Privacy Guardian program question

[Tooltimetim]

I use Privacy Guardian as a program to clear IE cookies, cache, etc... one of the features they mentioned is:

Bleaches free space and deleted files using Department of Defense standard (DoD 5220.22-M) making them unrecoverable using regular methods

By what the above says, does that mean absolutely nothing and no one can recover those files deleted by Privacy Guardian? Just curious...

Thanks,

Tim

[Bubba]

When DoD 5220.22-M is used it means someone will have to work overtime in trying to put the puzzle back together.

[Tooltimetim]

Hi Bubba, Oh ok I see... basically, does it scramble numbers and letters or?

[Bubba]

{QUOTE-> does it scramble numbers and letters or? <-QUOTE} Google search for DoD 5220.22-M SANITIZING (http://www.cerberussystems.com/INFOSEC/products/docusec3.htm)

{QUOTE-> NOTE: Each byte is first overwriten with 01010101. The second overwriting pass uses 10101010. This cycle is repeated three times. The final overwriting pass is performed with random bytes generated with an ANSI X9.17c keystream generator. Disk caches are flushed after each overwrite, and the final overwrite is read-back verified. This method meets or exceeds the Purging requirements of NAVSO P5239-26, AFSSI-5020 and AR380-19. It is approved in DOD 5220.22-M for any reclassifying of Classified hard drives in secure Automated Information Systems, even those certified and accredited for Special Access Programs, but is not approved for Purging disks at any level above Secret. Due to the residual magnetization necessarily left to hold the disk tracking servo data, the only way to truly destroy disk data is through degaussing and destruction of the disk. However, the residual magnetization recovery techniques used by intelligence services require expensive laboratory equipment and are only practical for very small amounts of targeted data, as opposed to scanning entire hard drives for possibly interesting files. <-QUOTE}