| The mess with the Veterans Administration is | | | | you're looking to sell, or recycle your old |
| scary but there is an even larger problem looming | | | | computer. You've cleaned up the keyboard and |
| on the horizon. It's just a matter of | | | | spray pressurized air all over the box.But have |
| time.-FACTThere're 575 mln PCs in use today, 1.3 | | | | you deleted all your old files?I mean REALLY |
| bln by 2010By 2010, mature markets in the | | | | deleted them? With all the rising threats from |
| United States, Europe and Asia-Pacific will have | | | | identity theft, and Internet mischief, I don't think it |
| added 150 mln new PCs, while emerging markets | | | | a bad idea to be proactive and clean-up that old |
| will have added 566 mln new computers. Overall, | | | | hard drive.So find out if important data was really |
| there will be 1.3 billion PCs, up from 575 mln today. | | | | gone after you hit the 'delete' key.A few studies |
| The number of PCs in emerging markets will | | | | have been done where a number of purchased |
| grow at a 31% compounded annual growth rate | | | | second-hand computers ramdomly selected and |
| .Now add to this number that each of these are | | | | taken it to the guys at the Computer Clinic , |
| replaced on an average 3-5 yrs which is where | | | | Anywhere,USA.They put our hard drive to the |
| the sleeping giant waits to strike. Now we're | | | | test. Within an hour, old files were being retrieved |
| already looking at over 1 billion pc's waiting to | | | | all over the place. Financial information, emails, |
| strike back.Now factor in Russia which has long | | | | addresses, even digital photos -- all of which were |
| been dubbed a hub of tech fraud, credit-card | | | | deleted by the previous users.The computer |
| holders have been justifiably wary about using | | | | techs were able to retrieve all the data by using |
| their plastic there. Travelers have been warned | | | | simple off-the-shelf software.OK, so how do you |
| that after charging a dinner to their card in Russia, | | | | really get rid of the old files?The trick is to use |
| that number could be copied and used even after | | | | software that measures up to Department of |
| the owner left the country.Apart from anecdotal | | | | Defense standards for deleting data. The |
| evidence, there are some solid reasons for | | | | software basically makes three passes over your |
| switching to a paranoid "cash only" existence. | | | | hard drive, writing and rewriting the data as it |
| Notably, an unknown number of PIN codes giving | | | | goes. It's the equivalent of someone scribbling |
| access to credit- and debit-card accounts were | | | | over a sheet of notebook paper, over and over |
| stolen in mid-1999 after a security breach at a | | | | again until it's nothing more than an unreadable |
| Moscow card-processing center. Subsequently, | | | | mess.You can buy the software at most |
| many cardholders had their checking accounts | | | | software retailers, especially office supply chain |
| cleaned out, in a rare example of a massive PIN | | | | stores like Staples and Office Depot. My |
| theft.According to the Internet Fraud Complaint | | | | recommendation is a program called "Drive |
| Center's 2001 Internet Fraud Report (PDF), Russia | | | | Washer" -- it comes in a bright orange box (you |
| is at the bottom of a list of the top 10 countries | | | | can't miss it) and meets all the necessary specs. |
| for Internet fraud perpetrators, with only 0.2 | | | | Remember to look for the Department of |
| percent of the identified perpetrators.In the | | | | Defense standards marking on the box before |
| beginning of Id Theft one of the popular ways to | | | | you buy any program.Now, if you're on a budget |
| get the info needed to create a fraud was | | | | there's an excellent shareware program called |
| dumpster diving. This was accomplished by picking | | | | "Darik's Boot and Nuke". I planned on listing more |
| through the trash at a resaruant,mall,bank. There | | | | software here, but this one is really all you need.If |
| you could obtain ssn,bank and cc acct numbers | | | | you just plan on donating your computer, then |
| and so on.The new breed of dumpster diver will | | | | you can't go wrong with Goodwill. |
| go for your hardrive of your old discarded pc.So | | | | |