Writing over a drive using /dev/zero

[Walter Dnes]

On Mon, Nov 29, 2010 at 11:55:16AM -0500, Daniel Wayne Armstrong wrote

> Any thoughts? Thanks!

  The only thing I have to add is that if you're trying to securely wipe
a drive, you should use /dev/urandom instead of /dev/zero.  And if CSIS
or CIA really want the data, they might still be able to retreive most
of it.  If you really, really want to guarantee the data won't be
retreived, you have to take out the platters and disolve them in a vat
of acid.  If the data on the disk isn't *THAT* sensitive, 3 or 4 passes
with /dev/urandom will usually do the trick.

-- 
Walter Dnes <waltdnes-SLHPyeZ9y/tg9hUCZPvPmw at public.gmane.org>
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