Erasing / Recovering Data

[grarpamp]

jdb:
> My understanding is that this software actually
> over-writes the data on the hard disk, rather than merely deleting
> references to it in the directory.   These days, with the hyper-high density
> of data employed, probably only a single re-write of data is necessary,
> although I was surprised when I heard that Bleachbit only did ONE re-write.
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BleachBit

Other than destruction, single pass is sufficient for
routine end user purposes between end users.
ie: hardware swapping, to wit (a) below.

Suggestions otherwise need to involve a device still
in common use and cite one of the following...

For boring end users...
a) the exact make model methodology of the test device
that magically regrew said erased bits on its own.
b) full business particulars including cost of the recovery
service that recovered said erased bits, including make
model of the test device.

For the more tricky situations...
c) survey of academic literature placing those academic
solutions within time/money/favors of LEA (potentially
operating under stingray type LEA secrecy contracts).
d) they were an enemy of the state subjected to top secret
recovery tools, time, and money that unavailable to LEA
(who are essentially constrained to operate under (b or c)
above).

Lists seem to love to circlejerk about this while failing
to provide whitepaper references and costs and threat
models effective against hardware currently in use.

When in doubt, encrypt by default and/or destroy.