Best tool to erase data from HDD and USB drives.

[Pienske8500]

Hello,

Is there a tool that you recommend using for deleting data from hard disks and USB drives? Only do the format of the drive is not enough, data can still be recovered. I looking for a tool that will make the data on the drives unreadable and unrecoverable. This is for Windows / Linux and OS X.

Thanks a lot for your help.

[JKWiniger]

For years a single long format of a device would be all that is needed. Back when drives had lower capacities there would be queue space on the drives which is where an electron microscope could read things and recover thing. With the increase in drive density the queue space has basically disappeared. This was explained to me by someone at a 3 letter agency who was tasked with data destruction, and attempts at recovery to verify.

If something new has come out that I am unaware of, please let me know.

John-

[denbesten]

Back when we did our DR rehearsals at a recovery center, we used "Darik's Boot and Nuke".  I do see, however, that it has now been bought out, but its Wiki page does link to a few other options.

Nowadays, our recovery strategy has changed.  The cloud taught us a neat side-effect of encrypted drives. When you are ready to discard, one just needs to destroy the key, which can be done in an instant.

[Steve-Wilme]

We've used Blanco Drive Eraser, which is NCSC certified under the CPA scheme. 

https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/products-services/all-products-services-categories?productType=Data%...

But it does depend on the sensitivity of data the was on the device and if it can be reused.

[Pienske8500]

Hello Steve,

Thanks a lot for your reply. Interesting tool.

Kind regards

JL

[Caute_cautim]

Now my perspective is slightly historical having served overseas in the Diplomatic Service - if the hoards were going to take over the Mission, then we had Incinerators on the roof, with long handles.  Shove in the goods to be destroyed along with an activation chemical.  Activate and keep turning the handle until the content thoroughly destroyed, if you have time. 

The other method, was a large cold chisel and a large Lump Hammer, ensuring one punctured the hard drives or media themselves.   Before dissembling and then applying the to the first method above - again if you have time.

If you have plenty of time, and the resources, put into an assembly which literally reduces the goods - hardware, drives and anything else including typewriters, teleprinters to dust.  Completely irretrievable.  

Or the professional method, was use a very large magnetic eraser, which destroyed the magnetic domains to many levels and then apply destruction techniques depending on the value of the original data on the media etc.

Or if you have sufficient piled up media for destruction, use an approved Government vendor, who also provides you a full certification and proof of destruction, prior, during and after the event. 

There is also NIST SP800-88 Rev 1 which may prove useful: 

https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-88/rev-1/final

There are a number of good vendors who supply suitable software, compliant to this standard.

Examples include:  https://www.bitraser.com/ppc/nist-compliant-data-erasure-software.php?gclid=Cj0KCQiAzMGNBhCyARIsANpU...

https://www.ironmountain.com/nz/services/secure-shredding?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campa...

Regards

Caute_Cautim

[Steve-Wilme]

I do admit to sanitising a hard drive with a cold chisel and club hammer on my front drive way on one occasion.  Once you punctured the casing and deformed the disk platters the chances of spinning up the drive to recover the data are low.