Strange tales of the Net

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

Posted by Bob Abell on 06/10/2016 15:37:09:

Many thanks, DG

Sensible advice

While browsing the subject, I came across a website that buys all mobile phones!

If we're talking about the risks of phone disposal……Who in their right mind would want to sell their old phone?

I did read about people buying second hand IPads……The sellers have somehow gotten round the password problem to enable resale?

Stop the World……I want to get off!

Bob

My point 1) – what is the actual risk?

Well, you will retain your SIM card, of course. And these small fixed operating system devices normally have a 'set to factory defaults' option which deletes internal files. It will not usually overwrite them. However, these are not 'general purpose' computers – you can't get easy access to reading the memory like you can with a PC. You have to go through the operating system, which enforces a 'no read before write' rule – meaning that you aren't allowed to read anything you haven't written. To bypass this you would have to do something like disassembling the phone and work directly on the storage chip – who is going to do that unless they are sure there is something worthwhile inside?

Also, more and more these systems store data encrypted (if you use password access). Without the password you would need to break the encryption – again, a difficult task you would only do if you were sure there was something interesting inside. **LINK** refers.

So the standard rule applies – the provided security is usually adequate, unless you are planning to do something like store all your terrorist contacts on a phone that the FBI might get hold of. In which case you need to positively overwrite using special techniques, or destroy* the phone. Terrorist training camps should tell you these things.

* Though in this case it would make a lot more sense to fill the phone with false information designed to disadvantage the FBI in some way before going out and blowing yourself up. But now we are moving into a rather more dodgy area…

[Bob Abell 2Participant @bobabell2]

Thank you, DG…….You are truly a Fountain of Knowledge

Bob

[Dodgy Geezer 1Participant @dodgygeezer1]

Posted by Bob Abell on 06/10/2016 16:48:32:

Thank you, DG…….You are truly a Fountain of Knowledge

Bob

Ah…but I bow to DM whenever there is a discussion of current load from 540s …

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