On Apr 4, 2009, at 1:53 PM, Steve R wrote:

>
> I thought one of the ways security minded people ensured thieves and
> law enforcement type people didn't gain access to their data was by
> creating a magnetic loop around the doorframe of their designated
> computer room so that the information on the drives was rendered
> useless by the magnets??

Only in Hollywood.

This may work for floppies, but for things like flash RAM, as in USB  
sticks and the like, this has no effect.

The one time Hollyweird got it right was in the Mel Gibson movie where  
he had thermite charges wired to the top of his drives.

The next time you have a hard drive that's died, take it apart. Inside  
you will find magnets strong enough to hold a sizeable stack of paper  
on to the fridge. IBM 10K rpm SCSI drives have incredibly strong  
magnets inside them. These magnets are mere millimeters away from the  
platters.


-- 
Bruce Johnson
University of Arizona
College of Pharmacy
Information Technology Group

Institutions do not have opinions, merely customs



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