File Deletion Software

Lines of Defense

By Ben Ling
Utah Business Magazine
October, 2003


Electronic privacy is somewhat of an oxymoron. Computers and networks typically are set up to share information, not to hog it. Unfortunately, that design makes it easy to lose control of sensitive data, which could include anything from credit card numbers to software source code.

But three Utah-based businesses are among the growing number of companies offering products to help organizations and individuals avoid privacy pitfalls. Senforce Technologies, Inc. specializes in protecting mobile computers and wireless devices; WhiteCanyon, Inc. has one of the industry's top file deletion software programs [WipeDrive]; and SecurityMetrics, Inc. sells hardware, consulting and vulnerability assessments to help protect networks.

Protect Mobile Computers and Wireless Devices

At Senforce Technologies, officials have a keen sense of the tightrope they walk. "It's a balancing act between being secure and staying productive," says Scott Richards, Senforce's vice president of product management.

Senforce Shield, the company's flagship product, helps users in this balancing act by providing different levels of protection for wired and wireless network adapters and then adjusting the levels automatically based on the computer's location.

The program uses patent-pending Where-Aware™ technology to detect whether a notebook is behind the corporate firewall, operating from an unprotected wireless hotspot or connecting from any other location. Senforce Shield automatically applies a selected level of security in each instance. In a less secure environment, Senforce Shield imposes a "stateful firewall" that can reject unsolicited incoming packets. That means the computer will ignore commands sent by an attacker sniffing for an unprotected computer.

Senforce Shield v1.5 is an unmanaged end-user application. Users can install the program and choose from four default levels of security or customize their own settings. The application takes a snapshot of its network surroundings when it is first run and then makes comparisons on subsequent sessions. After installation, it runs transparently, except for a small icon in the computer's system tray.

File Deletion Software - Wiping the Slate Clean

If you're still living with an old Windows 95, 98 or ME laptop, you may want a new computer before you take advantage of Senforce's security application. And when you dispose of the old computer, you may need the top product from WhiteCanyon, Inc.

The program is called WipeDrive, and it may be the easiest and best file deletion software to reliably delete all of the information on the hard drive of a Windows-based computer. WipeDrive provides a safe way around a serious privacy hazard that arises when companies dispose of old computers.

Just this year, a pair of MIT graduate students reported in an industry journal that after purchasing 129 used hard drives, they found that more than a third still contained "significant personal information," such as love letters and credit card numbers.

In one instance, a company didn't even bother to format an old hard drive that contained a year's worth of transactions and account numbers from an ATM, not did they use any type of file deletion software.

"It's not just small businesses that accidentally release sensitive information on old hard drives", says Steve Elderkin, WhiteCanyon president.

He knows of people who purchased used computers from a prominent Utah software company - and found the computers still had source code on the drives.

The only way to "sanitize" an old drive is use file deletion software to overwrite every magnetic bit on the disk. Formatting the drive only wipes out the index (or allocation tables). The data is still retrievable with hexadecimal or binary editing tools available on the web.

"Microsoft's FDisk utility, which sets up disk partitions in Windows, is even less thorough because it only changes the boot sector of the drive, leaving more data unchanged," Elderkin explains.

Simply copying a huge file also fails to overwrite chunks of data unless the file exactly matches the disk's sector size.

"Some companies have resorted to other methods of reliably destroying old data", says Heather Humphrey, WhiteCanyon marketing communications director. The "sledgehammer" method is a bit messy, and dumping computer parts in landfills pollutes the ground with the heavy metals used in electronics.

But with WipeDrive, a computer can safely be sold, donated or recycled without any trace of old data on the hard drives.

WipeDrive is among the five file deletion software tools approved for government use by the U.S. Department of Defense.

Another way of guarding sensitive data in hard drives is by monitoring what's on your current computer. WhiteCanyon recently released version 4.0 of SecureClean, another type of file deletion software which detects and permanently erases unneeded temporary hidden files, deleted e-mail and Internet browser history files. It even overwrites deleted information in the Windows swap file.

The application includes the SecureClean Scanner, which scans hard drives to identify traces of previously deleted data prior to permanently overwriting it. This lets users uncover activities of others using their machines. SecureClean reclaims disk space and provides a new desktop trash bin that truly deletes and overwrites files you want removed.

Reinforcing the Dike

If you're sure your hard drives won't divulge any secrets and your mobile devices are secure, you still may need to detect and prevent intrusions, as well as search for potential vulnerabilities in your company's network.

"Most people think they are safe behind a firewall, but it's not true," says Brad Caldwell, president and founder of SecurityMetrics, Inc. "Firewalls can open and close communication ports on a computer, but companies must allow ports to remain open in order for services like e-mail and the World Wide Web to work. SecurityMetrics provides products that fill the gaps left by firewalls."

The company's hardware device is the SecurityMetrics Appliance. Similar to anti-virus programs, the machine detects and stops certain data patterns or "attack signatures" used by intruders. This stops internal and external attacks, immediately disconnects any attackers and notifies their Internet Service Provider of the offense.

SecurityMetrics researches and discovers new attacks daily, according to company officials. The Appliance automatically updates itself nightly with the latest attack signatures. The Appliance currently guards against about 1,800 attack signatures.

The company also offers web site security certification, desktop security checks and consulting services. Web Site Certification tests web sites for weaknesses and provides instructions or consulting if any vulnerabilities are found. This service is critical for web sites that perform financial transactions.

For a do-it-yourself security test, the company offers Perimeter Checks. These tests find weaknesses and provide instructions to secure a business' Internet servers. Desktop Check service tests home computers and provides repair instructions for more than 600 potential weaknesses. A web-based security audit of your desktop computer or company firewall is free at www.securitymetrics.com.