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These days, companies are losing hard drives and other storage media packed with tons of recoverable data. Well, here's one way to keep that from happening: nuke 'em. Concord, NC maker Brian Little and some friends stacked up hard drives recovered from Davidson College machines and melted them with thermite. Brian described the project:
Four guys and one intrepid GF use roughly 40lbs of thermite to incinerate (most of) a stack of used hard drives. The results weren't quite what we hoped for in terms of destruction, but for sheer pyrotechnic effect, a big bucket o' thermite is hard to beat.
Note: Thermite "recipes" are available online for the googling. I'm lazy, and also not stupid, so I just bought mine. Again, Google is your pal here. Also note: Thermite is relatively dangerous. It is intensely energetic and burns out around 2500°F. Once it starts burning, it is going to finish, and will laugh wickedly at your pitiful attempts to extinguish it. I can play with it because I am an adult with insurance and a healthy sense of self-preservation. If you elect to play with this stuff and burn down your parents' home, land yourself in the hospital with third-degree burns or incinerate your grandmother's car, that's your own lookout. I'm not responsible for you.
Here's a fun video of the burn:
As well as more pix.
What is the most radical data security measures you've ever used to protect your own or someone else's data?
In the military, thermite grenades are often kept on hand for emergency destruction of sensitive equipment. IMO, if someone can extract sensitive data from a lump of molten metal, they deserve it!
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Impressing to watch, but probably a VERY bad solution to the problem, as far as the environment goes.
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The aluminum case is a fine thing to feed the casting pot. The motors can be useful. Just take the platters, and apply an Oxy/Acetylene flame. When the platters hit the Curie' point, the data is gone, but it doesn't really hurt to continue until you get a puddle.
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An M1 Garand or any other medium power rifle is safe, sure and very very fast.
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Correct that this is bad for the environment. Or more accurately, that the way we did it wasn't good. If I was doing it again, we'd be sure to strip all the circuit boards and plastic gewgaws off the outside of the case. So, our bad on that.
The drives were actually a mess when we got them. The College drills all their surplus before it goes anywhere. Interestingly, a lot of the platters apparently shattered on contact with the drill, because many of the drive cases were full of Al shrapnel.
As for the observations that there are more effective methods: Well *of course* there are more effective methods. If efficacy was the goal, we'd have fed them to a drive chipper (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nvcD4IFgts). Don't confuse "efficient data destruction" with "an excuse to blow stuff up/set things on fire/melt metal." ;D
Besides, NC law forbids really good fireworks, but says nothing about thermite. Gotta feed your inner pyro how you can, right?
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well, nowhere near the fun or flash, but when I get a free 'puter from a resident where I work it is standard practice to apply a 40oz steel hammer to the HDD. Using appropriate saftey gear, etc etc.
Random chunks of data may be recoverable, but generally the pieces are swept up and dumped with a secure feeling.
Not much to recognize it as a HDD when I am done :)
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http://www.halfbakery.com/idea/Self-destruct_20PC#1074013200
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I ate the piece of paper with my atm code on it, its easier then burning. Obviously I only ate the square centimeter with the actual code on it.
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NOM! Delicious data! =]
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My company uses a service to shred documents. They come around about once a month with a box truck and I get to watch them feed hard drives into a chipper/shredder that spits out 1/2" little chunks of metal and circuit board. My understanding is that it then gets sold to a recycling company that melts it down.
anyone who can recover sensitive data from that deserves every bit.
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