[HacktionLab] wiping phones data

[mp]

On 11/18/23 16:55, Mick Fuzz wrote:
> Hi there,
> 
> Has anyone got any tips / links to deleting data securely.
> 
> Ideally using on linux / crossplatform tools? But open to others.
> 
> There's one article here that is almost useful!
> 
> https://www.wired.co.uk/article/securely-wipe-android-iphone-hard-disk
> 

Useful overview w/links:

https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/10464/why-is-writing-zeros-or-random-data-over-a-hard-drive-multiple-times-better-th

Specific "shred" man:

https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/securely-erasing-a-disk-and-file-using-linux-command-shred/

The a Wikipedia section to sum up:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_remanence

Overwriting

A common method used to counter data remanence is to overwrite the 
storage media with new data. This is often called wiping or shredding a 
file or disk, by analogy to common methods of destroying print media, 
although the mechanism bears no similarity to these. Because such a 
method can often be implemented in software alone, and may be able to 
selectively target only part of the media, it is a popular, low-cost 
option for some applications. Overwriting is generally an acceptable 
method of clearing, as long as the media is writable and not damaged.

The simplest overwrite technique writes the same data everywhere—often 
just a pattern of all zeros. At a minimum, this will prevent the data 
from being retrieved simply by reading from the media again using 
standard system functions.

In an attempt to counter more advanced data recovery techniques, 
specific overwrite patterns and multiple passes have often been 
prescribed. These may be generic patterns intended to eradicate any 
trace signatures, for example, the seven-pass pattern: 0xF6, 0x00, 0xFF, 
random, 0x00, 0xFF, random; sometimes erroneously attributed to the US 
standard DOD 5220.22-M.

One challenge with overwriting is that some areas of the disk may be 
inaccessible, due to media degradation or other errors. Software 
overwrite may also be problematic in high-security environments, which 
require stronger controls on data commingling than can be provided by 
the software in use. The use of advanced storage technologies may also 
make file-based overwrite ineffective (see the discussion below under 
Complications).

> 
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