Data Wiping Definition

Data wiping (or data erasure) is the process of permanently removing data on a digital storage device. Once deleted, that data becomes irretrievable. However, since data wiping doesn’t damage the hardware, you can reuse or repurpose it afterwards.

How Data Wiping Works

Data wiping makes the data on a storage drive completely unrecoverable, even with advanced forensic methods. You can do this with software that either overwrites all the data with pseudorandom strings or deletes the encryption key used to encode it. Either way, the data becomes completely inaccessible.

It’s different from formatting a drive or deleting files, because those methods only remove file pointers and not the data itself. Data wiping makes sure the original data leaves no trace in the cleared memory space, so it becomes impossible to recover.

Data Wiping vs Other Data Removal Methods

You might come across the terms “data clearing,” “data destruction,” or “data deletion” used synonymously with data wiping—but they’re not exactly the same.

• Data clearing and data deletion: Remove files from a drive without fully erasing the data. Deleted files are still recoverable until the system writes over their allotted memory space.
• Data destruction: Destroys the physical storage device with methods like shredding or degaussing. It makes both the data and the device unusable.
• Data wiping: Overwrites data you want to wipe with a meaningless pattern, making it completely unrecoverable—without damaging your device.

Common Data Wiping Methods

There are two standard data wiping methods: overwriting and cryptographic erasure.

Overwriting involves replacing all existing data on a drive with meaningless strings of bits. For most modern devices, you only need to overwrite the data once (single-pass overwriting). Historically, standards required multiple overwrites in a particular pattern so the original data left no physical trace (multi-pass overwriting), but this method is now obsolete.

Overwriting is quicker and simpler than cryptographic erasure for most storage devices. However, it can fail if the software can’t access all areas of the drive, including bad sectors and hidden areas. This is a common problem for SSDs (solid-state drives) and USB flash drives.

Cryptographic erasure makes encrypted data unrecoverable by securely deleting the encryption key. This method is very efficient, and it works on drives where simple overwriting might fail, but it’s only as reliable as the encryption method originally used to encode the data. If you used a strong standard, like 256-bit AES, to encrypt the data, then cryptographic erasure makes sure it’s virtually impossible to recover.

💡Pro tip: You can use a physical hardware-wiping device to permanently clear your hard drive. However, they’re mainly reserved for big companies or the government since they often connect to multiple drives to perform mass wiping. Software-based data wiping methods are more than enough for a regular user.

Benefits of Data Wiping

Data wiping is useful for individual users and corporations using a large number of devices, as it:

• Protects your data from security vulnerabilities: Wipes your device clean so hackers can’t dig up any deleted files—even from formatted drives.
• Makes devices safe to reuse and resell: Erases all personal information, giving your old tech a fresh start without exposing your details to a new owner.
• Lets you throw out old devices without risk: Stops anyone from recovering sensitive data from hard drives you don’t need anymore.

Read More:

• What Is Data Remanence?
• What Is a Factory Reset?

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