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Searching for Social Security Numbers

Tools and Techniques

Below is a link to a freeware file searcher called Agent Ransack. It is an easy to use program that will search for several different forms of social security numbers at the same time. It scanned 50 MB of files locally in about 25 seconds on a 450 MHz computer. The search string included in the criteria file below successfully scans Word, Excel, WPD files and others by searching for SS nums separated by "-", " " (space) and WP's representation of a hyphen "„". (Note: This string will also return overseas phone numbers stored in a similar format to an SS number as well as other strings of numbers in similar formats). A file preview window makes it fairly easy to eliminate irrelevant files. All that is necessary to run it is to install it (from the link below) and copy the Search Criteria file in which I have pre-set the search strings, then enter the path to search, which could be a local drive or a network drive. Explanations of the various elements follow. Search String [0-9][0-9][0-9](-| |„)[0-9][0-9](-| |„)[0-9][0-9][0-9][0-9] [0-9] means look for a number. (-| |„) means look for any of the characters separated by the OR character "|" File Names Specified file types can be excluded if desired with the file name string  (\.(exe|com|dll|mp3)) which excludes any of the included suffixes. Click the Options tab and be sure the File name field "Specifies NOT expression" is checked. This excludes files matching the file name string. Search Path The search path ("Look In" field) can include multiple folders separated by semi-colons: Example:  C:\mydocs;c:\my documents;c:\myfiles The Search Criteria File The Search Criteria File link below (named search1.srf) is a search criteria file, it includes the Social Security number search string that I used and the file name exclusion. After the program is installed, use File, Open Criteria, and open "search1.srf" from where ever you saved it to. You can also copy the program's folder (after it is installed) to a different computer, it doesn't seem to need a formal installation, or run it from a server. You may also add the search criteria file name after the program name in a shortcut to open it by default. Scanning for nine numbers without separators returned many irrelevant codes. If you wish to try it, simply take the two separator codes  (-| |„)  out of the search string. The program will, by default, install to  C:\Program Files\Mythicsoft\Agent Ransack You can copy the criteria file into this directory also. Turn on word wrap in the Edit menu to show a better preview of the file on the right side of the window; preview  shows the found text in blue and allows you to eliminate some bad returns. Double clicking on the file name will open the file if the extension is recognized. Pressing DEL will delete the selected file. The file list can be copied to the clipboard or saved to a text file with File, Save Results, but uncheck the Save Contents Box so you copy only the file names, and check the All Files box unless you only want files that are selected in the file list. One Phase Searching will reduce memory requirements, but will not show the progress meter. Two Phase searching creates (and stores in RAM) a list of file names that match the file name criteria before searching the content. DELETING SENSITIVE MATERIAL FROM WORDPERFECT FILES Deleting a social security number from a file in WordPerfect 8 (didn't test earlier ones) does not  remove the social security number from the file, only from the screen display (and printout) of the file--the scanner will still find it even after it is deleted. After some deliberation we discovered that this is a "feature." WordPerfect 8 saves previous edits and deletions with the file by default (see Edit Menu, Undo/Redo History, Options). Unchecking the box  " save undo/redo items with history" and then saving the file removes them. WP 9 also has this feature but leaves it turned Off by default.

Agent Ransack came from the C/Net shareware site:
http://download.cnet.com/

Agent Ransack - Freeware

Search Criteria File
 

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