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Non-disclosure agreement needed

Most of the critiques that I've seen about Guttman's paper focus on "modern drives with higher bit density and different recording techniques". I'll go along with the statement that practical recovery is impossible from these drives.

But those 14-inchers are a far cry from modern disk drives, recording much lower densities and wider tracks. As a matter of fact, this is precisely the sort of recording that Guttman was writing about.

The paper that I saw from ETH used an overwritten floppy as the subject. I strongly suspect that an overwritten 14" disk might also be suitable fodder. Recovery, in any case, is measured in bits per hour.

In any case, as far as the OP goes, it's like someone having WMDs--if the belief is out there, then what's practical, real or not doesn't really matter, does it?
 
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pontus said:
I call bullsh*t
Click to expand...

@Pontios:
Read the Technical Overview section:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gutmann_method

I can't find the link, but some Russian guys (and if you've never opened a hard disk to get the heads unstuck by using a fine comb, as instructed by their guides, you simply don't know what these guys can do without high-tech) at some data recovery forum were talking about how they were able to easily get the analogue signal without any fancy magnetic microscopy and such. The rest is all math: remove the digital signal, amplify the analogue residue, and voila, old bits! Granted, it's not what your average Joe can do, but it is indeed possible.

@OP:
Sorry for the high-jack and good luck rescuing those old disks!
 
To be really convincing you actually have to do it.

Don't you think its funny that there are seemingly no companies out there offering a data recovery service for wiped disks? Somebody could make a bit of money if they did, and I think that would be an incentive don't you? Presumably the people who know how to do that are not interested in money.

I recently saw something really funny. There was a discussion on slashdot about the claims of a professor who wanted to put this "magical data recovery" to rest by claiming that one wipe was enough. NOT ONE PERSON on /. came up with anything technical in this regard. In fact most of them just repeated the same old myths! I guess there are no people on that forum with data recovery expertise or experience. Rather odd I thought. Oh well ... I guess every field needs to have it's lore.
 
That's a valid point Ole. I think part of the problem with companies is the fact that they will be sued if they do it without consent. Or even advertising this service can make someone raise an eye brow about what that company does or how trusty they can be. Finally one of the bigger problems is that it's hard to define the age of data. In the sense that some bits on the disk will be dated from say 1 year ago, while other bits will be dated from 2 years ago, and combining them probably won't give an internally consistent file. Add to that the terrible external fragmentation of files on disk and it's a very bleak concept. However, the original counter post was about the actual fissility/possibility of such a method: it seems to indeed be possible, even if it won't recover the correct information due to the complexity of the problem.
 
Jinkies.. a mystery Scooby!

Jinkies.. a mystery Scooby!

Wow.. this thread is like so.. VERY..

It's all CLOAK & DAGGER..

Wow..

^o^ I'm cleared by the FBI to work in my field. Are you guys?

(And I am not joking, I WAS cleared by FBI..)

Figure that one out.

OMG.. YAY FOR SCARY WAR GAMES ON FORUMS..



Ok.. now for something useful.

There are a couple things you could do to protect the data from prying eyes.

1. Launch it into space, preferably aimed at the sun so it burns it up in its' corona.
2. Eat the disks.
3. Fold them into origami
4. Attach a large electromagnet to an EMF bomb and blow those disks magnetically to hell
5. Put them in the Halladon Coillider (i kanth spill kerectly) magnet and watch is whine and buckle under the magnetic strain, maybe even catch fire.
6. Trust no one. Not even yourself.
7. Get a stunt double?

Wheeeeeeeeeeeee.. very serious thread is less serious.

BTW,.. Non-Disclosure Agreements usually mean nothing in the right (wrong) hands. I wouldn't trust the paper it was written on. Paper means nothing if the actions speak otherwise.

Good luck.

May your bits stay away from prying eyes.



Kiyote!

I'm so dang dramatic sometimes.

P.S. I do mean in all seriousness that NDA Agreements usually are PAPER THIN. And I mean that literally as well as metaphorically. Plus I'm still FBI certified. Hee hee.
 
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