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by eh8 924 days ago
> Even linux tools like shred have given up saying they can actually delete data from disks due to how SSD's work these days.

Which emphasizes the importance of enabling full disk encryption immediately whenever you start using a new device--BitLocker if you're on Windows, FileVault on macOS, LUKS on Linux, etc. Trying to decrypt data is much harder than reconstructing deleted data on a stolen drive.
2 comments
Grimburger 924 days ago
True, properly zeroing out the headers on an encrypted drive will make recovery impossible.

How to do that reliably is another question.

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WirelessGigabit 924 days ago
You cannot with normal tools as writing a 0 to the SSD does not guarantee it overwrites the 0 you want. At best it does, at worst it writes the 0 somewhere else and remaps the bit (or whatever its physical storage thing is).
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WirelessGigabit 924 days ago
This is especially a problem on macOS:

https://support.apple.com/guide/disk-utility/erase-and-refor...

> Note: With a solid-state drive (SSD), secure erase options are not available in Disk Utility. For more security, consider turning on FileVault encryption when you start using your SSD drive.

So if you set up a Mac without FileVault you can never erase everything.

At least with my Lenovo I can do the secure erase.

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