06-11-2008, 11:31 PM
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| The Research Scientist
Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Chennai Age: 25
Posts: 1,846
Rep Power: 2  |  Deleted a file? Find in black market
Deleted a file? Find in black market Quote:
A huge quantity of sensitive data is still on decommissioned computer hard disks, sold in the second-hand mart by corporations, organisations and individuals.
A study said that this data represents a significant level of risk for commercial sabotage, identity theft, and even political compromise, and suggest that better education is essential to reduce the risk of harm.
It is not well known among computer users that simply deleting a file from the hard disk does not actually remove it from the computer but simply deletes its entry in the index for the hard drive. To remove all traces of a file requires the actual data to be wiped using "digital shredding" software. Such software is readily available and should be run on a priority by individuals, companies and organizations intending to pass on their legacy computer hardware to third parties, according to an Inderscience release.
"The research revealed that a significant proportion of the disks that were examined still contained considerable amount of information, much of which would have been of a sensitive nature to the organization or individual that had previously owned the disk," the researchers explained.
The team added that the percentage of disks that have been effectively wiped had fallen significantly, from 45 percent to 33 percent, since the previous year's survey.
"With only 33 percent of working second-hand disks having been effectively wiped, it is reasonable to comment that this is an area where there is significant potential for improvement,".
They made several recommendations for improved data security and suggest that public awareness campaigns by government, media, commerce and/or academia ought to be run to help reduce the risk of sensitive data entering the information black-market.
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