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Originally Posted by Zaniax
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Nice utility, greytrev.
Just a test:
Edit a 8k+ textfile and delete, say the half of the text and save it again.
Then schred and look with a hex editor and you will find readable, residual information.
So, if you're going to sell your ax (heaven forbid :-) and want to make sure no vital information is left, then you MUST overwrite ALL of the memory.
Just my 2€ :-)
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i can understnad how that would occur, yes, as the file shortens, leaving the tail end of the file data. the file pointers then change to indicate the new start and end of the file.
this is by no means a 100% guaranteed safe way of removing data. even the DoD recognizes such...when the spy plane went down in china, the pilots were found by the chinese beating on the hard drives with hammers. the only true way to destroy all data is destroy the media. And i believe i recently saw a movie or documentary where they actually put shredded documents back together, strip by strip.
This is, however, a safe way of eliminating a file from an sd card or cf card. most people when using files tend to add to them, especially in the case of financials, rather than remove half the file. it's a simple but effective little shredder. like most modern computer security, it prevents the average skilled user from recovering enough data to be of use to them.
you're point is valid. but truthfully, if you're carrying around information that is
that sensitive on a handheld device that could be misplaced or swiped easily enough, you're putting it in the wrong place. the safest place for pin numbers, credit card numbers, and passwords is inside your own head. cardinal rule of security: never write anything down you don't want someone else to see.
now in the case of selling a handheld and wanting someone else to not see what was on it, , shred anything on the sd /cf cards. then format them. hard reset the device, and call it good. If you suspect the person buying it from you is that morally bankrupt, don't sell it to them :)
so i see your 2€ and raise you 2 ;)