[ale] is USB stick safer than CD-ROM/DVD

[Bob Toxen]

First, DVDs generally should be more rugged than USB sticks and will
suffer less from single points of failure.  (If one of the control
transistors in a USB stick fails one could lose all data.)

Second, a likely failure mode is the entire device being destroyed due
to excessive temperature (e.g., the air conditioning fails in August),
fire, smoke, or water damage.  (We are talking long-term storage.)

My recommendation is to back up critical data on multiple media stored
in multiple physical locations.  For example, burn two sets of DVDs and
two sets of USB sticks.  Store one set "at home".  Store each of the
other sets in different geographically separated places.  For example,
store the second UCB stick in your bank safe deposit box and store the
second DVD set at your parents house if they can be relied on not to
damage them, e.g., in the underground basement.

I also store my most critical data in encrypted form on a server I have
access to in another state.  Thus, if a storm destroys my house and my
safe deposit box a few miles away I still have my data.

The reason for using both USB sticks and DVDs (or DVDs and magnetic
tape) is that one media may go out of style before you can read the data
and convert.  (I probably have waited too long before pulling data off
of my 9-track tape and QIC tape cartridges.)

Bob Toxen
bob at verysecurelinux.com               [Please use for email to me]
http://www.verysecurelinux.com        [Network&Linux security consulting]
http://www.realworldlinuxsecurity.com [My book:"Real World Linux Security 2/e"]
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   -- Bob Toxen 10/03/2002

On Fri, Apr 25, 2008 at 11:14:45PM -0400, jtholmes wrote:
> We have so many pictures on DVD that it takes about
> 4 DVD's to hold them all and it keeps growing.

> I was wondering if a 16Gb USB stick would be just
> as safe as a DVD, i.e not suspectible to being erased
> magnetically etc.

> Any input would be appreciated.
> thanks