Deleting something will just mark that space as being empty on the disk but the data is not really gone. You need to overwrite the file multiple times for it to be unrecoverable. Bleachbit will do that if you enable it in settings but this only works for hdds not for ssds. On ssds data is saved differently and the only real solution is encrypting the disk or overwriting the entire thing which would destroy everything you have installed on it.
The premise of securely deleting files is by having the file be overwritten over and over again. There are multiple ways to do that. If you are working on Linux I would recommend using "wipe" it's an older program designed to securely erase files. Command line only. Encrypt your disk whenever possible but also wipe files too just in case your encryption key gets compromised. When you are done with a computer, destroy the disk don't just wipe. Storage is cheap. Time sitting in jail isn't.
Ideally never unless you think it might have gotten compromised. I recommend a good wipe and update every 3 months to keep things cleaned up but other than that it depends on the person.
The most obvious method is to process a total wipe of the hard disk, you can do it with DBAN, you just need to boot it, choose the method and the number of passes required, it depends on your disk and the level of security of the effacing that you want.
If it doesn’t work with the latest version
2.3.0, try version 2.2.8 (available on sourceforge).
Use RUFUS.
If it still does not work with 2.2.8 version, it's a
problem of incompatibility with your BIOS.
In this case, try this version.
dban-20170718-gb9027694a_linux-4.7.2_i586
on
github(dot)com/NHellFire/dban/releases
Warning, this version is modified, you will only be able to wipe with
the number of passes by default that is 3.
Use RUFUS and choose GPT.
Boot and type ''autonuke''.
For Windows & Mac OS, they are both closed-source operating systems and we have no idea what kind of backdoors are in the source code. So we can't really say for sure whether a file is really deleted or stored indefinitely in Microsoft & Apple servers, they could have a copy of every file you have although that's unlikely.
Another thing we need to take into account is whether you're using an SSD or HDD. HDDs write over old data, which means when a user deletes a file, the hard drive will simply note the command, and write over the deleted file the next time it receives a write command. However, SSDs work differently in a way that they have to completely clear each block of data before it writes new data to the drive. It can't just overwrite, it has to delete first, then write. Which means when you delete files or format an SSD, the files may still be recoverable but the longer the drive operates, the lower your chances of recovery.
With that said, the best choice for Windows & Mac OS is Bleachbit + HDD, although we can never have 100% certainty the file is deleted.
The best scenario would be a Linux machine, preferably Qubes, with FULL DISK ENCRYPTION (LUKS) + HDD. On such a machine, you can simply run the command "shred filename.txt" through a terminal to delete the file permanently without possibility of recovery.
However, against a very skilled adversary with unlimited resources such as the US government, many things are possible. They could run a "cold boot attack" and be able to recover the files from the HDD depending on the situation. Although you'd have to be a big target for them to conduct such an attack.
/u/just_no · N/A votes · 3rd August, 2021 - 01:01 · Link
Deleting something will just mark that space as being empty on the disk but the data is not really gone. You need to overwrite the file multiple times for it to be unrecoverable. Bleachbit will do that if you enable it in settings but this only works for hdds not for ssds. On ssds data is saved differently and the only real solution is encrypting the disk or overwriting the entire thing which would destroy everything you have installed on it.
/u/Paris · N/A votes · 3rd August, 2021 - 02:57 · Link
The premise of securely deleting files is by having the file be overwritten over and over again. There are multiple ways to do that. If you are working on Linux I would recommend using "wipe" it's an older program designed to securely erase files. Command line only. Encrypt your disk whenever possible but also wipe files too just in case your encryption key gets compromised. When you are done with a computer, destroy the disk don't just wipe. Storage is cheap. Time sitting in jail isn't.
/u/[deleted] · N/A votes · 3rd August, 2021 - 04:44 · Link
This is very solid advice.
/u/agent · N/A votes · 3rd August, 2021 - 05:50 · Link
how often should i change computer
/u/princessnatasha · N/A votes · 5th August, 2021 - 09:06 · Link
does ccleaner works for windows?
/u/Paris · N/A votes · 3rd August, 2021 - 08:39 · Link
Ideally never unless you think it might have gotten compromised. I recommend a good wipe and update every 3 months to keep things cleaned up but other than that it depends on the person.
/u/[deleted] · N/A votes · 3rd August, 2021 - 04:43 · Link
Here you go: https://github.com/nadenislamarre/shredos
/u/Shodann- · N/A votes · 3rd August, 2021 - 05:15 · Link
The most obvious method is to process a total wipe of the hard disk, you can do it with DBAN, you just need to boot it, choose the method and the number of passes required, it depends on your disk and the level of security of the effacing that you want. If it doesn’t work with the latest version 2.3.0, try version 2.2.8 (available on sourceforge). Use RUFUS. If it still does not work with 2.2.8 version, it's a problem of incompatibility with your BIOS. In this case, try this version. dban-20170718-gb9027694a_linux-4.7.2_i586 on github(dot)com/NHellFire/dban/releases Warning, this version is modified, you will only be able to wipe with the number of passes by default that is 3. Use RUFUS and choose GPT. Boot and type ''autonuke''.
/u/[deleted] · N/A votes · 22nd August, 2021 - 20:20 · Link
[removed]
/u/Shodann- · N/A votes · 22nd August, 2021 - 20:34 · Link
Yes it is.
/u/thebailopan · N/A votes · 4th August, 2021 - 00:01 · Link
For Windows & Mac OS, they are both closed-source operating systems and we have no idea what kind of backdoors are in the source code. So we can't really say for sure whether a file is really deleted or stored indefinitely in Microsoft & Apple servers, they could have a copy of every file you have although that's unlikely. Another thing we need to take into account is whether you're using an SSD or HDD. HDDs write over old data, which means when a user deletes a file, the hard drive will simply note the command, and write over the deleted file the next time it receives a write command. However, SSDs work differently in a way that they have to completely clear each block of data before it writes new data to the drive. It can't just overwrite, it has to delete first, then write. Which means when you delete files or format an SSD, the files may still be recoverable but the longer the drive operates, the lower your chances of recovery. With that said, the best choice for Windows & Mac OS is Bleachbit + HDD, although we can never have 100% certainty the file is deleted. The best scenario would be a Linux machine, preferably Qubes, with FULL DISK ENCRYPTION (LUKS) + HDD. On such a machine, you can simply run the command "shred filename.txt" through a terminal to delete the file permanently without possibility of recovery. However, against a very skilled adversary with unlimited resources such as the US government, many things are possible. They could run a "cold boot attack" and be able to recover the files from the HDD depending on the situation. Although you'd have to be a big target for them to conduct such an attack.