Why Wipe Hard Drive Space - Better Ways To Do It

Author: Sam Miller

As computers become increasingly popular for use in almost every aspect of human endeavor, the question of data security also becomes important. That is, with the rise of computers also comes the rise of digital storage of information, since it is in this digital form that they can be accessed by computers. Digital storage comes in the form of compact discs, flash memory devices, and hard disk drives (which are currently the standard and usually are built into most computer setups).

Now, physically securing the digital storage devices in question is of course an option. However this may not always be possible. For instance, these devices may be in regular use by many different people, and restricting access would just become counterproductive.

Password protection is another option, when talking of digital data security. However, the security afforded by passwords depends upon the strength of the system in use, and also on the passwords used themselves. Passwords that are easier to somehow guess would result in weaker security than passwords which are harder to guess.

There are cases when neither of these two security options is feasible, however. For instance, it may be desired that all of the data on the hard drive is permanently removed. Normal deletion (using the current operating system on the computer, for example) does not remove all of the traces of deleted data. In this case, security can be increased by performing a hard drive wipe, instead.

A hard drive wipe is a process performed on a hard drive to help ensure that all of the data and information on the drive are removed beyond possibility of recovery. This becomes important when a computer changes ownership, for example, or when a hard drive or computer is to be disposed of. In both of these situations, potential access to deleted files may result in the unintentional exposure of confidential information.

How does a deleted file still have traces on the hard drive? Well, when a deletion is performed on the file, it is marked 'deleted' and the space it occupied is made available for new use. However, the data on the actual hard drive corresponding to the deleted file is in fact not removed or overwritten. So the data on the hard drive is still there, even if it is hidden from plain view. There exist software utilities that can facilitate the process of recovering the content in these supposedly deleted files.

A hard drive wipe helps to prevent this by actually overwriting all data on the hard drive with random sets of data. This makes it next to impossible to decipher the data on the hard drive to recover any of the deleted data.

Many hard drive wipe programs perform this overwriting process multiple times, which increases the security provided. There are also various algorithms used to generate the random data with which the existing data is overwritten. The better algorithms produce random data that is closer to being truly random, making it even harder to try to recover the original data.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/why-wipe-hard-drive-space-better-ways-to-do-it-284407.html

How To Wipe Disk Drives, And Why

Author: Sam Miller
Data security has become a bigger concern as the information age goes into full swing. Computers are becoming more and more commonplace as versatile tools for a wide variety of tasks and uses. This has made digital storage increasingly the data storage format of choice, since digital information is easily accessed and processed by computers.

This has led to a rise in interest in digital information and data storage systems. Apart from developments in hardware technology that allow bigger capacity devices with faster access times, security has also become a prime consideration. Most software and programs nowadays come equipped with varying levels of security options. For instance, it is now possible to protect almost any file with a password such that only those who can provide the correct password would be able to access the information within the file.

However, these software security measures would not stand up to dedicated data extraction efforts, in particular those involving the actual physical hardware. Physically securing the hard drive (or other data storage device) under consideration may not always be possible or practical. Another way of ensuring that important data is not placed at risk is to wipe the disk.

Simply deleting the contents of a hard disk is not enough to ensure that they are not recovered. In fact, there are software utilities that allow the recovery of deleted data. This possibility is because when a file is deleted, it is not actually overwritten or removed from the hard disk. Instead, a marker is just associated with the file to say that it has been deleted, and the space it occupies on the disk is marked available for use. This means that the data in the file remains on the disk for the knowledgeable hacker to extract and view.

Wiping a disk, on the other hand, is a much more thorough process. In a disk wipe, all data to be wiped off is actually overwritten with random data. This eliminates almost entirely the traces that a normal deletion leaves behind, and makes recovery of data practically impossible. (In theory, it would still be possible to reconstruct the data lost after a hard disk wipe, but this would require high-powered microscopes and would proceed much too slowly to be useful!)

Performing a disk wipe is facilitated by the many disk wipe programs available. There are many free options, as well as commercial software options, which may differ in terms of functionality and documentation. The majority of these are available online, which makes it quite easy to browse through and find the most appropriate program for the specific task. Some programs are designed for use on a single personal computer, while others may be designed for use on batches of computers.

Confidential data that needs to be kept from being exposed may best be hidden by using a disk wipe. This simple additional security measure makes the recovery of deleted data nearly impossible. With the many disk wipe programs available, it is easier than ever to perform a disk wipe, even for casual users, making this a real data security option.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/how-to-wipe-disk-drives-and-why-277552.html

What Happens During A Hard Drive Wipe

Author: Sam Miller
A hard drive wipe refers to a secure deletion procedure that leaves no traces of the data that used to be stored on the wiped hard drive. This is usually performed using specialized software programs designed for this purpose. It should be noted that a hard drive wipe is different from and much more secure than simply deleting all the files that are on a hard drive.

This is because when a file is deleted, it is not really entirely removed from the hard disk. What actually happens is that the file is simply marked as having been deleted, and the hard disk space that it occupies is marked as being ready for use. So the file is no longer listed in its directories. Also, the space in which a deleted file is contained may in fact be overwritten by new data being put into the hard disk.

For many applications and users, this file deletion may be sufficient. A more thorough deletion would just be a waste of system resources, and thus is usually not implemented. However, there are certain cases in which the more secure deletion that a hard drive wipe affords becomes desirable.

For instance, computers that handle critical information might eventually be reassigned, or replaced. In this case, it might be desirable to ensure that the important information could not be recovered afterwards, in case malicious acts may be done with this data in hand. For instance, financial information such as credit card numbers, account numbers, and balances may be recovered from hard drives that are recycled but not wiped clean.

Similarly, even personal computers might benefit from a hard drive wipe, for instance when they are being resold or given away. The simple precaution of doing a hard drive wipe may prevent or at least lessen the risk of identity theft and the acquisition of any other critical personal information.

One of the easiest ways to perform a hard drive wipe is to acquire a copy of a hard drive wipe program which can automatically run from a CD or other removable storage device. In most cases, the hard drive wipe process then just consists of plugging the storage device containing the appropriate program into the computer to be wiped clean.

A hard drive wipe works by overwriting the existing data with random data, often multiple times. This has the effect of covering the previously existing data and making it almost impossible to recover. The standard number of overwrites ranges from seven all the way up to thirty five layers of overwriting data.

Hard drive wiping also helps by being a more environmentally-friendly alternative to physical destruction of the hard drive. When disposing of a hard drive containing confidential information, the user might want to opt to have the drive physically rendered unusable. However, recycling facilities exist that would repurpose the hard drive. To do this, they are required by law to wipe the hard drives so as to make any previous data unrecoverable.

The hard drive wipe is a useful procedure that is becoming more and more necessary in this information age.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/what-happens-during-a-hard-drive-wipe-275418.html

The Hard Disk Wipe Process

Author: Sam Miller
One of the biggest possible security leaks, both for private individuals and companies, lies in not being thorough about removing data from old hard disks. When data is not wiped or securely deleted from a given hard disk, it becomes possible (if not always easy) for people to attempt and recover the data. For innocuous data such as mundane documents and other such files, this possibility may not seem like much of a risk.

However, for hard disks handling confidential information such as financial matters, personal information, and the like, this becomes a serious issue. It has been shown that most people and organizations are not careful about their information that is left on old hard disks. On a survey of a typical sample of old or recycled hard disks, it is more than likely that one would be able to recover some personal information, or even confidential information on a larger scale. These include company employee information, financial transaction information, and so on.

This happens because ordinary file deletion or disk reformatting is not enough to dissuade a determined hacker from recovering data. Normal deletion does not actually remove the file data from the hard disk itself. Instead, the deleted file is just marked 'deleted', and the space allocated to the file is marked 'available'. This 'available' space would not be overwritten until the system runs out of other hard disk space, leaving it vulnerable to recovery.

Even hard disk reformatting does not overwrite the files that are on the hard disk. Instead, it just reallocates the existing space for new use. Hence, some traces of the data previously on the disk might remain, especially if the hard disk does not become filled with new data.

To be more secure about removing data from a hard disk, there is no better solution than performing a hard disk wipe, short of physically destroying the hard disk. This second option is generally frowned upon, since it is a waste of resources. (Recycling old hard disks is the better and more environmentally friendly option. To prevent any mishaps regarding the unintentional exposure of confidential information, all recycling facilities are required by law to wipe the hard disks before redistributing them.)

Now, a hard disk wipe works by overwriting the data on the disk multiple times with random sets of data. This thorough masking of previously existing data is usually not performed during regular file deletion in the aims of conserving system resources. And indeed, a secure deletion is often not strictly necessary, in everyday computer use. But when secure deletion becomes necessary, a hard disk wipe offers the solution.

A hard disk wipe program usually runs from a removable storage device such as a CD. Simply by loading this program into the computer with the hard disk to be wiped, the process could be implemented. This means that it is possible to perform the hard disk wipe on multiple computers relatively easily.

The hard disk wipe is a relatively uncommon process that is nevertheless invaluable for secure deletion of information from hard disks.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/the-hard-disk-wipe-process-275363.html