I just threw out a couple of hard disks, and now I see they have been stolen from our trash. Before I threw them out I took the drives from the enclosures and beat them with a hammer. Actually I was surprised how tough they seemd and I only managed to dent the cases a bit, but I threw them out anyway, figuring that probably I'd messed up the insides even if I couldn't see the damage.

Anyway, now I am wondering if they are actually still usable, and if some b@stard can revive them and steal my personal details.

Any idea how resilient these drives actually are, and how worried I should be?

If I were you and I hadn't managed to destroy the innards properly, I'd be worried.

Seriously.

You've probably broken them enough to deter anyone casual but if MI5 wanted to find out info then they could probably recover a fair portion of the data.

To destroy our hard disks here (classified work), we literally put them through a shredder (a big, very tough, noisy one!).

The actual platters where the data are stored are pretty robust.
But if you've destroyed the mechanics then they wouls have to open them up and transfer the platter into an identical drive, which is what professional recovery folk would do.

So basically it depends who nicked it.

Someone with access to pro data recovery labs or data forensics would be able to read them easily. But a local scrote going through bins would struggle.

As an aside, I assume when you say "trash" you mean WEEE-approved electronics recycling facility? 🙂

It kinda depends on how old those discs are, the new one park the read/write heads when not in use, it's usually the read/write head 'bouncing' off the data platters that causes damage.
Without actually destroying the platters an "expert" could remove any data you had on the drive.
I believe some specialist knowledge would be required to actually get you card/bank details off the machine, it's not just a case of a quick browse ant "ta-da" the details are discovered.

The best (home) way to make sure you've destroyed the contents is to drill a hole through the casing (missing the electronic's), then plug it back into the power, to spin it up and completely trash the platters with the swarf.

If you don't fancy that, at least run Darik Boot 'n Nuke software to give you a fighting chance of detroying the drive contents.

Darik’s Boot and Nuke – DBAN

My company investigated this. You can buy some software that does a good job of overwriting the domains sufficiently to make them effectively unreadable.

The following link helps: secure delete linky

It wont help you this time, but it might in the future.

Thanks for the info – I'm guessing (hoping) that the perp is a scrote who was going through trash looking for good stuff and opportunistically took the drives. The reason I threw them out is that they were broken, so I could not do stuff to the contents myself. If they were stolen by Mossad I guess I'm in the sh1t ;-(

Mate, if Mossad are going through your bins, you're in the shit whatever happens. It's only a matter of time before you meet a hot bird, end up drugged in the local Hilton and bunged on a flight straight to Tel Aviv.

If you're a "target" then I'd be worried (i.e. if you are a business with sensitive info). Without I can't see anyone giving a damn enough to get an identical drive and transfer the contents.

sufficiently to make them effectively unreadable

Its a tricky one this. Go for the physical destruction method (as you did) I wouldnt rely on any software tools for destroying data when there is a hammer available.
As above you should dispose of the hardware via an appropriate method, not a skip/lanfill etc.

If you're a "target" then I'd be worried (

I suspect you are not a target, if you were I am sure you would have procedures for disposing of computer hardware and wouldnt be posting on here.
Its likely some opportunist has taken them, I have known items to "disapear" that have no value outside a large commercial environment but thieves dont understand that until they try to sell them on!

As above you should dispose of the hardware via an appropriate method, not a skip/lanfill etc.

Point taken, and I have located the nearest one for future use 🙁

A drill works better than a hammer IME 🙂

Have you never seen 24? Hard drives at the centre of bomb blasts seem recoverable 😯

Take mine to work and put it through the industrial de magger

I just put mine in a drawer, its not like they are any size.

The day I through them out nobody will be using the technology/software anyway – and the data will be well out of date.

I just put mine in a drawer, its not like they are any size.

The day I through them out nobody will be using the technology/software anyway – and the data will be well out of date. thats the IT way, hoarders by nature

So true Donk. So true.

You need to write seven passes of null data over a drive before it's contents becomes unrecoverable.

If the disk is intact and the volumes as they were whe you last shut down, you might as well have printed out your personal details and given them out to every passing scallywag!

Darek's Nuke and Boot free download will wipe an old HDD

Hoard – no. Open the case, power drill through the platters, solder into the holes made by the drill. Screwdriver, power tool, hot tool – every manly tick box apart from gilling it on the barbecue.

I've never tried gilling them. Sounds fishy to me.

I've put old Macs outside on the street – they usually go within about 2 hours. I do always remove the HD first though – thought about burning them as a good way to render them pretty much useless.

Out of interest, what "personal details" are we all so worried about exactly anyway?
Does everyone keep a plain text file of all their credit cards and top secret details then?

The only thing I can think of use on my PC would be the Firefox Saved Passwords list, which is encrypted and only has valueless passwords (like here) in it anyway.

always drill 'em

Out of interest, what "personal details" are we all so worried about exactly anyway?

Stuff like bank statements and other financial info, share documents, Keychains, photos from that office party …

A drill will do the job, but I'm sure that an angle grinder will be more fun.

Remember, boys and girls, to always use eye protection and wear long sleeves and proper gloves.

Drill large hole, fill with Vim powder, power up.
Recovery is pretty simple with the right tools if you can get it to spin. If the controller is knackered you simply transplant the platters. But for normal people just wipe them or keep hold of them. I setup a forensics unit in a previous life and wrote imaging software.

Out of interest, what "personal details" are we all so worried about exactly anyway?

Exotic porn.

edit: and all those pictures of your wife.