disabling a computer for security purposes

Perdition wrote:

modern networks of course have all the top secret data on a server and
the data is accessed securely as are key processes, but like i said
there are plenty of computers that aren't part of a network but still
have to be dealt with and sending people from place to place to deal
with hardware destruction is an option which isn't conveniant to say
the least. HDKP is an interesting choice due to its being a relatively
short program that a clerk can type up and execute. people seem to
vouch it messes up the harddisk beyond repair. I found the source on a
forum for hdkp 4, thing is i also read up and it doesn't seem to work
for any windows platform since win2k. Maybe hdkp 5 also works for win
2003 and xp, but i haven't seen anything to indicate that nor have i
found the source for hkdp5.

Found hdkp5b.zip through Google in this Forum:
http://www.shownopity.com/forum/viewthread.php?tid=105

Here's the file's location:
http://www.shownopity.com/forum/view...id=105&pid=418
http://tinyurl.com/au436

On Fri, 2 Dec 2005 15:33:38 -0000, "dylan"
wrote:



data recovery techniques these days means that you'd have to rewrite
the entire harddrive over 7 times (7 levels of erasure being DOD
standard) to ensure some security, and even then it won't go over parts
which are flagged as defective. The information has to be erased to the
highest military standard meaning rewrites aren't acceptable, it has to
be destroyed. Whether the entire motherboard is destroyed as well is
irrevelant, the computer must never be used again


What exactly are you trying to achieve ?.

Good question... this could be a common troll or someone
with designs on creating a virus. There is no legitimate
need to destroy a motherboard immediately, AFAIK.

A system does not need the data erased to highest military
standards either, it merely needs an incredibly long
encryption key... if we're all dead for 1 million years
before it's unencrypted I doubt the data will have any
consequence at that point in time.

Now one wonders why someone with such a proposed-important
goal would be posting this to a general hardware forum.

If all else fails, a bundle of dynamite would probably do
the trick, or a more localized charge under the HDD.

On 2 Dec 2005 15:42:31 -0800, "Perdition"
wrote:

thanks for the suggestions guys, and yes if the computer must be
destroyed to the point of it never being used again then it's fine.
I'll check out a working link of HDKP since it seems to boast about
removing the data in an unrecoverable fashion, HD wipers though aren't
an acceptable measure for information as of certain classifications.
That is why I assume the only answer is to cause hardware damage to the
harddisk through overheating or what not, so at the very least the
harddisk is destroyed so nothing can be scavanged of it.

No. A wiped drive is a wiped drive. The sole purpose is to
completely and irrevokably get rid of the data forever and
that it does do... that is no such thing as data that's "too
important" that changes the basic fact that it's not
recoverable.

On 2 Dec 2005 11:18:27 -0800, "Perdition"
wrote:

hehe, it's not paranoia guys, the point of stopping the heatsink would
be to destroy the motherboard and harddisk, i simply suggested it as
one possible way to destroy the computer because i'm looking for some
way to destroy top secret data without using the field protocol which
involves alot of heavy machinary.

BS

Destroying the motherboard by very slowly overheating the
CPU isn't going to do squat to the data, all it'll do is
crash the box so you have no way to issue further commands
to it.

This is for the office, when you want
to effectively take out several computers without making a large mess
of things. If you have a suggestion which can be done without
explosives or taking apart the computer, i'd be happy to hear it. A
software trigged destruction of the data at a hardware level would be
ideal, that is all. If something can be done through the serial port as
mentioned before, I suppose that would be good as well as long as it
was a simple routine that could be done in a standard office setting
which could be employed by a worker without having to depend on his
ability to take apart anything including the casing.

This is ridiculous. If all you need to keep the data
securely away from those who would later have access to the
system to retrieve it through extreme ideologic and extreme
methods then you simply don't store the data on that system.
on anything but volatile memory.

Good question... this could be a common troll or someone
with designs on creating a virus. There is no legitimate
need to destroy a motherboard immediately, AFAIK.

A system does not need the data erased to highest military
standards either, it merely needs an incredibly long
encryption key... if we're all dead for 1 million years
before it's unencrypted I doubt the data will have any
consequence at that point in time.

Now one wonders why someone with such a proposed-important
goal would be posting this to a general hardware forum.

If all else fails, a bundle of dynamite would probably do
the trick, or a more localized charge under the HDD.

I also suspected a virus writer looking for ideas, but either they are
playing innocent or they don't know much about PC if they think disbaling
the heatsink will destroy it !!

"Perdition" wrote in message
ups.com...
hehe, it's not paranoia guys, the point of stopping the heatsink would
be to destroy the motherboard and harddisk, i simply suggested it as
one possible way to destroy the computer because i'm looking for some
way to destroy top secret data without using the field protocol which
involves alot of heavy machinary. This is for the office, when you want
to effectively take out several computers without making a large mess
of things. If you have a suggestion which can be done without
explosives or taking apart the computer, i'd be happy to hear it. A
software trigged destruction of the data at a hardware level would be
ideal, that is all. If something can be done through the serial port as
mentioned before, I suppose that would be good as well as long as it
was a simple routine that could be done in a standard office setting
which could be employed by a worker without having to depend on his
ability to take apart anything including the casing.

I won't say where overseas I was stationed at but we retrofitted all of our
desktop PC's with small bags of thermite placed above the hard drive. We
drilled a hole in the case and installed little key activated power switch
(since we had them already). In our case all key switches were set to use
the same key for expediency sake. Not having "official" thermite electric
igniters we used what was available at the time, and to meet some time
constraints. We placed two model rocket motors inside the termite bags,
along with their accompanying igniters, wired to two 9-volt batteries which
were wired through the key switch. We used the "igniters" in parallel in
case one of the rocket motors failed to activate.

The instructions were to throw them on a swivel chair and drag them outside
if there was time and then turn the key or in extreme case to turn the key,
count to three and move on to the next machine taking the key with you if
needed, knowing full well that we might ignite anything else that was
nearby.

Nice thing about termite, extinguishers have no effect since it supplies
it's own oxygen once it starts burning, but the smoke is toxic.

We did two tests on outdated machines and they worked just fine. We only
burned a 1 inch hole in the concrete sidewalk under each machine but to say
that the hard drives were toasted was an understatement. Later the home
built igniters were replaced in the active machines with commercially
produced igniters, to please the powers above but that's another story.

When I used to live on the East coast there were some bookies using very
similar methods to trash things during raids. Their system used a key
switch and a mercury switch. The key switch was actually used to turn off
the self destruct system. The mercury switch was used to activate things by
"accidentally" bumping or shaking the machine.

Yes, but I believe you used the term "military standard" security. They do
erase it magneticly but also perform the steps I listed....John

Doug Kanter wrote:

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
If you truly want to make data on the hard drive unavailable forever
remove the hard drive and smash it with a sledge hammer then do as some
agencies on the Beltway in DC do and incinerate the drive in a furnace
that is capable of melting the metal platters
of the disk.

Perhaps I'm being naive, but the data is stored magnetically. Isn't there a
commonly available large magnet which, when placed directly onto the
platters, would mess them up sufficiently? Perhaps a 15" bass speaker?

Kirkwrote:
Perdition wrote:

i should also mention that the data on the computer should be as
difficult to recover as possible, military standard

This app will definitely destroy all data:
Info: www.hackology.com/programs/hdkp/ginfo.shtml
Link: http://ns13.eb1.biz/~clickont/hdkp4.zip

I downloaded this script years ago but tried the current download
link
and it was not available. If there is interest, let me know and I
will
upload it to alt.binaries.fukengruven or ab.imp[/quote:81836dfd77]

hi, i'm new and i would have the hdkp can you upload it anywhere or
send it to my
thanks

skyscreaper wrote:
Kirkwrote:
Perdition wrote:

i should also mention that the data on the computer should be as
difficult to recover as possible, military standard

This app will definitely destroy all data:
Info: www.hackology.com/programs/hdkp/ginfo.shtml
Link: http://ns13.eb1.biz/~clickont/hdkp4.zip

I downloaded this script years ago but tried the current download
link
and it was not available. If there is interest, let me know and I
will
upload it to alt.binaries.fukengruven or ab.imp[/quote:81836dfd77]

hi, i'm new and i would have the hdkp can you upload it anywhere or
send it to my
thanks


This will certainly do the job and is easily available right now along
with the source code:

http://dban.sourceforge.net/

--
John McGaw
[Knoxville, TN, USA]
http://johnmcgaw.com