Author: James Courtier-Dutton Date: To: Hampshire LUG Discussion List Subject: Re: [Hampshire] Securely deleting files
On 08/03/07, John Hunt <johnrhunt@???> wrote: > Actually, I find the most secure thing to do is simply not keep
> sensetive information on your PC.
>
> You're more likely to have it stolen than someone recover bits and
> pieces of your deleted files from hacking in. Well, I think so anyway.
>
If you think ahead, and take a few precautions before introducing the
file to your system, things can be a lot easier.
If you wish to keep sensitive infomation on a Linux PC, create a
encrypted loopback filesystem. Turn off the swap file (swapoff)
Then, mount the encrypted file system, and copy the file to it.
Then, when you wish to delete the files, it is easy because they are
already encrypted.
You just need to ensure that the password and any file viewing is
never typed in with the swap file on. It is also sensible to keep the
encrypted file system unmounted most of the time.
