7/2/2023 0 Comments Wipe free space ssd![]() That way, no recovery software can read the data that remains behind after the directory has been deleted. The solution to the previous approach’s limitation may seem obvious: write random data and zeroes to every block on the drive during the formatting process. Secure Erase the Drive Using Disk Utility Particularly if the drive could be scanned for data shortly after being reformatted, before new data has been written over the previously used blocks, you have to assume that even a relatively non-technical person could recover much of the data. Some apps can scan the blocks of a drive and recreate the directory, enabling file recovery. However, a simple erase in Disk Utility won’t pass muster for those concerned about security. Or, more realistically, it’s also sufficient if your data isn’t that sensitive. That’s fine if you plan to reuse the drive yourself or give it to someone you either trust or don’t believe could ever muster the technical know-how to recover data from the erased drive. In other words, none of the data is actually being erased all that’s disappearing are the pointers to the storage blocks where the data is located. Disk Utility will unmount the drive, delete the directory that keeps track of which blocks are used by which files, and create a new directory. The most obvious way of erasing a drive is to select it in Disk Utility and click the Erase button. They were dead, of course, but still-Macs aren’t generally something that one throws. ![]() When I did that, I winced when the guy who took the 2010 iMac and Cinema Display from me tossed them across the loading bay into a large bin. There are also shredders that can eat drives, but these and degaussers are mostly appropriate for IT departments that have to decommission numerous drives containing sensitive information.įor normal people, once you’re done destroying your drive, take the remnants to an electronics recycling center in your area. For that, a degausser would be more effective, or you could open the drive, remove the platters, and destroy their surfaces with sandpaper or something abrasive. If you’re concerned about government-level extraction, drilling holes in a hard drive might not be sufficient. I recently did this for some elderly friends with a few old drives and a dead Mac mini (see “ Helping Senior Citizens Reveals Past Apple Lapses and Recent Improvements,” 24 June 2022). With a hard drive, a hammer would have a similar effect, though you would want to make sure you damaged the actual platters, which is best done by drilling several holes in them. Of course, you must physically destroy the chips inside the SSD, so make sure they’ve been thoroughly smashed. Samsung probably doesn’t cover SSDs that come back in numerous small bits. That’s quick, effective, and satisfying, but it does present a problem when trying to return the drive under warranty. The simplest way of ensuring that no one could ever read the data on an SSD is to don some eye protection and hit it repeatedly with a hammer. Do you want to prevent someone from recovering the files with off-the-shelf software? Are you concerned that a company like DriveSavers could extract the chips or attach new controllers? Do you worry about a government-level agency reconstructing the data? ![]() It’s also worth considering what you think “securely” should mean. Others may be perfect if you want to erase an SSD or hard drive securely but have different goals for the drive afterward. There are multiple answers to this question, but not all may be appropriate for a drive that’s being returned under warranty. ![]() Lucas043’s question: What’s the most secure way of erasing the drive? The SSD has intermittent access problems and is still under warranty, so it could be returned with no problem, but it contains sensitive client data. Lucas043 has a Samsung Portable T7 SSD being used for backup. ![]() Over on TidBITS Talk, user Lucas043 posed a question that prompted a fascinating discussion. How to Securely Erase a Mac’s SSD or Hard Drive #1657: A deep dive into the innovative Arc Web browser.#1658: Rapid Security Responses, NYPD and industry standard AirTag news, Apple's Q2 2023 financials.#1659: Exposure notifications shut down, cookbook subscription service, alarm notification type proposal, Explain XKCD.#1660: OS updates for sports and security, Drobo in bankruptcy, why TidBITS doesn't cover rumors.#1661: Mimestream app for Gmail, auto-post WordPress headlines to Twitter and Mastodon, My Photo Stream shutting down. ![]()
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