Wiping Data

Securely delete data.

shred

Tool to overwrite single file contents and optionall delete file.

35 pass random data, zero then remove file.
shred --iterations=35 --verbose --zero --remove {FILE}
Recursively overwrite file data.
find . -type f -exec shred --iterations=35 --verbose --zero --remove {} \;

wipe

Tool to securely delete files and block devices.

apt install wipe
Recursively delete files, 35 pass random data.
wipe -r -c -f -Q 35 {FILE OR DIR}
Wipe a block device, 35 pass random data.
wipe -k -Q 35 {BLOCK DEVICE}

dd

Using dd to zero disks. Good for testing/setup of new drives.

Writing all Zero’s to Drive (quick).
dd if=/dev/zero of=/dev/sdX bs=1M &

Note

~3-4 hours @ 1.5TB

Writing all One’s to Drive (quick).
tr '\000' '\377' < /dev/zero | dd of=/dev/sdX bs=1M &

Note

~4-5hours @ 1.5TB

Checking Status on DD.
ps -ef | grep dd
kill -USR1 {PID}

DBAN

Download DBAN boot & nuke then run DoD 3 pass.

References

  1. Basics on wiping a drive in linux

  2. Wiping a drive with ones

  3. What really needs to be done to destroy HD data