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HellBound Hackers | Computer General | Increasing Security
Author

Data Erasing Question
DigitalFire
Member



Posts: 274
Location: Or perhaps just
Joined: 02.12.06
Rank: HBH Guru
Posted on 05-09-09 05:03
I have a question for somebody more knowledgeable than myself:
Why do erasing applications have to use "complicated patterns" of bits to overwrite data that is on a disc, over and over again. Setting every bit to 0 would eliminate any traces of anything, wouldn't that be much simpler?


I'll be in it all to watch it burn so carelessly
You cannot see a thing about me for in these blanks
Author

RE: Data Erasing Question
p4plus2
Member

Posts: 167
Location:
Joined: 31.03.08
Rank: God
Posted on 05-09-09 06:56
I am no expert in the field but simply 'resetting' as you put it to zero is claimed to be reversible(not really sure on how honesty). Thus, we turn to deleting styles such as gutmann delete which will delete a file 35 times. It is important to note however that hard drives have changed considerably since gutmann was conceived which renders several of the patterns that it uses obsolete.

While I don't know of any particular technology that can actually reverse an overwrite, if you have data you really wish to hide its probably better to be safe side and go with the overkill.

"You can't be something your not,
Be yourself by yourself
Stay away from me" ~Walk, Pantera

"Playing an acoustic guitar is like having sex with your clothes on" ~Dave Mustaine
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Author

RE: Data Erasing Question
stdio
Member

Posts: 375
Location: omnipresent
Joined: 06.04.08
Rank: God
Posted on 05-09-09 12:44
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_disk_drive
that has some info on how data is stored on a HDD.


Short Version
Data stores itself magnetically on the HDD platters. Overwriting something is not really perfectly clean. Imagine writing something on paper, erasing it, and writing on it again. There are still ways to see the original. (I know its not really the same, but gives you the picture) Doing this multiple times blurs it more and more.

Though if you really want a clean hard drive as if it were never used, you can degauss it (place it next to a huge magnet) and all the data will be completely wiped clean.


I'm sorry, I cant hear you over the sound of how awesome I am!


Edited by stdio on 05-09-09 14:13
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Author

RE: Data Erasing Question
Phantomchaser
Member



Posts: 98
Location: United States
Joined: 13.12.06
Rank: HBH Guru
Posted on 05-09-09 23:59
I like that version. Much simpler. I just wanted to add that to get a better understanding of why apps overwrite instead of just zeroing, look up
electromagnetic microscopy.

01010100011011110110111100100000011011010111010101100011011010000010000001100110
01101111011000110111010101110011001000000110111101101110001000000111011101101000
01100001011101000010000001110111011001010010000001100001011100100110010100101100
00100000011011000110111101110011011001010111001100100000011100110110100101110100
01100101001000000110111101100110001000000111011101101000011011110010000001110111
0110010100100000011000010111001001100101
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