{"video_id":"3OiJ8h28-wI","title":"Hide Your Secrets FOREVER! - Erasing Data Securely","channel":"Techquickie","show":"Techquickie","published_at":"2019-05-06T14:58:16Z","duration_s":273,"segments":[{"start_s":0.08,"end_s":6.4,"text":"all right let's be honest at some point you've had data stored somewhere that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":4.4,"end_s":10.88,"text":"you wanted to get rid of without a trace whether it's embarrassing browser","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":7.839,"end_s":12.88,"text":"history photos of an ex or that really","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":10.88,"end_s":16.88,"text":"questionable piece of fanfic you wrote one lonely night","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":14.88,"end_s":20.64,"text":"i still think it's good of course there are methods that are fairly foolproof","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":18.88,"end_s":24.88,"text":"such as subjecting your drive to a fireplace chainsaw or sledgehammer but","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":23.119,"end_s":28.56,"text":"let's say you don't want to go to such extremes and you just want to wipe your","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":26.72,"end_s":33.04,"text":"drive without there being any realistic chance of that data being recovered","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":30.4,"end_s":37.04,"text":"later how would you go about doing this the answer depends on whether you have a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":34.8,"end_s":41.84,"text":"traditional mechanical hard drive or one of those newfangled ssds we'll start out","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":39.76,"end_s":47.12,"text":"talking about hard drives and why simply hitting delete or emptying the recycle","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":44.079,"end_s":49.76,"text":"bin doesn't securely erase your data","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":47.12,"end_s":53.44,"text":"as we discussed in this episode deleting a file in Windows forces the operating","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":51.84,"end_s":58.0,"text":"system to see the part of the drive it took up as free space that's available","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":56.079,"end_s":62.399,"text":"for something else now but the contents of the file are still there and can be","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":60.399,"end_s":66.88,"text":"easily recovered so the conventional wisdom to solve this dilemma is to","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":64.32,"end_s":70.0,"text":"overwrite the file with random ones and zeros","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":68.0,"end_s":74.479,"text":"this can easily be done on a per file basis or by wiping the entire drive with","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":72.64,"end_s":79.28,"text":"a number of freely available software tools but if you look closer these","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":77.04,"end_s":85.439,"text":"programs often give you lots of options for overriding your drive many times you","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":81.439,"end_s":88.24,"text":"can choose between 1 3 7 or even 35","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":85.439,"end_s":91.439,"text":"passes of zeros ones or a random mix of data that may or may not follow a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":89.92,"end_s":96.159,"text":"certain pattern at all but if you're erasing lots of data this could take a","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":93.52,"end_s":100.96,"text":"very long time on a slow mechanical hard drive so is it really necessary to scrub","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":98.4,"end_s":104.4,"text":"your platters over and over again well the answer is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":102.24,"end_s":108.799,"text":"probably not you see the notion that you have to override a drive tons of times","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":107.04,"end_s":112.96,"text":"comes partially from the idea that read write heads on older drives wouldn't","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":110.88,"end_s":116.799,"text":"perfectly flip bits from one to zero when they needed to be changed","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":114.399,"end_s":122.479,"text":"so a bit read as a one by the computer might be something more like","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":119.32,"end_s":124.64,"text":"1.03 so in theory you could use these","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":122.479,"end_s":128.879,"text":"imperfectly flipped bits combined with the magnetic signature left by the read","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":126.88,"end_s":134.239,"text":"write head on the platter to determine what data used to be on it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":131.2,"end_s":135.84,"text":"hmm that sounds complicated well turns","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":134.239,"end_s":139.92,"text":"out that it is and we don't know that anyone's ever actually recovered data","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":137.599,"end_s":144.72,"text":"from a disk this way in fact the author of a famous paper that promoted the 35","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":142.4,"end_s":149.36,"text":"pass method later noted that overriding that many times on a modern hard drive","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":146.879,"end_s":154.08,"text":"was complete overkill and even used the word voodoo to describe people's belief","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":151.92,"end_s":158.879,"text":"that his own method was the only way to securely wipe data so the bottom line is","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":156.56,"end_s":162.72,"text":"that one good complete passive your drive with an overriding program or","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":160.56,"end_s":168.0,"text":"maybe two if you're feeling paranoid should be enough to thwart any snoops","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":165.44,"end_s":172.08,"text":"but what if you have an SSD well ssds work quite differently in that","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":170.0,"end_s":176.48,"text":"when you delete a file a feature called trim built into most modern drives will","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":174.56,"end_s":179.76,"text":"wipe the unwanted data in an effort to prevent it from being copied","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":177.84,"end_s":183.92,"text":"unnecessarily and if you're curious about why that would happen we discuss","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":181.36,"end_s":188.56,"text":"it in this episode but the point is that a modern SSD should delete a file for","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":186.239,"end_s":193.04,"text":"good on its own although you can always run the trim command manually like this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":190.879,"end_s":196.72,"text":"if you're using Windows so if you're following these simple steps there","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":194.64,"end_s":201.04,"text":"really isn't much a snoop or even some spy agency can do to see what was once","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":199.04,"end_s":205.2,"text":"on your drive but of course do keep in mind that you have to know where the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":202.64,"end_s":209.12,"text":"data is if you want to spot delete it many programs like web browsers write","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":207.2,"end_s":213.76,"text":"sensitive data to places on your drive you may not expect so if i were you i'd","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":211.76,"end_s":218.0,"text":"just wipe the entire drive and do a fresh os install before selling or","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":215.76,"end_s":222.08,"text":"giving away your pc you never know whose hands it might end up in even i did i","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":220.239,"end_s":226.08,"text":"wouldn't get caught do you have an extra five minutes per day then use brilliance","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":224.239,"end_s":230.08,"text":"daily problems to help you train your brain each problem provides you with the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":228.239,"end_s":234.08,"text":"context and framework that you need to tackle it so that you learn the concepts","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":232.08,"end_s":237.599,"text":"by applying them if you like the daily problem then there's more like it in the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":235.76,"end_s":241.28,"text":"quiz on the left so that you can explore the concept in great detail and develop","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":239.599,"end_s":245.04,"text":"your framework if you're confused and need more guidance then join the","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":242.959,"end_s":248.959,"text":"community in discussing these problems these thought-provoking challenges will","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":246.72,"end_s":252.64,"text":"lead you from curiosity to mastery one day at a time so what are you waiting","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":250.56,"end_s":256.799,"text":"for go to brilliant.org techwiki and finish your day a little","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":254.879,"end_s":260.799,"text":"smarter and the first 200 of you to do so will get 20 off the annual","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":258.72,"end_s":264.24,"text":"subscription to view all problems in the archives alright that's it for this","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":262.72,"end_s":267.6,"text":"episode guys thanks for watching subscribe to techwiki for more content","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":266.0,"end_s":271.6,"text":"just like this leave suggestions in the comments for future videos and check out","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0},{"start_s":269.84,"end_s":274.4,"text":"all of our other content because we got lots of it","speaker":null,"is_sponsor":0}],"full_text":"all right let's be honest at some point you've had data stored somewhere that you wanted to get rid of without a trace whether it's embarrassing browser history photos of an ex or that really questionable piece of fanfic you wrote one lonely night i still think it's good of course there are methods that are fairly foolproof such as subjecting your drive to a fireplace chainsaw or sledgehammer but let's say you don't want to go to such extremes and you just want to wipe your drive without there being any realistic chance of that data being recovered later how would you go about doing this the answer depends on whether you have a traditional mechanical hard drive or one of those newfangled ssds we'll start out talking about hard drives and why simply hitting delete or emptying the recycle bin doesn't securely erase your data as we discussed in this episode deleting a file in Windows forces the operating system to see the part of the drive it took up as free space that's available for something else now but the contents of the file are still there and can be easily recovered so the conventional wisdom to solve this dilemma is to overwrite the file with random ones and zeros this can easily be done on a per file basis or by wiping the entire drive with a number of freely available software tools but if you look closer these programs often give you lots of options for overriding your drive many times you can choose between 1 3 7 or even 35 passes of zeros ones or a random mix of data that may or may not follow a certain pattern at all but if you're erasing lots of data this could take a very long time on a slow mechanical hard drive so is it really necessary to scrub your platters over and over again well the answer is probably not you see the notion that you have to override a drive tons of times comes partially from the idea that read write heads on older drives wouldn't perfectly flip bits from one to zero when they needed to be changed so a bit read as a one by the computer might be something more like 1.03 so in theory you could use these imperfectly flipped bits combined with the magnetic signature left by the read write head on the platter to determine what data used to be on it hmm that sounds complicated well turns out that it is and we don't know that anyone's ever actually recovered data from a disk this way in fact the author of a famous paper that promoted the 35 pass method later noted that overriding that many times on a modern hard drive was complete overkill and even used the word voodoo to describe people's belief that his own method was the only way to securely wipe data so the bottom line is that one good complete passive your drive with an overriding program or maybe two if you're feeling paranoid should be enough to thwart any snoops but what if you have an SSD well ssds work quite differently in that when you delete a file a feature called trim built into most modern drives will wipe the unwanted data in an effort to prevent it from being copied unnecessarily and if you're curious about why that would happen we discuss it in this episode but the point is that a modern SSD should delete a file for good on its own although you can always run the trim command manually like this if you're using Windows so if you're following these simple steps there really isn't much a snoop or even some spy agency can do to see what was once on your drive but of course do keep in mind that you have to know where the data is if you want to spot delete it many programs like web browsers write sensitive data to places on your drive you may not expect so if i were you i'd just wipe the entire drive and do a fresh os install before selling or giving away your pc you never know whose hands it might end up in even i did i wouldn't get caught do you have an extra five minutes per day then use brilliance daily problems to help you train your brain each problem provides you with the context and framework that you need to tackle it so that you learn the concepts by applying them if you like the daily problem then there's more like it in the quiz on the left so that you can explore the concept in great detail and develop your framework if you're confused and need more guidance then join the community in discussing these problems these thought-provoking challenges will lead you from curiosity to mastery one day at a time so what are you waiting for go to brilliant.org techwiki and finish your day a little smarter and the first 200 of you to do so will get 20 off the annual subscription to view all problems in the archives alright that's it for this episode guys thanks for watching subscribe to techwiki for more content just like this leave suggestions in the comments for future videos and check out all of our other content because we got lots of it"}