We'd like to remind Forumites to please avoid political debate on the Forum. This is to keep it a safe and useful space for MoneySaving discussions. Threads that are - or become - political in nature may be removed in line with the Forum’s rules. Thank you for your understanding.

INFORMATION: Selling Your Old PC? Protect Your Data!

TheBurningLight
TheBurningLight Posts: 3 Newbie
edited 31 October 2010 at 4:05PM in Techie Stuff
Having been reading this website for a number of weeks i thought it was time i registered and contributed to the community. Therefore ill be writing a series of short guides on a varying IT subjects for discussion. Please do not take this information as the be all and end all of protecting your data but the tips outlines below can help protect you when selling your old machines.

Synopsis
Identity and Card Fraud is a growing problem globally with billions of pounds lost each year within the UK alone. Many UK Households now purchase online and when selling on your old computer, can you be sure all of your information is safe and truly deleted? This thead is a few tips for purchasing online and clearing your data when selling an old PC.

Protecting yourself Online
Everyone knows that when you are entering personal details online that you look for the padlock in your browser. What you may not know is that this is not the end of your protection.

The padlock you see in your browser means that communications you send from your machine to the website is sent in a secure manor in a method known as SSL encryption. But what about the site itself? Is it protected from attack which may result in them loosing your personal data?

Visa and MasterCard recently updated their regulations regarding the security of websites which are known as the PCI DSS regulations in the online industry. This means that websites which take or store card details must have their server scanned quarterly by a reputable security firm for vulnerabilities. It would make sense to display a seal to customers about this scanning and it is helpful to look for when you purchase online. Some of the seals look like the following:

securitymetrics <DOT> org /images/sm_ccsafe_wh <DOT> gif


fastspringstore <DOT> org /images/pci_dss_compliant_logo <DOT> png


fastspringstore <DOT> org /images/verisign <DOT> png


By clicking on these buttons you can verify that the site you are looking at is the same as registered on the seal and then you know that their server has been scanned for vulnerabilities.

'Check the address'

Another common problem you find shopping online on some of the less known websites are that some companies do not publish address and contact details on their website. I personally would never purchase from a company if they did not openly tell me their address and a telephone number. After all how would you contact them if you have a problem?

Most SSL providers will provide a seal which you can click on and find verified address details for your piece of mind but in addition to this if you are in any doubt you can check a websites details for free using what is known as the "WHOIS" database. Search for "WHOIS" in Google to find sites who can look this information up for you but some are:

whois <DOT> domaintools <DOT> com

nominet <DOT> org <DOT> uk /other/whois (.uk domain names only).

By trying in the full web address you can find address details and sometimes telephone numbers of companies you may not have found before. All companies need to display this information so if you find a company not publishing this then beware.

'Credit over Debit'

Im sure this has already been covered by this forum but credit cards give you so much more protection when purchasing online. If in doubt always use your credit card over a debit so you can recover your money in the event of a problem.

Selling your Old PC

Many people think that when you sell your old machine, provided you have just put a fresh install of the operating system (windows for example) and we formatted the drive that all your data is gone. Unfortunately this is not true.

A study this year from a leading university in the UK (i can't remember which but i did read about it in my studies) found that a large portion of used hard drives on eBay have not had their data sufficiently removed. Therefore if you saved passwords in your broswer for example you could be at risk. (Please, do not save passwords in your browser. Sites ask you for a password for a reason).

'A throughough wipe'

Free software is available where you can boot your old computer to do a throughough wipe of all of your data to help mitigate against data recovery. One of these applications is DBAN.

dban <DOT> org

This is an application which you burn to a CD and then boot from much like you do when you re-install windows. This application will basically destroy all data on your hard drive to make it completely clear as new.

A basic way to explain is that formatting is not always enough. DBAN will for example physically write all 0's (in binary) to the hard disk to make it clear. This can be done in different degrees of depth for extra protection. The downside is that depending on the size of the drive this could take several hours to complete.

'a few hours can save you headache'

Alternatively, to save time, i would recommend never selling an old PC which held personal data with the hard drive in. Remove the drive and physically destroy it as you would an old credit card or even install it into your new PC as additional storage space. A quick wipe is fine if you are the user again and you can benefit from the storage space.

Conclusion

When shopping online please check that the retailer publishers their address and contact details to help you have a point of contact if anything goes wrong. Check the details with the WHOIS database and recognised site seals for added assurances. Comodo for example give users a warranty when relying on details displayed on sites using their certificates and so do verisign.

Purchasing on your credit card will give you many more protections. If in doubt and you can (and it doesn't cost more) always choose a credit card over a debit card.

Spend that extra time clearing up your data as you would ensuring your bank details are safe.

I've tried to keep this short, there are many other things to look for and advise available. Please feel free to use this thread to discuss any other things you would recommend when purchasing online or selling your machine in terms of protecting yourself.

The author of this thread wrote this purely for information reasons and takes no responsibility for its content. No copyright is intended and sorry as a new user i cant post links or images.
«13

Comments

  • busenbust
    busenbust Posts: 4,782 Forumite
    :spam: off!
  • googler
    googler Posts: 16,103 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Oh, for goodness' sake - if you're selling a computer, just take the Hard Disk out of the machine and keep it !!!!
  • googler wrote: »
    Oh, for goodness' sake - if you're selling a computer, just take the Hard Disk out of the machine and keep it !!!!

    This was touched above but drives cost money and can be sold for cash. If you are wanting to sell and have no future use for it then it is possible to make clear to sell on. You do not have to write it off.
    busenbust wrote: »
    :spam:

    If this is the reception you get for trying to contribute then i can see its not worth the effort trying.
  • busenbust
    busenbust Posts: 4,782 Forumite
    This was touched above but drives cost money and can be sold for cash. If you are wanting to sell and have no future use for it then it is possible to make clear to sell on. You do not have to write it off.



    If this is the reception you get for trying to contribute then i can see its not worth the effort trying.
    Oh okay, will remove . Great stuff.
  • busenbust
    busenbust Posts: 4,782 Forumite
    Missed your credentials before.

    About the author

    -IT Professional for 6 Years
    -Specialist in Computer Neworking and Windows Based Systems
    -First Class Honours Degree in Computer Networking
  • busenbust
    busenbust Posts: 4,782 Forumite
    and welcome to mse :hello:
  • Spank
    Spank Posts: 1,751 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    LOL Busen he posts a very useful guide, you contribute with 4 posts saying nothing (your edit button still must be broken) & you accuse him of spamming.

    Welcome Burninglight
  • busenbust
    busenbust Posts: 4,782 Forumite
    Spank wrote: »
    LOL Busen he posts a very useful guide, you contribute with 4 posts saying nothing (your edit button still must be broken) & you accuse him of spamming.

    Welcome Burninglight

    Lol Spank ; you have stolen my edit button. :rotfl:
  • busenbust
    busenbust Posts: 4,782 Forumite
    ...and I wonder who ... ;)
  • free4440273
    free4440273 Posts: 38,438 Forumite
    edited 31 October 2010 at 6:37PM
    About the author

    ^^That's a lot of experience you have Burning! Looking forward to your posts! Welcome to the Forum !!!!:beer::beer::beer:.

    And Happy Halloween!

    halloween_graphics_33.gif
    BLOODBATH IN THE EVENING THEN? :shocked: OR PERHAPS THE AFTERNOON? OR THE MORNING? OH, FORGET THIS MALARKEY!

    THE KILLERS :cool:

    THE PUNISHER :dance: MATURE CHEDDAR ADDICT:cool:
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 348.3K Banking & Borrowing
  • 252.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 452.4K Spending & Discounts
  • 240.8K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 617.1K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 175.6K Life & Family
  • 254K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16K Discuss & Feedback
  • 15.1K Coronavirus Support Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.