesn't have to have any education, not even an AA, no certifications at all, but must know "everything" in the department.

I am always in my books, study material, as well as my home network, always trying to stay up to date because this is the field I chose which I enjoy. Unfortunetly. I know the management side and yes, because of the environment, me and three other people are looking elsewhere even though I love working for the company.

Damn...sounds like you need to read The BOFH Chronicles for some inspiration....

The best idea me and some friends could come up with is a thermite (no, not termite) pack ontop of the harddisk with a good primer, set to go as soon as the computer is opened (or tilted)..

Should leave them with no evidence, but a smouldering pile of molten metal :D

Quote:

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Originally posted here by the_JinX
The best idea me and some friends could come up with is a thermite (no, not termite) pack ontop of the harddisk with a good primer, set to go as soon as the computer is opened (or tilted)..

Should leave them with no evidence, but a smouldering pile of molten metal :D

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Hey great. Now I know for sure that if I do that the FBI will be all over my ass which I don't want them to be.

Enforcer