Used Computers Could Turn You Into a Hacker

   It's common for many of us to purchase used computers to get something "new" while cutting down on cost.  I'm sure many of us in the IT field have picked up a computer from a friend or family member they didn't want and it had a lot of sensitive info on it still.  Then we'll chide them for being so careless with their data.  Apparently, larger companies can be just as lackluster with security.

   In an article on Ars Technica, John Ferguson writes about how he picked up an HP Stream from Best Buy.  Being promised by the salesman that it was like new, all the warranties would be honored and it was a returned device for 20% off.  Sounds like a heck of a deal, right?  After opening the box, everything look as it should, it was in sealed bags, even had a tag from a technician who certified that the device was good.

He could even sign into the
previous owner's email and
social media accounts.

   I guess that makes for an awkward situation when turning on the machine brought up a login screen for the previous owner, email and all.  The article talks about how John was able to use Ubuntu to get access to all the files on the computer (there wasn't much), but also reset the password and get right into the computer.  If he wanted to, he could even sign into the previous owner's email and social media accounts.

   What this ultimately comes down to is we need to be a lot more careful about who we trust and to format and securely wipe the sensitive data on a machine before handing it off.  Whenever I talk to my family and they mention they are wanting to get rid of a machine, I walk them through how to securely wipe the drive, or to send it to me to handle.  It quite frustrating how the staff at Best Buy were so careless with handling a device that someone had used.  How many of you have come across a situation like this?  Picked up a used computer and found sensitive data still stored on it?

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About Jimmy R. Tassin

Jimmy Tassin is the IT Manager of Midwest Regional Bank and has been involved with the Technology field for over thirteen years. His two hobbies are overseeing the daily operations of OmniKraft, a Minecraft server community, and writing at Goblinbyte.com.