* Hugo Mills (hugo@???) wrote:
> > Deletion method |Good for |Relative
> > --------------------------------+--------------+----------
> > rm <file> |general use | 1 (std)
> > over write with random data |?? | 10
> > over write with random data x10 |?? | 1000
> > .
> > .
> > .
> > melt and grind platters |US Military | 1x10^??
> > nuke from orbit |Nobody :-) | 1x10^??
>
> This is a bit simplistic. You need to detail the threat model, and
> examine the value of the data being destroyed, the resources available
> to potential attackers, and the amount of money and effort that
> attackers are willing to spend on retrieving that data. Simply saying
> "Good for US Military" is pretty much meaningless.
It was meant to be simple. That was the point. If somebody asks "how
do I delete this file for good", being told to melt the platters in
a furnace and then grind down the resulting blob and then scatter
that dust to the four corners of the earth, is not really very
meaningful, or helpful. :-)
What I was after was, do X, and your mum won't be able to recover
it, do Y and your average geek won't be able to recover it, or do Z
and only the most determined expert with allot of resource and
motivation could possibly recover it.
--
Philip Stubbs
http://www.stuphi.co.uk
