The process is known as “shredding” and is securely deleting your files by overwriting them so they’re unrecoverable.ĭoD 5220.22-M is a process of overwriting data using reverse code involving encrypting old data with patterns of random characters, ones and zeros.
So in order to make the files unrecoverable, you need a utility that will delete and overwrite the space on the drive where the file was. It is a permanent solution that provides the maximum level of security for sensitive data that must be erased.ĭoes overwriting a file make it unrecoverable? Secure Erase completely wipes clean all of the data found on a drive and does not allow that data to be retrieved. It is secure and should be used on general files. Not as secure as the other 7-pass methods since it defines no random wipes. VSITR (7-Pass) This method is based on the German standard (VSITR).
Professional data erasure software – BitRaser Drive Eraser can perform wiping using DoD 5220.22-M standard. “DoD wipe” means overwriting all the addressable locations on a hard drive as per the steps specified in the DoD 5220.22-M algorithm. To effectively erase previously stored data, the simplest techniques overwrite hard disk drive storage areas with the same data everywhere-often using a pattern of all zeros. The “DoD standard,” referring to DoD 5220.22-M, is a term often used in the data sanitization industry. The very simple Write Zero method accomplishes essentially the same thing, albeit much slower. Most experts agree that Secure Erase is the best way to overwrite an entire hard drive in a single pass. CSEC ITSG-06 is a software based data sanitization method used in some file shredder and data destruction programs to overwrite existing information on a hard drive or other storage device.