This message is from the T13 list server.
I had someone sending me email trying to get proprietary disk utilities and information from me when he found out I used to work for one of the drive companies. It started about six months ago. A couple of weeks ago I finally told him I didnt have anything for him and he sent me an email calling me an 'f'ing" something or other. I though the whole thing was really bizarre. I am pretty sure he is on T13 so he knows who he is but I wont mention his name on this board. I dont recognize his name even if it was a real one (but I doughted it). I asked who he worked for etc, etc and he would never answer. He did mention what Hale said about most of the stuff already being available on the web anyway. If the representive of my former employer (John M) wants to IM me, I will them him this guys email address in case you would like to do any kind of follow up to see who or what this guy is about. Gary Laatsch [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "Hale Landis" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "T13 List Server" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Thursday, August 14, 2003 10:47 AM Subject: [t13] messing around with drive firmware > This message is from the T13 list server. > > > I have commented on this before at T13 meetings but it seems to > becoming more and more common all the time. If I were in the disk > drive business I think I would be concerned. > > I get inquiries all the time from people that are "in the data > recovery or repair business", usually they are outside the USA, > asking about reading/writing the hidden data on a disk drive - the > drive's zone and defect tables and the drive's firmware. > > It seems there are web sites that document how to "unlock" access to > this data on most disk drives. I hear there are full descriptions of > the zone and defect table layouts for most disk drives at these web > sites. And I hear that even disassembly listings of some drive's > firmware can be found. > > If I were making disk drives I'm not sure I would want these people, > who may have good intentions, to be reading and writing this > information. But mostly I would not want some virus that destroyed > this data to pop up one day. > > As I have said many times before, I don't understand why the commands > that would allow access to this drive data is even in a shipping > drive's firmware. > > Anyway, if you are a device manufacturer you may want to be concerned > about this issue before it becomes a big problem. > > Hale > > > > *** Hale Landis *** www.ata-atapi.com *** > > >
