Effective Hard Drive Security Practices For Personal Data Protection

Essential Hard Drive Security Practices To Protect Personal Data

Oct 20, 2003 •

1 - 2 min read

When it comes to personal information, the delete key isn't enough, say computer investigators at New Technologies Armor.. . . When it comes to personal information, the delete key isn't enough, say computer investigators at New Technologies Armor.

With a few keystrokes and a little bit of time, an investigator -- or a hacker -- can dig deep into a hard drive and retrieve numbers for credit cards and bank accounts, imprudent e-mails, and visits to the friskier parts of the World Wide Web.

When NTI founder Michael Anderson found out about a computer-recycling drive Oct. 25 in Clackamas County, part of him cheered, but part of him cringed.

He supports the charitable donation of computers, but not without limits. This is a man who keeps the hard drive for every computer he's ever had -- about 10 or 15 -- sealed in its own Ziploc bag.

For an identity thief, a computer-recycling drive could be a gold mine, Anderson said.

NTI announced Thursday that it will donate its hard drive-scrubbing software to Clackamas County and to the recycler conducting the event, Seattle-based Total Reclaim, to make sure the computers are donated safely.

The link for this article located at The Oregonian is no longer available.