To permanently delete files from an SSD or hard disk, it is necessary to use software or special methods to prevent data recovery. Here's how to shred files from an SSD.
When hard drives are no longer used and need to be disposed of, it is important to completely erase the data stored on them. This prevents anyone from recovering files from the hard drive, thus protecting their own privacy. In particular, this is crucial for companies that may have saved important data on their hard drive.
permanently destroy a hard disk, you can resort to demagnetization of the support, or to erase it using software. In the first case, the disk is demagnetized with a powerful degausser which permanently erases the data. In the second case, however, the disc is destroyed using specific machinery.
If instead we talk about SSD, therefore solid state drives that have no mechanical parts but only electrical components, you can use an operation called secure erase, or a physical destruction of the drive. SSDs work completely differently from hard drives, so permanent data deletion is done in a different way. In fact SSDs are made with memory chip, and the demagnetization used for hard drives has no effect. Furthermore, some studies have shown that repeated overwriting of files is not always sufficient to delete documents.
By using software, it is possible to erase data from the media with a process of secure erase. Furthermore, through some commands, you can delete the memory chips NAND SSD by sending a short current discharge. In this way the memories are completely reset, and the files are no longer recoverable.
Some researchers have tried to destroy the data by modifying the firmware of the FTL, a component of the SSD that manages and stores data on the drive. However in several cases it was possible anyway recover files, so this is not a viable solution for permanently deleting documents.
Another solution is the physical destruction of the support. This means that each memory chip is physically disintegrated, rendering the SSD unusable and destroying the files inside it.
Finally, in special cases, the SSDs have been subjected to Microwave. With this radiation, the memory chips are damaged and file recovery becomes much more complex if not impossible.
To protect the files on the SSD and avoid that some attacker can recover them, you can still activate the unit coding. Through this process the files that are saved on the drive are encrypted.
How to destroy data from an SSD: conclusions
Thanks to our advanced equipment we can erase data from any storage medium, eliminating documents and private contents, respecting the regulations currently in force.
If you want to delete files and documents from a device, you can contact us for advice.
