![]() ![]() This is easily done using the secure erase option in Disk Utility – click on the Security Options button.ĭisk Utility offers three different levels of secure erase, above the Fastest setting which doesn’t overwrite free space at all. What you therefore need to do is overwrite all the free space remaining after the reformat. The reason that simple reformatting doesn’t do a good enough job is that the free space contains all your old files, and disk recovery utilities are designed to reassemble the contents of that free space into recovered files. In all other circumstances, you should take active steps to ensure that your data can’t readily be recovered from the storage. That is probably sufficient if your Mac is going to a close friend or relative who isn’t going to sell it (or have it stolen) in just a few days, and the private data are in category 4. If you just reformat the hard disk, this makes it relatively easy for a third party to recover all or most of your sensitive data using a cheap and readily-available tool. The next question is what type of medium they are stored on: a traditional rotating hard disk, an SSD, or both in a Fusion Drive? Here I’m going to concentrate on the latter two, as those are the ones for which you make all the decisions. However, we’re prone to pretend that it really isn’t that important, until something goes wrong. The first two may seem irrelevant to almost everyone, but a lot of business information falls into the second category. Again, you need to satisfy yourself that it is destroyed. This should, for example, include all your keychains and any other account information. All other private data which you don’t want others to see.You need to be confident that these are completely destroyed, but can choose how to do that yourself. Private files which would potentially have serious consequences to you and others, but are not covered by data protection legislation. ![]() This may well involve physical destruction, and you will need appropriate certificates to demonstrate that whatever you have done is within those legal requirements. Here you must follow best practice as laid down by your national data protection authority. Any legally-protected information, covered by national data protection law.In most cases, the storage or computer must be returned to security experts, who will almost certainly send it for secure destruction. Don’t go it alone, but get proper security advice. If you ever handle any of these, you will be subject to national legal requirements and must follow those. Files which have national security content.Governments and large organisations use security classification systems, and you should think in similar terms: If it’s going for recycling, the issue is quite different: I will consider that in a future article here.īefore you even think about how to clean these files up, you must know what they contain, and what risk they would pose if someone else were to be able to view them. The most common reason for wanting to clean up sensitive files on internal or external storage is when you’re going to sell or give your Mac (or drive) away. ![]()
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