On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 10:18 AM, Eric Jacobs <[email protected]> wrote: > Do you know how long it takes to do a seven-pass zero write to an array of > disks? It takes a LONG time. Even with a DBAN disk ready to fly, it would > take at least a day to go over a 1tb disk more than a few times. That is > PLENTY of time for the police to do a few hours of investigative work and get > a warrant. And if it does so happen that the data is all gone by the time the > police get there, then tough... they should work faster next time. Faster != > cutting corners > > There is ZERO reason why SWAT should be using shoot first, ask questions > later tactics. There is also zero reason why SWAT should be used to gather > evidence from or even question a peaceful citizen in the first place. > > "America... Losing freedoms in the name of freedom since 9/11/2001!"
Well, it only takes a single 0 pass to sufficiently make the data unrecoverable w/o extremely expensive forensics (you will have to use a microscope directly on the platter and attempt to read residual signal levels--which will be complicated by the drive's internal signal encoding scheme. But, on 1TB it will still take a few hours even for that first pass. If they really have good probable cause, obtaining a warrant should be easy--a phone call away--then get in and get whatever evidence has not been destroyed yet. If they don't have good probable cause, obtaining a warrant should be difficult IMO. I would hazard a guess that the majority of crimes committed involving computers do not threaten life. Thus presuming innocence before guilt is less risky than doing so in a suspected kidnapping or other such life-endangering criminal activity. /* PLUG: http://plug.org, #utah on irc.freenode.net Unsubscribe: http://plug.org/mailman/options/plug Don't fear the penguin. */
