Reliably Erasing Data from Flash-Based Solid State Drives

[Liam Proven]

On Tue, Mar 1, 2011 at 3:13 AM, NoOp <glgxg at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> On 02/28/2011 04:43 PM, Liam Proven wrote:
>> On Sun, Feb 27, 2011 at 5:25 AM, Juan R. de Silva
> ...
>>> I've recently discarded an old HDD containing some data on it. Here what
>>> I usually do. I disassemble the device, remove its plate/s and smash them
>>> in pieces physically. Pliers and a hummer are very helpful. After this I
>>> sleep well. :-)
>>>
>>> I think this "technology" though not being very High would resolve the
>>> problem with any SSD or USB flash drive too. :-)
>>
>> DBAN is easier, quicker, less work and /more/ secure. Physical
>> destruction merely makes the data harder to recover, not impossible.
>>
>> http://www.dban.org/
>
> You might want to research that a little more. Erase an SSD with private
> data on it & then send it to me, or sell it on eBay. I prefer Jaun's
> method instead.

Au contraire. I suggest that you do.

SSDs can be more easily and effectively erased than magnetic media,
and are currently a lot more expensive and thus foolish to destroy in
the hopes of erasing the information.

Magnetic tracks have overspill, which a skilled data-recovery lab can
use to reconstruct the information even after a single overwrite.

Multiple overwrites - which is the /raison d'etre/ of DBAN - are much harder.

TTBOMK a Flash memory cell, like any other memory, holds binary data.
If that data is replaced, the original is gone. No multiple passes
needed. The only issue is any reserved capacity, so for a whole SSD,
you would need to fill it with random numbers in random order a few
times, running TRIM on it between times, then zero it.

I would not be surprised if Darik of DBAN fame was on the case.


-- 
Liam Proven • Info & profile: http://www.google.com/profiles/lproven
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