SwiftOnSecurityDec 31, 2022

Fun fact: Windows includes an HDD overwrite functionality. (Note: This won't hardware-level wipe SSDs)
(Also, don't do this you'll probably do it wrong and delete all your data.)

diskpart.exe
list disk
select disk #
clean all

It writes 0's to all logical sectors on the disk. But this isn't the same as all physical sectors on an HDD, and nothing much guaranteed on an SSD. You need to (also) use ATA SECURE ERASE to do that.

But if you have drives you want to dispose and aren't paranoid it's what I did to go through 15 old disks in my closet before smashing them up with a hammer. (Just the hammer works fine too)

Show threadSwiftOnSecurityDec 31, 2022

The thing about data storage is that they are so incredibly intricate and low-level complicated, just giving a HDD or SSD some really solid whacks with a hammer that messes up the internals a bit makes it functionally impossible to recover.

And Google and Microsoft and Amazon and NSA don't software-wipe hard drives they physically destroy them.

Show threadSwiftOnSecurityDec 31, 2022

Data destruction is actually a super-nuanced area with layers of fundamental obfuscation of plaintext such as software encryption escrowed to DPAPI, file system data structure fragmentation, OS encryption escrowed to TPM, intrinsic always-on SSD firmware encryption via a disposable key for instant wiping, SSD firmware controller data distribution of shards to noncontiguous physical memory cells, the encoding of data in those memory cells...

Don't think about it too hard unless it's your job or you run a darkweb drug marketplace. Just hit it with a hammer.

Show threadOggieDec 31, 2022

@SwiftOnSecurity The perfect set up for the line and you missed it-

'Or, to save on postage'

Show threadsmartwatermelon 
@Oggie @SwiftOnSecurity I am always here for gratuitous Yzma references.
Jan 1, 2023 at 12:03amWeb