When it comes to Mac apps, there are bargains, and then there are bargains. Here’s a must have bargain app which enhances security on your Mac and it’s absolutely free.
Think of this scenario. You have files on your Mac that you’d rather not be viewed by anyone. Not family, not friends, not co-workers, not the authorities.
So, you delete the offending files by putting them in the Mac’s Trash, and emptying the Trash. The files are gone, right? Wrong.
Deleting files merely turns off a flag in OS X. The data remains until your Mac needs to save a file over the same place on your storage. Anyone with the right utility can find and resurrect those files in minutes.
How can files be permanently erased?
Apple provides a simple way to securely delete files in the Trash. In the Finder, select the Finder menu, then select Secure Empty Trash.
Using that built-in method to delete files means the files are written over seven times. There’s a better and more secure erase method and it’s free.
Permanent Eraser is a free Mac app which implements the Gutmann Method of security, and overwrites the data you want deleted 35 times. Then, it scrambles the original file name. Then, it truncates the file size. And, then it unlinks the file from your Mac’s system.
And all it takes is a click.
So, if those files cluttering up your Mac would cause you embarrassment if they were stolen or made public, completely delete them with a higher grade of security.
Very naïve. What about document versioning introduced recently to OS X which autosaves Oh and your time machine’s faithful backups of said doc… And cached instances in… Er… Cache… Etc.
Dont kid your readers into a false sense of security.
The only real way is to keep documents on a separate drive which is excluded from time machine and from time to time copy the files logically – not block cloning, to a new drive before performing a secure delete on the whole original drive.
You’ll also have to make sure you secure wipe the OS drive from time to time to to make sure no copies exist in temp…
Oh and run the OS from an encrypted partition / user dir just to be safer.
Or maybe I’m being paranoid.
I love Permanent Eraser. Very easy to use and files are deleted about as perfectly as possible.
One thing to be aware of is that some files might be duplicated on Time Machine, so choose carefully.
Mac users who are concerned that their files may fall into the wrong hands or be seen by prying eyes DO NOT use Time Machine or apps with versioning.
I’ve used Permanent Erase for a few years, even on some of Apple’s more recent apps that use versioning. It’s rather easy to drag and drop ALL files which need to be erased.
We’re talking about an app that erases, right? Not one that stores files.