how to protect external HDD against theft and Dban (Darik's boot and nuke)?

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jleslie2123

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Feb 11, 2014
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i was recently robbed from college apartment and they took my apple laptop, a personal flashdrive and my external hard drive that was passcode protected. I recoved the external HDD but when i went to recover my files it was wiped clean. so much for passcode protection. I saw something on the web that suggests that Dban can wipe clean a passcode protected external HDD. How does one protect themselves???

JLeslie2123
 
Solution
A
Nothing will protect your harddrive agains someone wanting to delete your data, as long as he has physical access to it. Encryption will protect that someone from reading your data. Same applies to data on your laptop.
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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Physical possession trumps all.
The only valuable thing is your personal data. Anything else is merely hardware and can be replaced.

How to protect? Backups and encryption.

Backup, so that if it breaks/gets stolen/melts into a pile of goo, you can bring your data back from wherever you saved a second copy.
Encryption, so that anyone who steals it cannot read your personal data.
 
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jleslie2123

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Feb 11, 2014
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the reason I purchased the external HDD was for backup and protection. How many times does one need to backup? and what does one have to put their external HDD under lock and key. shit whats this world coming to? and if I pass coded it to proctect its contents, now a device has been invented to override that as well? Dban!
 
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USAFRet

USAFRet

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Mar 16, 2013
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An external drive sitting next to your laptop is just as easily stolen as is the laptop. That drive only exists to save your data in case of a fail of the main PC drive.

Once in my possession, there is nothing you can do to save the data. Maybe hard drive encryption, but then I'd just toss it out.
Erase, format, delete partitions...if I get pissed off enough, toss it in the trash. Same outcome - *your* personal data is gone.

Solution? Save another copy offsite. Dropbox, at the office, at dad's house...wherever.
 
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jleslie2123

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Feb 11, 2014
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10,510
Thank you to USAFRet and rgd1101 for your info, it has given me new insight into a disastrous situation. I lost all of my academic info and well as all my personal photos, music, movies, etc. I am very discouraged! theft sucks!
I will look into encryption for the future of my technology
 
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