I'm not sure if this is the correct forum for this, so if I am mistaken, please let me know. I will be getting a new laptop soon and want to continue to use my old one for work related things only. I have heard that "cleaning" your hard drive regularly is a smart thing to do if you have any info on it that you don't want others (i.e. LE) to see. I am pretty tech savvy but thus far have had no need to do this. I was just wondering what are the best programs or what steps to take in order to clean my hard drive. Also, how often should you do this?

Thanks for any and all help. Any PMs or posts would be greatly appreciated.

There is a difference between cleaning your computer versus cleaning your hard drive.

The MAC address or addresses and IP addresses are most likely recorded somewhere if you have been online. These are used to identify your particular PC and are impossible to get rid beyond figuratively dismantling your PC to non existence or letting significant time pass without using the PC to hobby.

If you simply want to clean your hard drive. I use software like Drive Erase Pro or Wipe Drive. Use the DoD four pass standard and reload the operating system, drivers and software you need.

In order to cover your tracks on your computer, you need to do two things:

1) Erase cookies and temporary files that your browser keeps; and
2) Wipe the free space so the deleted files cannot be recovered.

Your browser should be set to delete cookies, browsing history, form info, etc. upon exit. How you do that is unique to each browser. I have not found an easy way to do it with Google Chrome.

Now that the incriminating files have been deleted, you need to make sure they cannot be recovered. Using something like Norton Wipe to Wipe Unused Space should do the trick. For simple prostitution, LE won't waste the resources to recover your disk. Now, if you are using child porn, then all bets are off.

Note: This won't take care of files that you download and don't delete. So, be careful what you save.

How often? Depends on how paranoid you are. Every day (or more often) if you are paranoid. Maybe before every date in case you are busted.

-- Modified on 1/14/2011 5:58:41 AM

Unless you use sophisticated systems it is possible to extract data from a hard drive that you believe you have deleted.

You may want 2 steps, one a total cleansing of your HD and reinstall of windows PLUS install encryption as well.  check out this link to this forum and use the search option to read about hard drive cleansing and data encryption.  There is a lot of crap on the forum, but disregard it.  The tech answers on web based issues and data cleansing are pretty useful.

Of course this is assuming that you really have stuff that you need to hide that could put you in serious legal trouble.  Use a solution commensurate to your problem.

I keep data on my hard disk encrypted with Truecrypt. The first thing when I boot up, I mount the encrypted drive. Then everything is saved there. Then, if I'm ever busted, they have to break the encryption to find out anything. Again, not worth the effort for a normal prostitution bust. But, if it is part of a bigger case, no expense is too much.

on how clean you want it. It takes a 7 pass or greater format of the hard drive to keep someone from retrieving deleted data.

Someone mentioned the mac address, but someone would have to do a mac request to obtain the number. If your smart enough to bury yourself behind a good firewall (appliance, not the software on your computer) then your mac address will never be known. It's easy to spoof a mac address (not to be confused with the computer company).

If you don't have the software to do a 7 pass format (35 pass to be completely sure, 7 pass is department of defense standard), then take the drive out and disassemble it and destroy the platters.

If your just surfin' porn and browsing escorts, then do yourself a favor and buy a macintosh, turn on private browsing and safely go to town. If you're doing other things of a more questionable nature, then you need to hire a geek to spoof your IP.

for what it's worth, I've yet to meet an LE computer forensics person who knew his ass from a hole in the ground anyway. I've busted them in trial using their own "forensics" against them. and yes, i enjoyed the crap out of it!

I have been providing for about a year and have yet to have a run in with LE, but it seems like I hear more and more horror stories everyday so I just want to be safe. I'm a low volume provider, and I don't draw attention to myself

The laptop I have now is a piece of crap. It's a Dell I have had since 2005 that has at least 100 vertical lines on the screen (apparently a problem some dells in my series had but mine showed up after my warranty was expired and they wanted $400 to fix the problem).

The main things I have on my computer are the things on my internet browser. I don't save any documents or anything having to do with providing on my computer. So my main concern is what they can pull up via my internet browser. I always clear my cache and cookies but I know there are other ways to get that info even after the cache has been cleared, so that's my main concern.

Are LE able to recover deleted emails and things like that?

FYI did you know the NSA/FBI has every encryption key that is put put, I used to work for them before quitting  your have to pay someone to develop one and yes they do have Truecrypt key it's a open source sure they have that already

The US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) has failed to decrypt five hard drives protected by the open-source encryption software TrueCrypt.

Please review the eff.org site for more information on protecting your privacy.  Yes, anything can be recovered and anything can be watched but there is a trade off depending on how many resources want to be invested in pursuing you.

All sites that you visit are likely logged by your ISP. ISPs do not log the content but they can and so can the government.  

The sites you visit often log your visit and this can be correlated to you ISP and back to you and can be used to obtain back door permission and active logging etc.

Will this happen to? Unlikely. The reason is that while it is easy to capture information, you need human activity to make a case that you did something illegal. Resources are limited despite the power of government to access yor life.

If your are doing something that allows them to seize your computer, what often happens is it sits in a cage and maybe a faraday bag for a few years and they make it a pain in the ass for you to get back.

Your best defense is really to encrypt your drive with a complex key that will difficult for them to find or collect from around you.  Make sure you have good antivirus protection that prevents key logging first.

Buy yourself a new system, install true crypt and look up tools like prevx if you want to protect yourself.  Use tor if you want to make it difficult for others to see what you read.  

Consider using an anonymous non logging VPN for posting and make sure you pay for the service with gift cards purchased in cash.  This is extreme.  

Prostitution is prolific - if that might be what you think you might be doing.  Your biggest privacy concern should be your neighbors and your phone and it's records.

If you do encrypt your system be sure to turn it off when you are allowing others into your home.  le has been known to seize the systems and keep them on and plugged in.

Again, this is about your privacy and I assume you are not breaking the law just trying to protect your private law abiding activity. Please see epic.org and eff.org for ways to protect yourself.

One more thing.  Email is public until you remove it from your provider and delete it.  Do a little research and you will find you do own it until it is on your own pc.  Yahoo, msn, google can give your stored messages away with a mere subpoena. It is the same way your trash can be searched.  This is similar to the way a person will try to throw drugs out of a car when pulled over for speeding. Police do not need a warrant to seize anything you throw away or abandon. But they do if it is in your car or house.... Too long to go into. Please search. Privacy is no longer a right.  It has become a responsibility in the digital world.