Secure erase HDDs in Hong Kong (OpenBSD/Linux)

[Christopher Browne]

On Fri, Apr 16, 2010 at 12:47 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier <hugh-pmF8o41NoarQT0dZR+AlfA at public.gmane.org> wrote:
> Perhaps you could install a new bootable system with nothing that you care
> about (e.g. only throw-away ssh keys).  Then use that as a secure base
> from which to wipe everything else.

If the goal is to eliminate secret data from the system, that seems
like a fine way to transform a possibly-intractable problem into one
that you can solve.

Thus...

- Wipe *a* partition
- Install something that's not secret that can do "wiping" onto that partition
- Boot off that little island, and, from that island, wipe everything else.

At that point, while the little partition may still be bootable, it
doesn't contain any data that is of any value.

There's still the problem that if the disk drives do smart things
behind your back (e.g. - bad sector remapping), you may not be able to
*actually* wipe the whole disk drive, and this remapping may even
resist "attack" should you have direct physical access.

But if it's resisting you successfully, it's quite likely to be
challenging to would-be opponents :-).
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