Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2008 17:58:31 +0000 From: RW <fbsd06@mlists.homeunix.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Gutman Method on Empty Space Message-ID: <20080118175831.72929086@gumby.homeunix.com.> In-Reply-To: <478F8980.1090301@highperformance.net> References: <478F0D5A.9090107@highperformance.net> <20080117081414.GB12470@draenor.org> <478F1049.3000706@boosten.org> <20080117083837.GC12470@draenor.org> <20080117094332.K1563@wojtek.tensor.gdynia.pl> <20080117090210.GD12470@draenor.org> <478F8980.1090301@highperformance.net>
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On Thu, 17 Jan 2008 08:59:44 -0800 "Jason C. Wells" <jcw@highperformance.net> wrote: > Gutmann method might be excessive but any software that uses it shows > a seriousness about security. Gutmann himself regards the continued use of his method as "Voodoo" Gutmann's paper was about wiping the kind of disks that were being disposed of in 1996. The write patterns used in his method are specific to drives that were already out of production at the time. For drives that were in production, a few random passes are the best that can be done. His opinion now is that with modern drive technologies the chances of recovering anything useful are virtually zero. I've never heard any indication that agencies like the FBI can do it, or that commercial companies can provide such a service - at any price. If you are serious about security, one or two passes from /dev/random to the device are fine. If you are paranoid about what the NSA might be able to do, buy a pickaxe.
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