Heed This Warning
There are a lot of people out there who really don't understand computers and how they work. So, it's fairly common for folks to take a computer in to someone to have a problem taken care of, or a computer upgraded. So here's a story that those of you who do not do your own computer work need to pay attention to.
A year ago, Henry and Roma Gerbus took their computer to Best Buy in Springfield Township to have its hard drive replaced.
Henry Gerbus said Best Buy assured him the computer's old hard drive — loaded with personal information — would be destroyed.
"They said rest assured. They drill holes in it so it's useless," said Gerbus.
A few months ago, Gerbus got a phone call from a man in Chicago.
"He said, 'My name is Ed. I just bought your hard drive for $25 at a flea market in Chicago,'" said Gerbus. "I thought my world was coming down."
Gerbus and his wife had good reason to worry. A total stranger had access to the couple's personal information, including Social Security numbers, bank statements and investment records.
Through information listed on the hard drive, the man in Chicago was able to contact the couple.
"He said, 'Do you want me to wipe it clean or send it to you?' I told him to send it to me. I wanted it in my hands," said Gerbus.
Gerbus got the hard drive back but has no idea whether any of their personal data has been stolen. Gerbus was extraordinarily lucky that the person who bought the drive returned it.
I know a lot of warnings have gone out about this kind of stuff, but just to reiterate: Hard drives retain data that is retrievable even after you "erase" a file. The file is not really physically erased. There are commercially available programs to "zero" a drive, which actually overwrites existing data on the drive, but some data can often still be retrieved. If you want a drive really, really erased, it must be physically destroyed. Even a hard drive crash may leave a lot of data still there on the disk. Since I do my own computer work, I never have other people work on my computers, so it's not a big deal for me. Don't let it be for you.
Oh, and if you get a hard drive replaced, you should get the old one back and destroy it yourself.
Geek Stuff | Gaius Thursday, 1 June , 2006
By Shawn, Thursday, 1 June , 2006 @ 7:18 pm
Good post! Good information. I build and maintain my own computers and I wish more people did as well. It’s liberating to not fear your computer, or be intimidated by it, and be able to build, upgrade and repair on your own.
BTW, I loathe Best Buy and am not surprised that they are made to look bad here. I wonder if this guy will sue them?
By Gaius, Thursday, 1 June , 2006 @ 7:27 pm
It’s really not at all difficult these days at all. You’re right, more people should be able to do this stuff themselves. Every computer I own I either built myself from the ground up or (in one case) it is a total rebuild of an old Dell system. That one is a hot rod Yugo, but it’s fine for surfing and basic stuff.
By Jim O'Hara, Friday, 2 June , 2006 @ 3:34 am
I have heard from a reliable source that when you take your computer to (at least some) Best Buy stores to have the PC upgraded (like a new video card or more RAM), they plug your PC into an open wireless internet router.
By connecting your PC to an open network, anyone with a wireless card can attach to that network and begin port scanning your PCs. This scan will reveal if you’ve done something silly like share out your C: drive or used default passwords. From there the data on your PC is exposed to being copied, edited, or destroyed!
Be safe and don’t leave sensitive data unencrypted on your PC, ever. Encrypt sensitive data on your hard drive with the free program Truecrypt (http://www.truecrypt.org/). Be sure to backup your encrypted files weekly to an external USB hard drive.
Jim
By Black Jack, Friday, 2 June , 2006 @ 12:21 pm
The last computer I built was based on the Pentium 233. It cost me more in parts and shipping than a new clone with a good software package already installed. I knew that going in, but did it anyway to make sure I understood how PC’s worked and fitted together.
Now, I get my desktops from Costco for about $750 out the door. They work the first time, every time, and have all the bells and whistles. So, I’ll never build another one, I’m cured. But, I’ll sure replace the hard drive before I sell one. Thanks for the tip.