14 DAY TRIAL // Do you remember the stories about hackers looking into the dumpsters of big companies in order to find useful information about its security? Well, those are not just stories and hackers indeed have this "compulsion" of searching one's trash for info. A company with slim protection may jettison useful information to the garbage just because they no longer need it: security shifts complete with names, obsolete documents on different projects, personnel names and data, etc.
All this is considered history by both the owner as well as by the hacker. The difference is that a hacker knows that the more details could turn social engineering into a walk in the park. And they have a saying that goes something like this: "a man's trash is another man's gold". And that is perfectly true.
The same is available in the case of hard disks. All your file history is still present and the only way to clean it is to overwrite all the data at least a few times. If you care for your privacy, when selling your hard disk or USB storage device, make sure that all the files have been properly overwritten. You never know what hands your information may fall into. There are several methods to accomplish the necessary peace of mind.
You can download all sorts of files and move them all over the hard disk in order to cover the entire space, or you can grab a dedicated solution for the matter. WipeData from Cryptomax is a little tool up to the job at hand and its price is a mere $14.95. The trial version's only limitation is the restriction to advanced wipe techniques.
The interface, just like in other Cryptomax products (Cryptomax and CleanUSB) is a wizard guiding you through all the steps of the file-overwriting task. Just before proceeding to the first step of the operation there is a warning saying that "you will not be able to restore any of the wiped data". If that is what you are going for, move a step forward.
WipeData features two wipe methods, the normal one is available in trial version and consists in a simple 1-time rewrite of the file with zero and then delete it. Using this method you will only scratch the surface of the disk and a more inquisitive data recovery software will discover it immediately. But, performed several times this method will bring satisfactory results.
The second wipe method is a bit more elaborated as it consists of three steps. First the files are rewritten with 1 and zero for a number of times (user defined value, but not higher than nine), then the files are once again rewritten with user defined character number and only then are the files finally deleted.
Obviously rewriting the data several times with 1 and zero and then again with a user defined number will bury them even deeper on your hard disk and make them harder to recognize.
WipeData permits wiping of a single file or of an entire folder as well. Adding a directory containing other folders inside is supported by the application and if you choose "Add a folder and include subfolders option" you can be sure that everything there is inside that directory will be overwritten and then deleted.
The time to delete the data depends primarily on the number of rewrites that have to be performed and the total size of the files. But in the end the files will be deleted beyond recuperation with data recovery software.
During our first test the application successfully deleted the data beyond restoration, but the data recovery softwares employed still managed to reveal the names of the files. However, none of them could be saved. But the developer fixed this bug and now all the files will show size zero in most data recovery tools and the names of your files will be renamed as well. Only the path to the files is still showing.
After adding all the files and folders you need to safely get rid of, WipeData will present the confirmation dialog prompting you to OK the number of files and folders sentenced to oblivion. Note that if you choose a partition as a folder, it will be considered as an entire directory containing folders and the files in the root will not count as they as well will be considered as contained by the parent directory.
A final confirmation is necessary for the application to get going. Once started, the file and folder wiping process can be stopped by simply pressing the Cancel button in the lower right hand corner of the screen or by using the Esc key.
The process of wiping your data is easy and does not require any knowledge. The wizard will practically walk you through all the steps and all you have to do is provide the necessary information. At the end of the operation a dialog will alert you on the success of the business.
The Good
The wizard makes it incredibly easy to handle the entire application. The user makes the minimum effort while the application completes the job.
The advanced method of wiping allows setting the number of times the files should be rewritten and the files are stripped of the original names and renamed. They will also show a size zero.
The Bad
There's little left to take on as it seems that the developer left me no choice but to pick on the price. If you are used to working with nothing but freeware then indeed the price is spicy. But the software does a great job, though.
The Truth
WipeData is inexpensive, does a great job and is very easy to handle. I would say that it does great for version 1.0.1. Give it a try and see for yourselves as the normal wipe method does a great job as well. And if you buy it you have 60 days money back guarantee.
Here are some snapshots of the application in action:
