After you’ve finished with that incriminating file (you know which file we’re talking about), you will drag and drop it into the Recycling Bin. You may think that just because you selected “Empty Recycling Bin” that the evidence is gone forever, but that’s not exactly how the Recycling Bin works. You will need a more permanent solution to completely cover your tracks.
The problem with just deleting something is that fragments of the file will still be on your hard drive and the data can theoretically be revived. Now granted, a PC amatuer won’t be able to access your forgotten file, but if a professional with the right tools were to have a go at your hard drive, they would be able to recover pertinent information about your scandal.
This is why you will see Crime Scene Investigators carting off PCs and laptops. Lets say the computer has been shot up from a violent crime, a CSI agent will still be able retrieve information from the drive, even if it’s been deleted. Technicians can retrieve deleted data through a complicated and long process called Clean Room Data Recovery. This is a service where the hard drive is removed and disassembled in a sanitary room free from the slightest contaminant. To protect the data, technicians will wear sanitary suits that cover their entire bodies; this explains why this process is so expensive.
Technically, a business can make use of a Clean Room Data Recovery service to retrieve data off their hard drive in the event of a disaster, including deleted files, but it’s much easier and more affordable to implement a reliable cloud-based solution like Think Tank NTG’s Backup and Disaster Recovery.
While it’s difficult-yet-possible to retrieve deleted data off your hard drive, it’s easy to completely wipe your data by using a free application called SDelete: A tool that allows you to delete one or more files and/or directories, or to cleanse the free space on a logical disk. Just be careful when using SDelete and be sure to get your network administrator involved before installing it, because once you delete data with SDelete there are no take backs, unless you have the file backed up with a solution like BDR.
Covering your tracks isn’t the only use for a data wipe solution like SDelete. You can also use it to improve the performance of your machine by cleaning out unnecessary sectors, and use it to make sure that threats like viruses and malware are fully removed from your system. Of course, if you want to be 100% positive that every shred of evidence is wiped off your system, then you will want to give Think Tank NTG a call at 800-501-DATA. We have the technical skills to make unwanted data disappear for good, and we know how to keep secrets. *wink.