grow pics on your computer - GreenPassion.org - Dedicated to Medicinal Cannabis Cultivation and Education

traceydm · #1 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 09:59 AM

hi all!!
i just wondered....since i'm not really au fait with security issues,having never had to deal with it,i have a question...
after you've uploaded pictures from your camera to your puter do you leave them on it?
is it safer to delete them or is it cool to leave them there?

slightly stupid question i guess but i'm intrested to know what others do!!

jangel · #2 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 10:02 AM

Not a stupid question at all. I transfer them to a cd to save them and get them off my comp. It is safer that way and you still have your pics. I have this computor just chock full as well. haven't done that yet though.

Peace

traceydm · #3 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 10:04 AM

cool thanks J see you got me all hyper about security now!!! LMAO!!!

def not a bad thing though!!!

jangel · #4 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 10:10 AM

Better to be a little over cautious my friend, than not at all.

You have a family to worry about.

Peace

I8ntLucky_UR · #5 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 10:12 AM

I'm 100% legal so there is no reason for me to wipe them off my computer. But if you are not legal you should take the necessary precautions to be safe at all times in every aspect of your grow.

traceydm · #6 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 10:14 AM

ok thanks guys......that will be my job for this evening!!!

muuuuuuuuch love!!

Deb-HAS-grn · #7 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 01:58 PM

Not a stupid question at all Tracey,, I do like Jangel said,, after putting them on my computer I then CD them and then delete them off my computer... I goofed one time and forgot to do so just before I took my laptop in for work,, nothing was said or done, but I pay more attention to it now.....

jack_millions · #8 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 03:40 PM

If you want to save grow logs and pics in a very safe way, there's a fantastic free program that is virtually uncrackable.

TrueCrypt - Free Open-Source On-The-Fly Disk Encryption Software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X and Linux

It can be configured to meet or exceed DOJ security requirements. It really is virtually unbreakable. You can encrypt a whole drive, or a folder within a drive.

And a cool feature is that you can do a hidden encrypted folder within an encrypted folder or drive. This hidden folder will not even show up. So if a South American dictator tortures your regular password out of you, they will get access to your 'normal' hidden stuff (maybe your SS #, yearly tax files), but they will never even see the hidden folder that contains your grow log and pics.

Also any files you delete are not really deleted. They are stored in unused memory, and the tech dorks can retrieve it. To really delete if you need to use a program like Eraser that will actually overwrite the files you want deleted (it takes about 35x overwrite to make it really gone iirc). The down side is that the 35x overwrite process takes forever, hours and hours per gig.

Is using the above type of programs paranoid? Each person has their own level of comfort imho, and their own level of exposure to risk, so for some it'd be smart and for others it might be a bit excessive.

traceydm · #9 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 03:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack_millions

If you want to save grow logs and pics in a very safe way, there's a fantastic free program that is virtually uncrackable.

TrueCrypt - Free Open-Source On-The-Fly Disk Encryption Software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X and Linux

It can be configured to meet or exceed DOJ security requirements. It really is virtually unbreakable. You can encrypt a whole drive, or a folder within a drive.

And a cool feature is that you can do a hidden encrypted folder within an encrypted folder or drive. This hidden folder will not even show up. So if a South American dictator tortures your regular password out of you, they will get access to your 'normal' hidden stuff (maybe your SS #, yearly tax files), but they will never even see the hidden folder that contains your grow log and pics.

Also any files you delete are not really deleted. They are stored in unused memory, and the tech dorks can retrieve it. To really delete if you need to use a program like Eraser that will actually overwrite the files you want deleted (it takes about 35x overwrite to make it really gone iirc). The down side is that the 35x overwrite process takes forever, hours and hours per gig.

Is using the above type of programs paranoid? Each person has their own level of comfort imho, and their own level of exposure to risk, so for some it'd be smart and for others it might be a bit excessive.

EH????????? LOL!!!
thankyou but i am the most computer illiterate person you are ever likely to meet and that whole post was greek to me!!!!!!

but thankyou most kindly anyway!!!!

UkCheeseShane · #10 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 03:51 PM

i delete everything tracey , specialy with our laws even when i use my camera phone , i delete them of my phone aswell just incase . you just never know

traceydm · #11 (**permalink**) 10-22-2009, 03:55 PM

thanks shane....i just did the dirty...they are no more...except here on GP for posterity!!!

Sprocket · #12 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 04:12 AM

if you need to permanently destroy data on a drive, other than using a large rare earth magnet to scramble the sectors, you can take a drill bit to the HDD and drill no less than three holes opposite each other much like the three points of a mercedes benz emblem. of course, this needs to be done regardless, when a drive begins to go bad and needs to be replaced. better safe than sorry.

traceydm · #13 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 06:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sprocket

if you need to permanently destroy data on a drive, other than using a large rare earth magnet to scramble the sectors, you can take a drill bit to the HDD and drill no less than three holes opposite each other much like the three points of a mercedes benz emblem. of course, this needs to be done regardless, when a drive begins to go bad and needs to be replaced. better safe than sorry.

ehhhh sprocket???????

that was complete gobbledigook!!!!!..........i don't even know if that was a joke!!!! LMAO!!! i'm hoping it was......i don't do drilling!!!!!!

opinionated · #14 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack_millions

TrueCrypt - Free Open-Source On-The-Fly Disk Encryption Software for Windows 7/Vista/XP, Mac OS X and Linux

It really is virtually unbreakable.

The program itself? Probably would be hard to break, it has a very nice interface. lol
Unfortunately, the encryption that the program uses is actually reversed pretty easily with the right decrypting program.

Dosent hurt to crypt them and then put them onto a disk however. That prevents random wandering eyes from stumbling upon your pictures if they happen to find your disk or thumb drive... but still dont leave them on the pc.;)

opinionated · #15 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 02:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sprocket

if you need to permanently destroy data on a drive, other than using a large rare earth magnet to scramble the sectors, you can take a drill bit to the HDD and drill no less than three holes opposite each other much like the three points of a mercedes benz emblem. of course, this needs to be done regardless, when a drive begins to go bad and needs to be replaced. better safe than sorry.

this isnt really a needed concern in the U.S anyways, Unless its a federal warrant for your house, each individual state (that I know of) requires that they would also need to state in the search warrant that they were able to sieze your computer as evidence.
To be quite frank, if they have enough evidence to get in your house and find your grow you should call your lawyer anyways and not sweat the pictures have been on the hard drive.

jack_millions · #16 (**permalink**) 10-25-2009, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by opinionated

The program itself? Probably would be hard to break, it has a very nice interface. lol
Unfortunately, the encryption that the program uses is actually reversed pretty easily with the right decrypting program.

Dosent hurt to crypt them and then put them onto a disk however. That prevents random wandering eyes from stumbling upon your pictures if they happen to find your disk or thumb drive... but still dont leave them on the pc.;)

I haven't seen anything that said a truecrypt encrypted file is easy to crack. It'd be 'easier' to crack if it was just encrypted with AES, but you can make it hard by using multiple encryption algorithms like AES-twofish-serpent (or any combination of AES-256, Blowfish (448-bit key), CAST5, Serpent, Triple DES, and Twofish). In theory, it'd take a few hundred years for the geeks at NSA to crack that, unless you used your pet's name as a password ;)

They could get you by using a keystroke logger (and there's a few different options for that). AFAIK Truecrypt has some built in protection against that, but I don't know how effective that aspect is (I can think of at least 1 way around it myself).

My analogy is that all MS security options are like a RSC (residential security container), any thief can break into it within 10 min. Truecrypt is more like a TL-30X6 rated safe. Can a TL-30X6 safe be broken into, sure but it'll take a while. Truecrypt can be broken into, but depending on what options you used it could take a very, very long time.

Schneier on Security: TrueCrypt
Protect Your Data With Encryption : TrueCrypt 6.1--Tried And Tested - Review Tom's Hardware
TrueCrypt - Free software downloads and software reviews - CNET Download.com

And even something like this Schneier research team cracks TrueCrypt - ZDNet.co.uk isn't really a crack. The data is still encrypted, it's just that it's possible to know there's a hidden folder within the enctypted folder (i.e. steganographic file systems are probably a flawed method of protection).

And the real security risk to using Truecrypt (or any encrypting option) is that you the human are using it. Most people only use a few different passwords for all the sites they visit (forums, etailers, etc). It'd be easy for the government to snag those passwords, and try them on your Truecrypt folder, or variations of those passwords. Information Security Short Takes: Cracking a TrueCrypt Container

Anyways, I can only be so paranoid. I'll trust in Truecrypt to keep anyone busy for enough years that I'll be dead by the time they get in ;) I haven't read anything to give me a contrary opinion yet.

SomeDude · #17 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 08:31 AM

truecrypt is nice... There is also GPG for windoze too..

Encryption is your friend.. :-D

opinionated · #18 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jack_millions

Anyways, I can only be so paranoid. I'll trust in Truecrypt to keep anyone busy for enough years that I'll be dead by the time they get in ;) I haven't read anything to give me a contrary opinion yet.

ANY encryption is reversible. And it dosent take years no less, that depends on the decryption program being used and the amount of cpu that the machine has to use available as well (granted it could take a cpl weeks but it isnt years as youve read somewhere apparently).
Most hackers which are breaking encryption now days are doing it with hashes run through reverse encryption on the remote machine of the person that they are hacking because it poses less risk for themselves via that method.

My simple point is if anyone thinks that anything still on a pc is safe and hidden with todays technology and knowledge available then perhaps they should look into it more. Anything out there today unless written by a private programer, is being reverse engineered as we speak and people with malicious intents are picking it apart to see how it does what it does.

SomeDude · #19 (**permalink**) 10-26-2009, 01:26 PM

most hashes can be easily cracked with a good set of rainbow tables