nsaguild.blogg.se - Secure erase command

#Secure erase command code
#Secure erase command password

To explicitly disable HPA and DCO, use hdparm -N and hdparm -dco-restore: # hdparm -N /dev/sdx Think of it as the modern-day "low-level format" command. Including HPA, DCO, spare sectors, all drive firmware settings, etc. However, the idea is that the SECURITY ERASE command (which is handled totally by the drive firmware itself, not Linux) is supposed to erase everything possible inside the drive. I asked hdparm's creator, Mark Lord, whether ATA SECURITY ERASE wipes hidden data areas like the host protected area (HPA) and device configuration overlay (DCO) by default: The answer is manufacturer-specific, and only manufacturers know the exact details. Issuing SECURITY_DISABLE command, password="p", user=user Issuing SECURITY_UNLOCK command, password="p", user=userĪnd disable security: # hdparm -user-master u -security-disable p /dev/sdx security_password="p" Let's unlock it: # hdparm -user-master u -security-unlock p /dev/sdx security_password="p" This can be caused by the 2 hour timeout in versions prior to 9.31, for example. However, note that in such a case, Secure Erase likely did not complete successfully, leaving the drive only partially wiped. If not, you will need to disable it manually. Upon completion of step 3, security should automatically switch back to disabled. If drive is locked, unlock & disable security ***NOTE: the enhanced secure erase option is not supported by all ATA drives.

Enhanced secure erase writes predetermined data patterns (set by the manufacturer) to all user data areas, including sectors that are no longer in use due to reallocation. The difference, according to the HDDerase.exe FAQ: Secure erase overwrites all user data areas with binary zeroes.

If your drive supports enhanced erase, you may want to substitute security-erase-enhanced for security-erase. Issuing SECURITY_ERASE command, password="p", user=user Erase drive # hdparm -user-master u -security-erase p /dev/sdx security_password="p" Issuing SECURITY_SET_PASS command, password="p", user=user, mode=high

#Secure erase command password

Set password (req'd for using SE) # hdparm -user-master u -security-set-pass p /dev/sdx security_password="p" If drive is frozen, unfreeze # hdparm -I /dev/sdx.

Follow with block erase wiping tool ( DBAN, etc)ĭirections 1.

Note that all commands below are issued as root (hence the # prompt).

Do not have any other drives connected other than the one(s) you want to wipe.

Connect drive directly to PATA/SATA interface do not use USB, Firewire, etc.

#Secure erase command code

If you must use a version prior to 9.31, you'll want to increase the timeout by changing const int timeout_2hrs = (2 * 60 * 60) in the source code to something like const int timeout_6hrs = (6 * 60 * 60) and recompiling, as explained by KnifeWrench.

Boot from RIP Linux † or any distro which includes hdparm 9.31 or greater (prior versions would timeout after 2 hours, leaving the disk only partially erased).

block erase wiping tools like DBAN) is often cited, the difference is negligible.

Overwrites blocks marked as bad by the hard drive (which DBAN and similar tools ignore).

hdparm/ Linux offers much better hardware support than HDDErase/ MS-DOS.

Reportedly restores peak performance to SSD drives (though SE fails to securely wipe some SSDs).

Can securely wipe most PATA/SATA hard drives manufactured this century.

It completes in about 1/8 the time of 5220 block erasure." The guidelines also state that "degaussing and executing the firmware Secure Erase command (for ATA drives only) are acceptable methods for purging." Benefits Is a drive command defined in the ANSI ATA and SCSI disk drive interface specifications, which runs inside drive hardware.

Beware - When SECURE ERASE doesn't erase at allĪccording to National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-88: Guidelines for Media Sanitization, Secure Erase is "An overwrite technology using firmware based process to overwrite a hard drive.

Moreover, as the hdparm manpage explains, "these switches are DANGEROUS to experiment with, and might not work with every kernel.

The instructions below will irretrievably destroy data.

See also ATA Sanitize Device and hdparm, NVMe Secure Erase, and NVMe Sanitize in this series. ATA Secure Erase (SE) and hdparm / docs / ATA Secure Erase (SE) and hdparm