SSD security: the worst of all worlds

[Chiefcrowe]

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/storage/ssd-security-the-worst-of-all-worlds/1326

 

[blackangst1]

And the opposing view: http://news.techworld.com/security/3263093/ssd-fimware-destroys-digital-evidence-researchers-find/

 

[Chiefcrowe]

That link did not work for me.

 

[sourceninja]

So to sum up both articles

1) copy of write means you might not be deleting old data.
2) garbage collection means said data might be deleted in a unrecoverable way even during the investigation without any user interaction.

 

[ForumMaster]

It's ok. Where i work, be it standard HDD's or SDD's, the disk will be crushed. i don't think it's possible to retrieve data from that.

 

[RobertPters77]

Still possible but very very difficult. Maximum PC or PC world did an article years ago, where they crushed, burned, drowned, and milled hard drives. As long as certain bits stayed together some .txt files could be retrieved although incomplete.

 

[Bootleg Betty]

Funny thing is, this wouldn't be necessary if they used drive encryption.

 

[CFP]

Still possible but very very difficult. Maximum PC or PC world did an article years ago, where they crushed, burned, drowned, and milled hard drives. As long as certain bits stayed together some .txt files could be retrieved although incomplete.

PHEW that's good to know!!

 

[Tsavo]

I just run my EOL'd SSD's under a giant magnet.

There's no better way to erase these discs.

 

[sourceninja]

I just run my EOL'd SSD's under a giant magnet.

There's no better way to erase these discs.

LOL, what?

 

[smakme7757]

Thankfully the tools needed to recover partial data on an SSD is out of reach of the average joe. Maybe putting the file in question into a truecrypt container and then deleting the truecrypt container might be a solution?

 

[RU482]

I just run my EOL'd SSD's under a giant magnet.

There's no better way to erase these discs.

I hope you mean HDDs

 

[Modelworks]

The problem is with the manufacturers not the technology. All NAND chips have bulk erase commands. These commands set all values in the selected page of memory to zero. It takes seconds per chip for the command to complete. If manufacturers are not making these commands accessible to end users then that is where to start complaining.

If I wanted to really get the data off a SSD I wouldn't go through the controller, I would pull the chips one by one and dump the contents. With the right equipment I can pull a chip and dump it in minutes.

If you have an SSD and you want to be sure you destroy the contents and you do not have access to a bulk erase command the only option is to physically break each chip. Wrapping the SSD in plastic grocery bags and lighting on fire also works , plastic melts stays lit and the temps exceed the safe range for data retention.

Regular drives can be erased by overwriting just once or if you want to be sure, remove the drive cover , pour on equal parts vinegar and peroxide and let sit, it will dissolve the coating on the platters.

 

[Modelworks]

I just run my EOL'd SSD's under a giant magnet.

There's no better way to erase these discs.

You must work in a hospital or have access to magnets the size of those in an MRI machine, because that is what it would take to wipe NAND.

 

[blackangst1]

Originally Posted by Tsavo
I just run my EOL'd SSD's under a giant magnet.

There's no better way to erase these discs.

You must work in a hospital or have access to magnets the size of those in an MRI machine, because that is what it would take to wipe NAND.

Another option is one a buddy of mine used to use...he had a small company, maybe 15 employees, maybe a 50 drive storage array or so, plus individual PC's here and there. When he would replace HDD's he would take them to the auto wrecking yard and they would let him throw them (literally) on the giant magnets they use to move cars around with lol

 

[LiuKangBakinPie]

Damn this makes it harder to destroy the data when the cops bust down my door. Will C4 do a good job in wiping it?