Data Shredder
Encyclopedia
Data Shredder is a data destruction utility designed to securely erase
a hard disk or digital storage device, completely removing the data and making it unrecoverable
. The software utilizes an overwrite method of destroying data rather than other means of data destruction (such as: degaussing
, physical destruction).
due to high quanitites of old computers being thrown out as garbage in dumps and landfills made security of data stored on hard drives a bigger concern of the general public. Data destruction became a part of regular service offerings from the company as press coverage highlighted the step in the data recovery
process.
Data erasure
Data erasure is a software-based method of overwriting data that completely destroys all electronic data residing on a hard disk drive or other digital media. Permanent data erasure goes beyond basic file deletion commands, which only remove direct pointers to data disk sectors and make data...
a hard disk or digital storage device, completely removing the data and making it unrecoverable
Data recovery
Data recovery is the process of salvaging data from damaged, failed, corrupted, or inaccessible secondary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally. Often the data are being salvaged from storage media such as internal or external hard disk drives, solid-state drives , USB flash drive,...
. The software utilizes an overwrite method of destroying data rather than other means of data destruction (such as: degaussing
Degaussing
Degaussing is the process of decreasing or eliminating an unwanted magnetic field. It is named after Carl Friedrich Gauss, an early researcher in the field of magnetism...
, physical destruction).
Wiping standards
| Windows Version | DOS Version | Linux Edition | |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States Department of Defense 5220.22-M National Industrial Security Standard National Industrial Security Program The National Industrial Security Program, or NISP, is the nominal authority for managing the needs of private industry to access classified information.The NISP was established in 1993 by Executive Order 12829... |
Yes | Yes | Coming Soon |
| Germany BSI Verschlusssachen-IT-Richtlinien (VSITR) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bruce Schneier’s Algorithm | Yes | Yes | |
| Peter Gutmann’s Algorithm Gutmann method The Gutmann method is an algorithm for securely erasing the contents of computer hard drives, such as files. Devised by Peter Gutmann and Colin Plumb, it does so by writing a series of 35 patterns over the region to be erased.... |
Yes | Yes | |
| RCMP Royal Canadian Mounted Police The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,... DSX Method |
Yes | Yes | |
| Custom Method (zeroes, ones, random, number of passes) | Yes | Yes | |
International Data Destruction and Demand
Widespread need for secure data destruction meant that language-variants of the program needed to be developed to support demand. Coverage of the product in countries like Germany and Singapore lead to excessive downloading and general popularity. PC Magazine included Data Shredder as one of its must-have security tools. A large increase in electronic wasteElectronic waste
Electronic waste, e-waste, e-scrap, or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment describes discarded electrical or electronic devices. There is a lack of consensus as to whether the term should apply to resale, reuse, and refurbishing industries, or only to product that cannot be used for its...
due to high quanitites of old computers being thrown out as garbage in dumps and landfills made security of data stored on hard drives a bigger concern of the general public. Data destruction became a part of regular service offerings from the company as press coverage highlighted the step in the data recovery
Data recovery
Data recovery is the process of salvaging data from damaged, failed, corrupted, or inaccessible secondary storage media when it cannot be accessed normally. Often the data are being salvaged from storage media such as internal or external hard disk drives, solid-state drives , USB flash drive,...
process.