Stay Away From These 5 Common Mistakes When Erasing Your SSDs for Data Protection

Ritu Roy | data wipe How to's Software Technology | 5 minutes read | Last updated on July 17th, 2023,

Due to its faster data processing and relatively lower cost per gigabyte, SSDs are becoming more common. Because of this, corporations and governmental organizations choose to keep sensitive information on flash media. Understanding how to properly wipe SSDs is crucial for safeguarding the private data kept on them. This blog will highlight certain errors that should never be made by organizations while wiping SSDs to preserve data.

In recent years, Solid State Drives (SSDs) have surpassed Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) in terms of low latency, superior bandwidth, higher I/O performance, increased system stability, and low failure rates, making them the industry standard for storage in both PCs and mobile devices. Because they don’t use mechanical moving parts and instead rely on flash memory, SSDs are speedier than conventional hard drives. Since the data can now be retrieved and processed more quickly, firms prefer to store data in this manner. Additionally, they are less prone to malfunction than HDDs because they lack wearable moving components. They are also energy-efficient and can save businesses a lot of money, especially in the case of huge data centres that utilise several of them.

Solid State Drives are widely used, thus organizations need to be aware of the dos and don’ts, especially when wiping SSDs to delete private data. Businesses frequently make errors while cleaning data-bearing SSDs, and these errors can lead to data leaks and breaches, which can have a negative financial and legal impact.

Here are five errors that you should avoid if you want to deal with SSD erasing successfully.

5 Common Errors When Erasing SSDs to Avoid:

When erasing SSDs (Solid State Drives), it’s important to follow the correct procedures to ensure data security and maintain the drive’s performance. Here are five common mistakes to avoid when erasing SSDs:

Using Traditional Data Wiping Methods:

Traditional data wiping methods, such as using software designed for hard disk drives (HDDs) or overwriting data multiple times, are not effective for securely erasing SSDs. SSDs employ wear-levelling and TRIM technologies, which make it difficult to completely overwrite data in the same way as HDDs. Instead, use specialized tools or built-in SSD secure erase commands.

Delete an SSD volume or partition:

Another error that is frequently committed is removing the SSD’s partition or volume in an attempt to remove the data it contains. However, there are multiple tools available for professionals that can quickly recover lost partitions, making this partition erasing approach very unreliable.

For instance, CubexSoft Data Recovery is one such application which helps in data recovery from deleted and missing partitions.

Implementing the Native Secure Erase Command:

Some SSDs have a built-in secure erase command that overwrites the entire SSD, but as there is no evidence of data destruction, it is difficult to determine whether the data is truly completely erased from the hidden sectors. Furthermore, just a few manufacturers offer this feature, and its scope is constrained. Furthermore, there is no way to confirm the data erasure with the native secure wipe command, which lacks transparency. On the other hand, a professional Data Wipe Tool offers thorough reporting by providing tamper-proof records of erasure that organizations can use to show complete erasure in conformity with international laws and regulations.

SSD Wiping with a Free Tool like Dban:

Using a free tool that does not ensure data eradication from SSD, such as DBAN (Darik’s Boot and Nuke), is a typical error individual’s make when attempting to wipe an SSD. DBAN is a disk-wiping tool made just for conventional drives, not SSDs. Since no evidence of data destruction is produced while using such services, you cannot be certain that data is securely erased.

Utilizing SSD Multiple Pass Overwrite:

SSDs have a limited number of write cycles, therefore repeatedly overwriting them with algorithms like DoD-3-pass or DoD-7-pass would shorten the lifespan of the storage medium and is not advised for wiping SSD devices. Both NIST Clear and NIST Purge are recognized methods for wiping SSDs in accordance with NIST SP 800-88 Rev 1, although on SSDs that allow encryption, cryptographic wipe may also be utilized. On gadgets holding less sensitive data, we advise using CE. In this post on selecting the optimal erasure method, we discuss the most effective erasure technique for each type of device.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Queries

1)What are the common mistakes companies make when erasing their SSDs?

Performing delete, format, factory reset for wiping SSDs, deleting the partition or volume on SSD, using the native Secure Erase command, utilising a free program like DBAN to wipe SSDs, and using multiple passes overwrite on SSD are the five most common errors that businesses make.

2) Can I format or delete data from an SSD?

Deleting or formatting an SSD may be quite ineffectual because these actions simply remove the indexes (points) to the data, not the actual data itself. Data can be recovered from a formatted SSD using a free DIY data recovery tool.

3)Can an SSD be successfully erased using the native secure erase command?

There is no way to confirm the data erasure with the native secure wipe command, which lacks transparency. Given that there is no evidence of data destruction, it is difficult to demonstrate if the data has been permanently deleted from all sectors. Therefore, erasing an SSD using a native secure erase command cannot be regarded as a successful procedure.

4) Can I use a free application like DBAN to wipe SSDs?

Data deletion from SSD is not guaranteed using DBAN (Darik’s Boot and Nuke). DBAN is a disk-wiping tool made just for conventional drives, not SSDs. Since no evidence of data destruction is produced while using such services, you cannot be certain that data is securely erased.

Wrapping Up

You may ensure secure and thorough eradication of all data from your SSDs by avoiding these 5 common errors made by businesses when erasing SSD discs. By following the recommendations, you can make sure that CubexSoft Data Wiping completely deletes your sensitive data and that you are in compliance with all applicable laws and data privacy rules.