dumpster diving

/dump'-ster di:'-ving/ 1. The practice of sifting refuse from an office or technical installation to extract confidential data, especially security-compromising information ("dumpster" is an Americanism for what is elsewhere called a "skip"). Back in AT&T's monopoly days, before paper shredders became common office equipment, phone phreaks (see phreaking) used to organise regular dumpster runs against phone company plants and offices. Discarded and damaged copies of AT&T internal manuals taught them much. The technique is still rumored to be a favourite of crackers operating against careless targets.

2. The practice of raiding the dumpsters behind buildings where producers and/or consumers of high-tech equipment are located, with the expectation (usually justified) of finding discarded but still-valuable equipment to be nursed back to health in some hacker's den. Experienced dumpster-divers not infrequently accumulate basements full of moldering (but still potentially useful) cruft.

dumpster diving

From the IT perspective, it refers to looking in a physical trash can for paper documents that contain account numbers and passwords. It also refers to searching the electronic trash cans and recycle bins in users' computers for sensitive and private data. See social engineering.

References in periodicals archive ?

He and his wife live in Vancouver, British Columbia, and filmed themselves living on discarded and culled food for six months for their documentary "Just Eat It.'' They did their share of Dumpster diving -- heading to unlocked bins of wholesalers for the best finds -- and they came up with some treasures: cartons of eggs with plenty of time left on expiration, boxes of pricey chocolate bars tossed because they did not have the requisite English-French labeling required in Canada, and a mountain of packaged hummus still in containers but perfectly edible.

Pickle butts and dog food; Chef sheds light on problem of food waste

Some New Yorkers who had gone without food for days were witnessed dumpster diving, picking over rotting garbage just to score a small meal.

Who's behind disappearing survival food stockpiles: citizens are being urged to claim emergency food kits as soon as possible, while they are still available. You can watch a groundbreaking video at GETFOOD74.COM that sheds light on this disturbing trend

Dumpster diving for food and clothing, the thrifty group also earns a living washing dishes and working on a co-op farm.

Kaufman, Sashi. The Other Way Around

Horowitz called his Dumpster diving "Mike's Redistribution Services," and said he worked 31 hours a week collecting, cleaning and distributing items he found in the trash, which is detailed in a narrative Horowitz wrote about his activities.

Grant honors teacher's work

A SPOT of "dumpster diving" led to the burglary of a house as three scavengers rooted through bins in a Teesside alleyway.

Scavengers searched through bins

He suggested that the practice of dumpster diving had to be treated as a theft and Bulgaria had to introduce penalties, following the example of other EU countries.

Bulgarian Waste Recovery Co: Plastic Scrap Most Profitable

A Tennessee can collector is being recognized for dumpster diving etiquette.

Joe Ellis: Tennessee Man Finds $3,800 In Dumpster, Gets Major Reward

Older and simpler techniques, such as "dumpster diving," "shoulder-surfing" (watching or listening from a nearby location) still work and have morphed into newer high-tech approaches, such as mass data breaches at financial and government institutions, places you have historically entrusted with your personal data.

Dumpster diving & beyond: identity theft continues to plague

After a quick meal, he is back to work, heading out to help manage his cooperative members in another night of dumpster diving.

Scavenger is Pope's special Vatican guest

"What started out as a day of dumpster diving [to find and categorize waste] is now a successful program, and a real achievement."

The label printers honored again for sustainability efforts

You will catch more, and your hands won't smell like you've been dumpster diving behind the bait store.

Live bait solutions: keep 'em fresh and ready to fish

can be linked to a recent wave of documentaries about garbage, including feature-length works like Garbage Dreams (2009) and Wasteland (2010), and several short videos available online, including Gone Tomorrow: The Hidden Life of Garbage (2005), and numerous documentaries about dumpster diving and Freeganism--a term coined to describe alternative lifestyles based upon limited participation in the consumer economy.