shredder

If you don't know by now that Windows doesn't really delete files when you delete them, it's time to learn the truth. Fact is, Windows just removes data from the file system when you delete it; the data remains on your disk until it's overwritten by new data. Until then, it can be recovered, and it can sometimes be recovered even then. CyLog's CyberShredder is a free tool that securely deletes data and wipes its traces from your disk. It overwrites deleted files with random data to make deleted files unrecoverable. Although this tool is … Read more

Bridget Carey makes a full recovery from her trip to Austin, Texas, for SXSW 2012 and joins us on today's show to recap her first experience.

We'll also dive further into Michael Bay's plans for the next live-action reboot of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and investigate the growing trend of companies asking potential employees for their Facebook usernames and passwords.… Read more

Love brainteasers? Brainiacs from a California university hope you can help decipher a mind-draining 10,000-piece puzzle through their collaborative Web site.

The DARPA Shredder Challenge aims to discover new ways the U.S. military can process and decode shredded documents confiscated in war zones, as well as test vulnerabilities in the shredding methods used by the U.S. national security community.

The Shredder Challenge is made up of five separate puzzles in which the number of documents, the documents' subject matter, and the shredding methods vary to present challenges of increasing difficulty. To complete each problem, participants must provide the answer to a puzzle embedded in the content of the reconstructed document.

Three out of the five puzzles are still available to be solved before the contest ends December 4 and DARPA awards $50,000 as the prize. Manuel Cebrian, a research scientist at the University of California at San Diego, and a team from UCSD have created a way to solve the remaining enigmas by "combining advanced computer vision methods with shared tasking and referral-based crowdsourcing," says the USCD Web site. … Read more

Most PC users have probably heard that the Recycle Bin doesn't really delete files, at least not right away, and even long-deleted files can be recovered from your hard disk, if you rely on Windows to follow through when you tell it to delete something. "Delete" should mean "outta here," not "Level 1 Wipe" or whatever. But drag and drop files into Moo0 FileShredder, and it will zap them using one of four algorithms until they are completely unrecoverable.

FileShredder's "Drop Box" interface is a small dialog that we could … Read more

Oh my god! Get a load of the DTV Shredder--a motorized skateboard that looks like a cross between a Segway, a skateboard, and Johnny 5 from the "Short Circuit" movies.

Instead of wheels, the device uses two continuous tracks of the sort you'd get on a tank, and is powered by a 15hp 200cc Honda engine. It looks pretty easy to use, too. Forward motion seems to be activated by twisting the handlebar grip and steering is taken care of by leaning left or right on the skateboard-type platform that sits above the tracks.

By using … Read more

Improper disposal of physical documents is an excellent way to get your identity stolen. Getting a decent document shredder is an excellent way to solve the problem, but if you're a parent you might be a little hesitant. Fortunately, Fellowes has your back.

Its latest line of shredders helps you properly dispose of unwanted papers, CDs, DVDs, and credit cards, without you having to worry about the young ones. The company's SafeSense technology stops the machine immediately when hands come too close to the paper opening. We tried to jam a couple coworkers' hands into the slot and … Read more

When it's time to get rid of old computers, many people think erasing and reformatting a hard drive is sufficient to keep private information out of others' hands. But to keep your private data safe from others, you really need a more thorough tool and EAST-Tec's DisposeSecure fits the bill. This hard-disk and network sanitizing utility can completely eliminate data beyond the possibility of recovery. It uses Department of Defense standards for data destruction, but users can configure custom security levels too.

DisposeSecure is a powerful and competent tool, and its interface and features reflect that, once you … Read more

HDShredder from Miray Software is a disk cleaning utility that comes in five versions, each building upon the other's basic functionality with more features, capacity, or levels of security. We tested the Free version, which is more than adequate for most users' data removal needs. It offers secure high-speed deletion of entire hard drives or other storage media to the point that any data they contain is unrecoverable, independent of your operating system, file system, or partition layout. It also recognizes and deletes proprietary formatting that other cleaners often miss.

HDShredder Free downloads as a compressed file but installs … Read more

If you're the type who mandates a unique password for every Web account, you've got a lot of memorizing to do. EgisTec, a data encryption and biometrics technology company, is manufacturing a fingerprint sensor that eliminates the need to type any password.

Although the Taipei, Taiwan-based company is predominantly known for its data-deletion software, Shredder, the present focus is on its fingerprint solution for cell phones, laptops, cars, and other devices that might benefit from increased personal security.

EgisTec's know-how of software and hardware production helps in the creation of technology that manufacturers can easily integrate into … Read more