Erase Method

Overwrite erase method(HDD、SSD、eMMC)
Secure erase method(HDD、SSD、eMMC)
Sanitized erase method(HHD、SSD)
Models with HDD and SSD

Overwrite erase method(HDD、SSD、eMMC)

Erase method Iteration Written/Verify pattern Disk Shredder 7
Standard Super Light
Random numbers 1 time 1 random numbers 1 time
Random numbers 2-5 times 2~5 random numbers 2-5 times ×
random numbers 6-9 times 6~9 random numbers 6-9 times × ×
NSA recommendation 3 random numbers 2 times → zero ×
US Army compliant
(AR380-19)
3 random numbers → fixed value 1 → fixed value 2 × ×
US Navy compliant
(NAVSO P-5239-26)
3 fixed value 1 → … → fixed value 3 → verify × ×
US Air Force compliant
(AFSSI5020, AFI33-202)
7 fixed value 1 → … → fixed value 7 → verify × ×
US Department of Defense complaint
(DoD5220.22-M)
3 fixed value 1 → fixed value 2 → random numbers → verify ×
US Department of Defense complaint
(DoD5220.22-M ECE)
7 fixed value 1 → fixed value 2 → random numbers 2 times → fixed value 1 → fixed value 2 → random numbers → verify × ×
NCSCcomplaint
(NCSC-TG-025)
3 fixed value 1 → … → fixed value 3 × ×
NCSC compliant 2 times
(NCSC-TG-025)
6 fixed value 1 → … → fixed value 6 × ×
Gutmann recommendation 35 random numbers 4 times →fixed value 1 → … → fixed value 27 → random numbers 4 times × ×
Zero write method
+verify
1 zero → verify ×
  • For models with HDD, "Disk Shredder 7 Standard" can be selected from NSA recommendation, US Department of Defense complaint (DoD5220.22-M), Zero write method+verify, Random numbers 1-5 times, and "Disk Shredder 7 Super" can be selected from all above erasure methods at runtime. Specify at runtime.
  • "Disk Shredder 7 Lite" is fixed to one erase method for models equipped with HDD. The standard erase method is "Random numbers 1 time"; other erase methods can be selected if you order 10 or more in a batch.(See "Erasure Method Change Service" for details.)
  • "Erasure verify" is the process of checking whether a value has been written correctly after a write operation.
  • NSA : The National Security Agency
  • NCSC: The National Computer Security Center
  • "Gutmann recommendation" is an erasure method proposed by Gutmann in his paper published in 1996, which analyzes data encoding methods (formatting methods) on magnetic media such as RLL (Run Length Limited) and MFM (Modified FM), Theoretically, the overwritten data that leaves the fewest traces of data is calculated.
  • "Zero write method+verify" is an erasure method described in SP800-88 Rev. 1, published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2014. It complies with the "Clear" level erasure method, which is resistant to attacks using commonly available tools.

Secure erase method(HDD、SSD、eMMC)

Erase method Written/Verify pattern Disk Shredder 7
Standard Super Light
Secure Erase
+verify
Secure erase command for target disk
→verify
  • Secure erase is an erase function provided by disks (HDD, SSD, eMMC). By sending a Secure Erase command to a disk, the erasure process is executed only by the disk's internal processes, completely erasing data. Disk Shredder 7 sends the Enhanced Security Erase Unit (or Security Erase Unit if not supported) command to disks with Serial ATA or IDE connections, the Format NVM command to NVMe-connected SSDs, and the eMMC Secure Erase command.
  • For models with SSD and eMMC, "Secure Erase + verify" is automatically selected. If you wish to select another erase method, please specify it at the time of execution.
  • Although it is possible to perform overwrite erasure on SSD and eMMC, "Disk Shredder 7" recommends erasure by secure erasure.
  • Secure erase is also available for some HDDs. However, secure erasure of HDDs takes a long time, during which time the progress is not displayed and cannot be aborted. Furthermore, please note that turning off the power to the computer during secure erase may make the HDD inaccessible. For these reasons, please use overwrite erase instead of secure erase for HDDs if there is no particular need to do so.

Sanitized erase method(HDD、SSD)

Erase method Written/Verify pattern Disk Shredder 7
Standard Super Light
Sanitized erase
+verify
Sanitize command for the target disk
→verify
×
  • "Sanitized Erase+verify" can be selected for some disks equipped with the sanitize function. By sending a command to the disk to perform sanitized erasure, the erasure process is executed only by the disk's internal processes, completely erasing the data. The level of unrecoverability of the original data is even higher than Secure Erase, and corresponds to the "Purge" level, which is higher than "Clear" in NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1.
  • For models equipped with SSD, "Secure Erase + verify" is automatically selected. If you choose "Sanitized Erase + verify", please specify it at runtime.
  • Sanitized Erase is also possible for some HDDs. However, sanitizing and erasing HDDs takes a long time, during which time the progress is not displayed and cannot be aborted. Furthermore, please note that turning off the power to the computer during sanitization and erasure may result in the HDD becoming inaccessible. For these reasons, please use overwrite erase instead of sanitize erase when there is no particular need for HDD.

Models with HDD and SSD

Erase method Written/Verify pattern Disk Shredder 7
Standard Super Light
HDD: random numbers
SSD: Secure Erase+verify
random numbers 1 time
Sanitize command for the target disk →verify
  • For models with HDDs and SSDs, "Random numbers (one-time write)" is selected as standard for HDDs, while "Secure Erase+verify" is selected as standard for SSDs to erase data simultaneously.
  • If you want to execute different erase methods for HDDs and SSDs with "Disk Shredder 7 Standard" and "Disk Shredder 7 Super", please select the target disk to be erased on the confirmation screen for the target disk and specify the erase method you want to execute.
  • Since the erase method is automatically selected by "Disk Shredder 7 Lite", the screen for selecting an erase method is not displayed. If you want to specify a different erase method from the automatically selected one, you can click "Erase Method" on the screen for estimating erase time to select it again.