Hard drive data

Simply removing the logic board from a hard drive would cost anyone hours of research and $30-50 to get another logic board to retrieve the data.

Doing the above and then simply opening the hard drive (allowing dust particles to accumulate on the platters) would create all sorts of sector reading havoc for anyone trying to get back their information.

Doing the above and removing the platters fully would alone create days of work for only bits of data.

Doing the above and sticking the platters on a grinder or drilling holes in it would essentially cost anyone hundreds of man hours and tens of thousands of dollars in equipment to recover about as much information as you could fit on a floppy drive. There is no concern about data. It's piece of mind for the customer and you.

Some things you can do is create a good documenting procedure, work on your COD form to account for this stuff, form an LLC, get some insurance or the absolute easiest pratice is to give the hard drive back to the customer. If you don't have anything in place to protect you it's just not worth the liability of dealing with other peoples information for a few extra bucks.

Just my $.02

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Originally Posted by hobo finds

So when you shred drill or otherwize cut one up do you spread around the pieces so they are not in one spot? I mix them in with my steel shred and call it good!

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The pieces would end up being alum. and SS, why the shred pile?? Inquiring minds want to know,,,

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Originally Posted by hobo finds

So when you shred drill or otherwize cut one up do you spread around the pieces so they are not in one spot? I mix them in with my steel shred and call it good!

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each piece then goes to a different yard

I have 12 years experience as a computer repair tech. I use an unorthodox method of drive disposal but one that has yet to be questioned.

If the customer requests complete destruction of data I will use an oxy /accetalene torch on them. With a good cordless drill it don't take long to pull the platters. Last I checked it is rather difficult to recover data from a slag pile. Not exactly fastest or most graceful method but a good torch will cost around $5-10 each drive to slag them. Keep in mind not to directly breath fumes and wear eye protection. I charge $25-40 each for drives destroyed this way. This method also gives them something interesting to watch and when they see the slag left they rarely question complete erasure of the drive.

You may get a funny look for torching them as it is a crude method, but it is very effective. It also leaves a large percentage of the profitable pieces in the drive to scrap out. You can get paid for disposal and nearly the same price for drive scrap value on top of it.

For small quantity I have the asset manager or owner sign off on documentation stating it was destroyed to satisfaction. For large quantity I hire a notary public to watch them be destroyed and stamp off the documentation. The notarized document provides a statement of destruction, and seems to keep corporate level customers happy.

bcrepurposing, I would totally take a hard drive to you just to watch you cook it.

Next step: Use a melting furnace and a mold so you can give them an aluminum ingot to certify destruction of their hard drive. Not sure that really meets compliance requirements, but it would be pretty awesome.

You guys have gotten me hooked on this subject... You probably already knew this, but I didn't realize that data destruction had become a major growth business.

Because disposing of hard drives is now subject to so many regulations and standards, a growing number of businesses (and all government agencies) require documentation showing that their data was destroyed in compliance with the law. They don't want to be sued because some hacker managed to recover their files from an "erased" hard drive or because a laptop turned up on eBay with their data on it.

Since 25 states have laws that require computers to be recycled, most of this equipment goes to recyclers, and the smart ones have figured out that data destruction is a growth opportunity. Some companies that started out as recyclers or IT asset managers are now making most of their money on data destruction. They not only destroy their clients' data, they also provide the services (documentation, etc.) their clients need in order to show that various regulatory requirements were satisfied.

While I was poking around on the web, I found a company in NJ called Back Thru the Future (BTTF) that's a good example of this. They now make over 60% of their revenues on data destruction and related services. They started out in 1990 selling used computer parts. That market shrank as computers got cheaper: Instead of keeping and maintaining their computers for several years, people just replaced them. So BTTF adjusted their business model and became an electronics recycler. As their recycling business grew, they began to get a lot of requests for HIPAA-compliant hard drive destruction. They decided that shredding was the best way to meet the toughest data destruction standards, and they were one of the first companies in the US to offer hard drive shredding. Their web site gives some idea of all the regulations their clients have to worry about when they dispose of their hard drives: Secure Data Destruction | Back Thru the Future Technology Disposal.

When you see this stuff, you realize that destroying hard drives (especially for companies and government agencies) is becoming an important source of business. It involves more than just shredding, though. Companies like BTTF get a lot of shredding business because they provide the record-keeping services required to show compliance with data privacy laws. Since it involves extra costs and expertise, this market will likely end up being dominated by a relatively small number of recyclers, at least at the local level. The big corporate loads of used IT equipment will go to them, since big companies don't want to deal with the expense or liability of removing their hard drives in-house. Over the next several years, data destruction requirements could have a big impact on the competitive landscape of the e-waste business.

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Originally Posted by FLimits

bcrepurposing, I would totally take a hard drive to you just to watch you cook it.

Next step: Use a melting furnace and a mold so you can give them an aluminum ingot to certify destruction of their hard drive. Not sure that really meets compliance requirements, but it would be pretty awesome.

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Many people have found my approach kind of a novelty. I use it as part of a marketing tactic. It definitely is not a normal thing to see. I have been tossing around the idea of a smelting furnace but have not had the time and space for a reliable one that could generate the required heat to do platters. Especially one that is portable and safe. I use the cutting torches because they are pretty portable, relatively safe and can be done on site with very little prep vs using a furnace which can take hours or days to make, test fire and build reliably.

I have dealt with old insurance company, Dept. of Motor Vehicle, and hospital computers. They seemed very satisfied that there data was beyond recovery. The notarized statement of destruction, with accompanying pile of slag seems to be pretty obvious proof.

If you are paranoid about doing this here are a few extras you can try:

Video documentation:
Video documentation can be offered for an extra step of proof. I do suggest charging extra for that. I would suggest the price of 2 SD cards / Jump drives plus convenience fees. This way you have a copy and so do they. As flash memory it is less problematic to store and less prone to be corrupted or decay over time. At this point I don't offer it simply because I only have my phone as a camera, and the quality is very poor.

Insurance and Bonding:
You can normally get insurance and bonding (1 million in coverage) for around $30-60 a month depending on actual business type. Mine costs me around $45 a month as a computer repair tech. Prices and coverage will vary depending on business type, amount of material handled and risks involved.

I spoke to a Notary at one of the local banks and found out it is possible to hire their services in their off time as a "witnesses" and to stamp documents for verification. I found that I can "hire" a Notary Pubic for around $150 / 4-8 hours. Many times you can also schedule them to show up at a specific time, date and place for a small convenience fee as well. This is suitable to single or small quantity as they rarely will make take such appointments if they take more than 15-20 minutes. Time is money after all. Not necessarily cheap, but something that I factor in on disposal costs.

Being notarized the documents are legally able to used in court as evidence. As such most places are satisfied with them to meet documentation of destruction requirements. I do this to cover my own butt in event something were to happen and it would go that far. I do photo copy the stamped documents and keep them. If they comes up later all you need to do is show them a copy of the document with yours and customers signatures stating they were destroyed. It removes most of the liability you may have had.

My methods may be crude, but they have yet to challenged as effective means of destruction or for improper documentation. If it is good enough for the type of data I have handled to date would have to think it meets or exceeds compliance.

The lawyer I spoke to briefly about the matter said in his eyes there was very limited liability using my method, as I am not mass producing toxic material, recycle the remaining parts responsibly at a certified green recycling facility, and I can prove through paper trail where, when and how the device was destroyed. As far as he was concerned I met or exceeded standards. Due to the nature of some of the data I handled I made sure I covered myself before exposing myself to that level of potential risk for less than a dollar a drive.

set up the grill, throw a hard drive burning party and have a company picnic all at the same time : D

Got to wondering about incinerating them and did a simple search, apparently that's what NSA was doing per this article from 3 years ago Responsible Hard-Drive Destruction - Let's Get Real although it's still fairly thorough
One major trouble with IT security now is it's being breached at rates so fast that people studying ways to combat it have no textbooks, they're outdated even before they can be printed