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ckohler · Aug 11, 2003, 05:09 PM

First up, how does writing over a file more than once make it any more difficult to recover? I assumed that once you wrote over a file once the bits underneath would be scambled enough.

Second, why are the options: once, 7 and 35 times? I mean, what kind of logic comes up with those awkward numbers?

By the way, I'm not complaining here. I'm looking forward to this feature. It just seems totally bizarre to me.

Art Vandelay · Aug 11, 2003, 05:19 PM

Supposedly, with only a single pass or a few passes, there could still be a magnetic residue of the previous data on the surface of the drive. Theoretically, someone, such as the FBI, could still recover the data from the drive.
As for why the increments used in the number of passes are the way they are, I don't know.

Angus_D · Aug 11, 2003, 05:40 PM

I think 35 is what the government requires.

ambush · Aug 11, 2003, 05:42 PM

They're just standards.

Richard Edgar · Aug 11, 2003, 05:55 PM

By the time you're getting that paranoid, I think that you want a metal shredder.

carnagex2000 · Aug 11, 2003, 07:21 PM

If your that parinoid thats when you buy a used PC and run Knoppix Linux.

http://www.knoppix.org/

Moonray · Aug 11, 2003, 07:41 PM

I hear they might add another option to overwrite a file 105 times, but that isn't confirmed yet.

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mark9939 · Aug 11, 2003, 08:03 PM

I would imagine that this could be a pref easily hacked by a company like Unsanity.

Maybe we'll see a little app from them later this year, (if enough people request it).

7Macfreak · Aug 12, 2003, 04:07 AM

i tried the 35 pass once, and it took forever. or maybe it was a bug. hmmm should try it again.

Developer · Aug 12, 2003, 04:33 AM

What I have been wondering - please answer this question if you can - is, with FileVault why do you need secure delete at all? Even if somebody would 'undelete' a file that has been simply deleted, it would be useless since the contents is encrypted.

Angus_D · Aug 12, 2003, 07:22 AM

Originally posted by 7Macfreak:
i tried the 35 pass once, and it took forever. or maybe it was a bug. hmmm should try it again.

Of course it took forever. It overwrote it 35 times. What do you expect?

absmiths · Aug 12, 2003, 04:23 PM

Originally posted by Angus_D:
Of course it took forever. It overwrote it 35 times. What do you expect?

It depends on how big the file is. Overwriting a 100k file 35 times should not be noticeable (or at most barely).

absmiths · Aug 12, 2003, 04:25 PM

Originally posted by Developer:
What I have been wondering - please answer this question if you can - is, with FileVault why do you need secure delete at all? Even if somebody would 'undelete' a file that has been simply deleted, it would be useless since the contents is encrypted.

Because anyone logged into your account could still access it. If you have a shared machine with one account (auto-login), or had a compromised account then file-vault doesn't help if someone has access to the machine (since the contents would be magically decrypted on demand).

absmiths · Aug 12, 2003, 04:28 PM

Originally posted by Art Vandelay:
Theoretically, someone, such as the FBI, could still recover the data from the drive.

More than likely it would be the NSA doing this sort of work.

Zimphire · Aug 12, 2003, 04:31 PM

BTW in 7B28 the options are gone.

Just "Empty Trash" and "Secure Empty Trash" options are there.

No more 4, 32, etc.

voodoo · Aug 12, 2003, 07:36 PM

WHAT!

I want my 35 passes!!!!!