Vulnerability in Connected Western Digital My Book Live Drives Threatens to Wipe Data of Unsuspecting Owners
Jun 25
A critical vulnerability in some WD My Book Live external drives caused some owners to find their data had be wiped by a remotely run command. Western Digital’s only recommendation in the wake of customer complaints and alarm was to unplug the devices from the internet to disconnect them from being compromised.
Why There’s Still Hope for the Laptop Under Your Bed
May 3
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Recover, Repeat.
As we look back on a month full of earth appreciation, common themes of recycling and waste prevention efforts prevail. A topic that experiences significantly less exposure during these conversations is the topic of e-waste recycling.
Lessons on Data Safety from the Ashley Madison Hack
Sep 10
No matter what your stance on the Ashley Madison cyberattack or where your interest lies, there is one important lesson that everyone should be taking from the incident: your data is not as safe as you think it is. The apparent vulnerability of sensitive data submitted online is cause for alarm and serious consideration.
E-waste On The Move
Dec 18
New report numbers out of the United Nations’ StEP Initiative proclaim e-waste as one of the world’s fastest growing streams of waste production. StEP(Solving The world’s E-waste Problem) was set up to tackle the growing and often underestimated problem of electronic waste. According to figures, last year 50m tons of e-waste was generated. This is following the predicted trend that in the next four years e-waste will grow 33%.
Video: E-wasteland
Jul 25
Used electronic devices are often discarded in the cheapest way possible to some of the world’s poorest countries. Watch a recent TV report on location in Ghana that gives a glimpse into the conditions of the scrap yard/slums that e-waste is being collected and dumped in.
Electronics Recycling in Ontario - E-Cycling!
Jul 12
The mountain of electronics we have and eventually need to get rid of is always growing. The need to dispose of old electronics like cellphones and tvs as well as computer hardware in laptops and desktops shows no sign of slowing. But that does present some challenges with regards to how to minimize the amount of e-waste we produce as well as the impact and threat to sensitive information.
The movement to promote E-cycling is strong in Ontario, Canada.
Check out this promo video about drop-off locations:
When you drop-off an old computer for e-cycling, what information is still on the hard drive inside it? We made CBL Data Shredder for this sole purpose. Keep reading to find out more.
Clip: CBL Data Shredder - Costco Tech Connection
Feb 8
The only thing we love almost as much as getting back our customers’ data is preventing it from falling into the wrong hands. The privacy of your information and importance of protecting data is a crucial part of what we do and of our digital society today. Getting rid of old hardware is one challenge, but what about the files and data stored on computers? Friend of Platter Chatter and tech reporter extraordinaire, Marc Saltzman, recently highlighted some key points about safely deleting data in Costco Connection magazine.
Old Hard Drives and Data Security
May 8
Recently researchers managed to get their hands on highly sensitive data off of an eBay auction. Several hard drives were purchased and the researchers were able to recover sensitive data from the hard drives.
