erase your hard drive with DBAN

In this review of DBAN I mention that it’s not the most user friendly product, but if you give it a couple stabs more often than not you’ll succeed. Keep in mind DBAN is open source and free. Commercial products often come with support where as open source, not so much.

Now on to the DBAN review…

darik’s boot and nuke is Free Software one can use to boot and nuke your hdd (hard drive).

But with so many open source and commercial solutions to erase your hard drive one might wonder what is the best and why? Lets review two solutions one can use to nuke your hard drive.

1. DBAN
2. WipeDrive

DBAN versus Wipedrive

DBAN is a free disk eraser located on sourceforge which will wipe most hard drives clear of all data. WipeDrive is approved by the Department of Defense, and it is trusted by government agencies and major corporations as their primary disk wipe utility. Wipedrive will permanently wipe all hard drive information / data including partitions, formats & file data. Wipe external hard drives, thumb drives, memory cards, SD, SDHD, SDXD, iPods & other external media. Support for all PC and Mac Computers (Intel, AMD & PowerPC).

If you don’ t mind paying a little cash WipeDrive is clearly the way to go. Its easier to use and can be used to wipe the drive of many of your hardware devices which contain a hard disk.

Keep in mind during this review that if you lack a little geek in your blood DBAN could be difficult to get going however, with a little perseverance even the faint of heart can get DBAN to do what they need it to do. Feel free to ask questions below in the comment section.

“Darik’s Boot and Nuke (”DBAN”) is a self-contained boot floppy that securely wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction on your hdd. The most recent release is beta DBAN 2.2.6. In order to install DBAN wants you to burn the file to a blank disc and boot the computer with it. Do not unzip this file.

DBAN is a means of ensuring due diligence in computer recycling, a way of preventing identity theft if you want to sell a computer, and a good way to totally clean a Microsoft Windows installation of viruses, malware, and spyware. DBAN prevents or thoroughly hinders all known techniques of hard disk forensic analysis. This means it writes over the existing data making it virtually impossible to recover the data it over wrote. Both wipe drive and dariks boot and nuke are great options to erase your hard drive.

Both utilities will permanently wipe your hard drive clean.

Download WipeDrive here

or go to dban.sourceforge.net

Now one might ask “How do I use dban to erase my hard drive?” well I’m glad you asked! Below I’ll give you two simple to use instructions to autonuke your hard drive clean.

There are two ways to accomplish this, I’ll review both ways in simple form then break down the USB Flash installation in more detail. 1 – load dban to a CD, 2 – install dban on a USB flash drive

Simple dban CD install instructions – DBAN 2.x only:

1. Download the most recent version of DBAN 2.x
2. Burn the ISO to CD
3. Insert the CD into your CD ROM
4. Reboot your computer
5. Follow the prompts

Installing DBAN on a floppy or USB flash drive

DBAN version 1.0.7 allows you to install the dban to flash drive or floppy disk. Here’s the simple step by step instructions:

1. Download the exe file
2. double click the exe file to execute it
3. follow the instruction presented to load it onto you flash drive or floppy disk

If that didn’t work for you here’s more detailed installation instructions for Darik’s Boot and Nuke (dban-1.0.7_i386)

——————

1.0 About Darik’s Boot and Nuke

2.0 Installing DBAN

2.1 Creating the DBAN boot media on Microsoft Windows

2.2 Creating the DBAN CD-R disc on Microsoft Windows

2.3 Creating the DBAN floppy disk on Linux

2.4 Creating the DBAN CD-R disc on Linux

3.0 Using DBAN

3.1 Getting Help and Support

4.0 Configuring DBAN

4.1 Automatic Wiping

4.2 SYSLINUX.CFG

5.1 Free Updates

5.2 Contact Information

6.0 Advanced Features

6.1 Logging

6.2 PRNG Seeding

7.0 Legal

1.0 About Darik’s Boot and Nuke

——————————–

Darik’s Boot and Nuke (“DBAN”) is a self-contained boot floppy that securely

wipes the hard disks of most computers. DBAN will automatically and completely

delete the contents of any hard disk that it can detect, which makes it an

appropriate utility for bulk or emergency data destruction and cleaning.

2.0 Installing DBAN

——————–

2.1 Creating the DBAN boot media on Microsoft Windows

——————————————————-

Double-click the ‘dban-1.0.7_i386.exe’ program to install DBAN to a

floppy disk or USB flash device.

You must use an account with full hardware access to create the DBAN boot

media. This means that you must be a member of the administrators group or

have similar privileges on your Microsoft Windows computer. Virus scanners

and domain policies can prevent you from creating the DBAN boot media.

The USB booting capabilities of many computers are incomplete or broken. Most

computers capable of booting from a USB device require that it report a

removable media type, and that it be unpartitioned and smaller than two

gigabytes (so that the BIOS can boot it like a floppy disk).

If the drive letter of your USB device does not appear in WinImage drive list,

then it is an unsupported media type. In particular, most USB+IDE bridge

implementations are unrecognized, which means that a 2.5 inch hard disk in an

external USB enclosure is incompatible.

2.2 Creating the DBAN CD-R disc on Microsoft Windows

———————————————————–

If you do not have a floppy drive, or if you wish to use a CD drive or

DVD drive instead, then get the “CDR/CDRW version” from the DBAN home page,

which is an ISO file.

The DBAN FAQ has a tutorial for burning the DBAN ISO on Microsoft Windows.

If you already have burning software installed on your computer, then

double-click the ISO file to burn DBAN to blank CD-R or CD-RW media. Keep all

defaults for mode and emulation if you burn the ISO file with a product like

Nero Burning ROM.

If nothing happens when you double-click the DBAN ISO file, or if the “Open

With” dialog that asks you to “choose a program” starts, then you do not have

burning software installed that understands the ISO format.

Note that CD-ROM drives manufactured before 1998 often have problems reading

CD-R media, and will sometimes damage it. Try to use a DBAN floppy disk on

older computers.

Similarly, CD-RW media is often more problematic than CD-R media. Try to use

CD-R media with DBAN, especially on older computers.

2.3 Creating the DBAN floppy disk on Linux

——————————————-

# unzip dban-1.0.7_i386.exe

# dd if=dban-1.0.7_i386.ima of=/dev/floppy bs=1024

The DBAN EXE file is a regular zip file with the WinImage SFX module prepended.

InfoZip, which is bundled with most Linux distributions, can unpack the DBAN

EXE file. Ignore any offset warnings.

If /dev/floppy does not exist on your computer, then try /dev/fd0 or

/dev/floppy/0 instead. This command also works on BSD systems.

2.4 Creating the DBAN CD-R/CD-RW disc on Linux

———————————————–

# cdrecord dban-1.0.7_i386.iso

Ensure that the /etc/defaults/cdrecord file is properly configured for your

computer.

3.0 Using DBAN

—————

Boot the computer with the DBAN media like you would boot a DOS startup disk or

like you would reinstall an operating system. DBAN cannot be started from

within Microsoft Windows.

Doing this often requires changing the “boot order” of the computer so that

DBAN is started before the operating system on the hard disk is started.

Run the built-in BIOS setup program and put the floppy drive and the CD-ROM

drive first in the boot order. Do this by pushing <ESC>, <DEL>, <F1>, or <F2>

when you power-on the computer. The correct button and menu changes vary

between computers. Watch for a prompt when you power-on the computer or

consult the motherboard documentation.

Let’s say you choose a floppy disk. Insert the dban floppy and boot to it.

Dban has an automatic mode – type “autonuke” to enter into auto mode to completely erase your hard drive clean.

Now that autonuke is loading give it a minute or two to start. If it fails then reset your computer and at dban start up press f4 for troubleshooting hints.

Now that DBAN has started erasing your hard drive the speed will vary based on the size and speed of your hard drive.

If DBAN isn’t working out for you I highly recommend WipeDrive

3.1 Getting Help and Support

—————————–

First, read the frequently asked questions at:

dban.org/faq/

Second, search for an answer and then ask for help in the forum at:

sourceforge.net/forum/forum.php?forum_id=208932

Third, send email to support@dban.org and ensure that you have “DBAN” somewhere

in the subject line.

Include this information if you ask a question or make a support request:

1. The DBAN release that you are trying to use. (eg: dban-1.0.7)

2. The DBAN media that you are trying to use. (eg: floppy disk)

3. The computer manufacturer and model information. (eg: Dell OptiPlex 170L)

4. The exact message that you see. (eg: “DBAN failed with error 255.”)

5. Anything else that is unusual about your computer or pertinent to the

situation. (eg: “I am trying to hot swap my disks.”)

Contact us if you wish to purchase a support contract.

You are also welcome to call us directly if you have previously purchased a

DBAN enhancement or customization, or if you have made a donation or other

contribution to the DBAN project.

4.0 Configuring DBAN

———————

4.1 Automatic Wiping

———————

Enter “autonuke” at the boot prompt to automatically wipe all devices in the

computer without confirmation.

4.2 SYSLINUX.CFG

—————–

The “A:\SYSLINUX.CFG” file is the DBAN configuration file. You may change the

default behavior of DBAN by editing this file after you create the DBAN floppy

disk. The SYSLINUX.CFG is self-documented.

The CDR/CDRW version of DBAN must be remastered to change the SYSLINUX.CFG file

that is embedded in the ISO file. DBAN will fail if the ISO file is changed by

an editor like IsoBuster.

5.1 Free Updates

—————–

If you wish to be automatically notified of DBAN updates, then visit:

sourceforge.net/project/monitor_project.php?group_id=61951

A similar service is provided by:

freshmeat.net/subscribe/31200/

5.2 Contact Information

————————

General inquiries: dajhorn@dban.org

Help and support: support@dban.org

All e-mail messages must have “DBAN” in the subject line. Messages

Post your questions below and I’ll do my best to help you. First and foremost you’ll need to ensure you have the most recent version of DBAN. If you still can’t erase your hard drive with DBAN post your question below.

I’ll be using ports of course for this entire install. I’m assuming that you have the proper hardware for this type installation.

Start with a minimal installation of freeBSD 8

Bypass the headache and host on vps or dedicated servers with pre-installed LAMP here.

Update the server ports – freebsd guide on ports

First update your port tree

portsnap fetch update *if this is the first time do a portsnap fetch extract

List available update

pkg_version -vIL=

Once you have updated your Ports Collection, before attempting a port upgrade, you should check /usr/ports/UPDATING. This file describes various issues and additional steps users may encounter and need to perform when updating a port, including such things as file format changes, changes in locations of configuration files, or other such incompatibilities with previous versions.

Upgrade your ports with

portupgrade -rR

Okay now that your freeBSD server ports are updates lets do Binary updates freebsd-update.

freebsd-update fetch

freebsd-update install

Then reboot

shutdown -r now

Verify update took place

uname -a

Rollback if necessary

freebsd-update rollback

Now lets install Apache, PHP, mysql and phpMyAdmin on your freeBSD 8 web server.

First install the latest apache from ports.

cd /usr/ports/www/apache22/
make config install clean
echo 'apache22_enable="YES"' << /etc/rc.conf
echo 'apache22ssl_enable="YES"' << /etc/rc.conf
echo 'accf_http_ready="YES"' << /etc/rc.conf &amp;&amp; kldload accf_http

Now install PHP

cd /usr/ports/lang/php5
make config install clean
cd /usr/ports/lang/php5-extensions  ** enable <strong>mysql </strong>extensions **
make config install clean

Now modify your httpd.conf – Add the following entries to /usr/local/etc/apache22/httpd.conf directly after all the LoadModule lines

AddType application/x-httpd-php .php
AddType application/x-httpd-php-source .phps

now locate IfModule mod_dir.c and add index.php

DirectoryIndex index.php index.html index.htm

Last but not least get a good php.ini file setup

cp /usr/local/etc/php.ini-recommended /usr/local/etc/php.ini

Restart apache and

/usr/local/etc/rc.d/apache22 start

Now its time for mySQL installation, configuration and setup

cd /usr/ports/databases/mysql50-server
make install WITH_OPENSSL=yes
make distclean
echo 'mysql_enable="YES"' << /etc/rc.conf

Start mysql server and change root password

/usr/local/etc/rc.d/mysql-server start
mysqladmin -u root password sumcrazypaswrd
mysql -u root -p    *make sure you can log in*
rm /root/.history  *remove history so password isn't exposed*

Create a configuration file for mysql in /etc/my.cnf

[client]
port=29912
[mysqld]
port=29912
bind-address=127.0.0.1

Now lets install configure and setup phpMyAdmin

cd /usr/ports/databases/phpmyadmin
make config install clean
cd /usr/local/www/phpMyAdmin && cp config.sample.inc.php
config.inc.php
vi config.inc.php
$cfg['blowfish_secret'] = 'sdf934sdfgHijh98Y';

open httpd.conf and Alias

Alias /phpmyadmin /usr/local/www/phpMyAdmin

Now allow who you want to access it

        <Directory "/usr/local/www/phpmyadmin'<
Order allow,deny
        Allow from all   *or allow from 222.114.123.0/12*
</Directory<

you’ll want https when you connect to phpmyadmin so lets enable https and make some httpd.conf changes

Create your certificate

In order to access phpmyadmin of ssl you need to get https going on apache. You can buy an SSL certificate generated by a trusted CA such as Thwate or Verisign, or you can generate one yourself using OpenSSL. I borrowed a ton of infor from freebsdmadeeasy.com

lets get the openssl.cnf file ready

vi /etc/ssl/openssl.cnf
dir = /root/sslCA
default_days = 3650

Now set up the directories

cd ~root/
mkdir sslCA
chmod 700 sslCA
chmod 700 sslCA
mkdir certs private newcerts
echo 1000 < serial
touch index.txt
cd ~root/sslCA
openssl req -new -x509 -days 3650 -extensions v3_ca -keyout private/cakey.pem -out cacert.pem -config /etc/ssl/openssl.cnf

The CA should now be all set.. test with more;

more ~root/sslCA/cacert.pem
more ~root/sslCA/private/cakey.pem

Now lets generate an SSL certificate for apache

cd ~root/sslCA
openssl req -new -nodes -out yourhostname-req.pem -keyout private/yourhostname-key.pem -config /etc/ssl/openssl.cnf
openssl ca -config /etc/ssl/openssl.cnf -out yourhostname-cert.pem -infiles yourhostname-req.pem

Lets put everything where it needs to be.

mkdir /etc/ssl/crt
mkdir /etc/ssl/key
cp ~root/sslCA/yourhostname-cert.pem /etc/ssl/crt
cp ~root/sslCA/private/yourhostname-key.pem /etc/ssl/key

And finally add the SSL virtual host

Find the below line in your httpd.conf and take the comment hash out.

# Secure (SSL/TLS) connections
Include etc/apache22/extra/httpd-ssl.conf

Now modify your httpd-ssl.conf

ServerName ssl.yourhostname.com
SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/crt/yourhostname-cert.pem
SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/key/yourhostname-key.pem
DocumentRoot "/etc/www/apache22/data"      ** whatever your location is**
ErrorLog "/var/log/httpd-error.log"
TransferLog "/var/log/httpd-access.log"

In /usr/local/etc/apache22/extra/httpd-default.conf, disable ServerSignature to prevent the server from showing more information than it has to. Make sure the server-status and the server-info sections in /usr/local/etc/apache22/extra/httpd-info.conf are commented out.

Finally restart apache

/usr/local/etc/rc.d/apache22 restart

Now install wordpress

cd /usr/ports/wordpress
make install clean

do a locate wordpress and move file to web root

locate wordpress
cp /usr/local/www/data/wordpress/* /usr/local/whatever web root is

go into web root and copy wp-config-sample.php to wp-config.php

navigate to https://hostname/phpmyadmin and create wordpress db – add that name to wp-config.php

Install the SNARE Agent on the Microsoft Windows Host
To install the SNARE agent, follow these steps:

• Step 1 Log in to the target host using a username with proper administrative privileges. The username must have the permission to publish audit data as well as to install new programs.
• Step 2  Download the SNARE Agent for Windows from the following URL that corresponds to the operating system type installed on the target host: download snare –> http://sourceforge.net/projects/snare/
• Step 3 Double-click the SnareSetup<version>.exe file to start the install program.
• Step 4 Click Next.
• Step 5 Select the target install folder and click Next.
• Step 6 Select Normal Installation in the Components list and click Next.
• Step 7  Select the target Start menu location and click Next.
• Step 8Verify the selection options and click Install.

SNARE is installed and started on the local host. A dialog box appears, prompting you to specify whether to allow SNARE to control the EventLog configuration for the Microsoft Windows host.

• Step 9 Select Yes to enable SNARE to control the EventLog configuration for this Microsoft Windows host. The SNARE – Remote Event Logging for Windows user interface appears.
• Step 10 To configure the Snare agent, continue with Enable SNARE on the Microsoft Windows Host, page 36-6.

Enable SNARE on the Microsoft Windows Host
Once you have downloaded and installed the SNARE agent on the target Microsoft Windows host, you must configure the agent to forward the correct event data in the correct format to the MARS Appliance.
To configure the SNARE agent, follow these steps:

• Step 1 Click All Programs > InterSect Alliance > Snare for Windows to run the SNARE – Remote Event Logging for Windows user interface.
• Step 2 Click Setup > Network Configuration….
• The Network Configuration page appears.
• Step 3 Specify values for the following fields:

1. Override detected DNS Name with—Specify the IP address or DNS name of the local host in the field.
2. Destination Snare Server address—Specify the IP address or the DNS name of the MARS Appliance.

• Step 4 Verify that the following options are selected:

1. Allow SNARE to automatically set audit configuration
2. Allow SNARE to automatically set file audit configuration
3. Enable SYSLOG Header

• Step 5 Click Apply the Latest Audit Configuration on the Network Configuration page.
• Step 6 Click File > Close to close SNARE – Remote Event Logging for Windows user interface. The SNARE agent is stopped and restarted to pick up the configuration changes.

I have my own website.. my boy from e-trade hooked it up.

Compare a domain name to your house having a street address. The house is your website, and the street address is your domain name.

Domains can be purchased from many different places (domain registrars) but you’ll want to purchase it as cheaply as possible and use this domain registrar from here on out. If you build up a huge list of domains and they reside with several different registrars then you haven’t done yourself any favors. Renewals can be a pain and general yearly upkeep and any changes like DNS and CNAM can be a pain, so keep them all in one place.

I really can only recommend godaddy.com as the place to purchase your domain name. They have easy to use tools to manage your domain and offer the best prices on domain name on the internet.

Now if you only plan to build one website then many hosting plans offer you a “free” domain name with the purchase of a hosting plan. Trust me do NOT purchase a hosting plan with godaddy. GoDaddy has the worst hosting package around and the hardware, network and customer support sucks. Avoid them for hosting but feel free to use them as a great source of cheap domain registration.

Okay back to building that house (website) which your domain will point to (street address). It can be hard to determine who to purchase you webhosting from. Of course I use ixwebhosting for this blog and have been recommending them for years. Reliable service and excellent phone support 24 x 7. I’ll get emails regarding planned outages from time to time and they are always upgrading hardware, bandwidth or patching systems. Building up the infrastructure in this nature is paramount in keeping ME happy and all of my websites up and running fast.

Next you’ll need to publish your website with na easy to use content management system. WordPress.org is easy to install (ixwebhosting has a 1 click wordpress install button) and is super user friendly. My daughter has a wordpress blog and she is 7 years old. Check them out at WordPress.org

So let’s recap…

If you plan to buy multiple domains use godaddy. Building up a huge reservoir of domains is cheap and easy to manage with godaddy.

But if you’re building just one website, you can just get one free domain with just about any hosting package around. I use and recommend ixwebhosting to all my friends.

Last but not least you need to be able to easily publish webpages with a click of a button. Can you send an email? Then you can use wordpress.org!