COLGeek :
When you install Linux and install a new filesystem structure, you will effectively wipe the underlying data as well. DBAN is still a solid choice.
mdd1963 :
If you delete the partition(s), and allow Linux to reformat/intall/create new chosen file system when installing, unless you are worried about the NSA doing a forensic search of your drive of old file fragments, it is already more than enough 'wiped'....
I think people misunderstand what happens when you format hard drive. Formatting does (roughly) the same thing that deleting a file does... it deletes the file name, location, and so on. The data remains, which is why you can format a computer, and still manage to read the majority of the contents that were "erased" (if not all of the contents).
I haven't seen anything pertaining to persistent infections of spyware, malware, trojans, or viruses, that come back after a format. Does that mean it is impossible? Not really; however, the only way I can think of a persistent infection to stick around after formatting would be an infection that isn't on the hard drive itself.
Valence :
Thanks for the replies. I think I'll give eraser a try. Maybe I'm being a bit paranoid, but buying a used laptop off of craigslist is reason enough to be paranoid. Want to make sure nobody put anything on there to try to steal my data
Yes, a CL laptop can definitely be reason enough to be paranoid. The majority of attacks that you would find from a CL hacker would be ones that are easily removed; and formatting would most likely take care of them. Unless the person selling the computer was hacked, or targeted for surveillance by the authorities, the likelihood of your data being compromised after a format is extremely slim. Still, I don't blame you. When I got a laptop off CL, I wiped it for one reason- I didn't want their data to stay on the HDD. The real reason is simple: If I own the computer, and there is incriminating evidence of something from the previous owner still on the computer, and my computer gets a proper forensic search for
any reason, then I might be the new suspect in some investigation by random chance.
Wiping the drive of a used computer you just purchased makes a lot of sense. There's no reason for you to have their data on your HDD, so get rid of it. The chance of things going tits up are slimmer than winning the lottery, but why not avoid potential problems if you can with relatively minimal effort?