TEST FOR BACKGROUD COLLECTORS.
==============================

November 23, 2002.


When user deletes files from hard drive this does not mean that this
information is physically erased from the hard drive.
Moreover, some programs will pick up and attach 
this "background information" to their files unexpectably for user.

In this test hard drive was filled with bogus 
Credit Card, Password, Social Security Numbers before
Windows 95 installation.

Then, afer Windows and Internet Explorer installation,
two auxiliary Outlook Express files accomualted
hundreds credit card and social security numbers:
  
   Inbox.dbx contains 565 credit card numbers 
             and 1130 social security numbers.
   "trash file", "Deleted Items.dbx", contains 
             375 social security numbers 
             and 188 credit card numbers.

Examples of Inbox.dbx and "Deleted Items.dbx" are enclosed.

User can try own test by writing an arbitrary text files to hard drive,
deleting them, using Outlook Express, and reading auxiliary files using
text editor like Wordpad as this done in Test 2 below.


mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Below are details of the test:

After upgrading to Internet Explorer IE5.50 4807.2300
Update versions SP2, which upgraded Windows 95 e-mail software to
Outlook Express 5.50 4807.1700.

After importing current content of previously installed
Microsoft e-mail software and deleting Inbox content,
it was found that "trash file" "Deleted Items.dbx"
contains about 
375 social security numbers and 188 credit card numbers.

After sending and receiving one e-mail message 
(which can be found on Inbox.dbx file)
   Inbox.dbx contains 565 credit card numbers 
             and 1130 social security numbers.

This files may be found in 
c:\Windows\Application Data\Identities\"long name with digits"\Microsoft\Outlook Express
folder or similar depending on specific computer.

Please note that this background information does not have
any relation to a "visible" in Outlook Mail boxes information
which user delt with.

Background information is not the information which 
is in Windows Recycle Bin or
not necessarily information which 
"was erased from" Outlook Express.


Test 2.
=======
Empty space on hard drive was filled by copying one file
using Windows Explorer containing
some bogus information as password, SSN, Credit Card Numbers.
Then this files were erased from hard drive by Windows Explorer, 
and deleted from Recicle Bin. After using Outlok Expres,

Inbox.dbx contains 669 passwords, SSNs, Credit Card Numbers as seen in 
enclosed file renamed to Inbox.dbx.after_explorer.txt

Test 3.
=======

Microsoft Access Database files. (Not sure Windows 95 or 98).

Test similar to Test 2 done for this file.
After using somedatabase.mdb it "absorbed" from
background:
   139 Social Security: 273-00-8182  numbers
   139 Credit card numbers: 4133 4568 3848 8406 
   and other information.


Public_LC_License.txt