Summary: To safely remove data from hard drive and SSD storages in laptop, desktop, and Mac devices before selling, donating, reallocating, or disposing of them, organizations must securely wipe this asset using professional data wiping tool like BitRaser. This article explains how to effectively perform secure data erasure on HDD and SSD using BitRaser Drive Eraser software, staying compliant with data privacy laws and regulations.
Hard drives and SSDs are data storage mediums used across industries, known for their storage and performance capability, respectively. The range of these devices is broad, including everything from portable USB drives to a high-tech PCIe SSD. When these storage devices change hands or become obsolete, the data they contain must be disposed of properly. Generally, organizations use HDD and SSD to store data that comprises classified and unclassified information used for business purposes. This information contains business-critical data, trade secrets, intellectual property, investor information, or PII of employees and partners. Traditionally, deletion and formatting methods were used when drives were reallocated or reused. However, these are highly insecure methods as a professional data recovery tool that is freely available can recover data even after formatting.
Moreover, if the drive is put to rest using physical destruction methods like shredding, degaussing, or incineration, then it may not be fully secure. SSDs cannot be degaussed. Further, the physical destruction of a drive generates significant carbon emissions and e-waste.
IT Asset Managers, ISSMs, and Compliance Officers adhere to secure data disposal protocols. Additionally, they are required to be aligned with the company's ESG goals. It implies that, during the process of erasing data from hard drives and SSDs, they are obligated to use secure data erasure tools. These tools not only facilitate compliance with laws and regulations but also contribute to achieving the organization's sustainability objectives by promoting the reuse and repurposing of storage media.
The purpose of a hard drive eraser tool like BitRaser is to help organizations maintain data security by efficiently erasing data, complying with regulations, and responsibly managing the end-of-life cycle of their storage device. Let's understand the process of wiping HDD and SDDs using BitRaser Drive Eraser.
Erase Data Securely from HDD and SDD Using BitRaser
BitRaser Drive Eraser is a single solution for wiping data from all kinds of drives - HDD, SSD, and hybrid drives. The tool uses more than 24 international algorithms like NIST 800-88 and US DoD 5220.22-M that ensure data is overwritten and cannot be retrieved by any method. Through its intuitive interface, the software streamlines the data sanitization process and simplifies the documentation of erasure reports for audit trails. These detailed reports are much needed to meet regulatory compliances such as CCPA, GLBA, and HIPAA. The reports can be stored on the BitRaser cloud server for centralized access anytime, anywhere.
BitRaser supports all make and models of HDD, including Seagate BarraCuda Pro (2TB), Western Digital Blue 4TB PC Hard Drive, Toshiba X300, Seagate FireCuda SSHD 2.5" 2TB, Western Digital Black 2TB, Toshiba N300, Seagate Exos X16 (14TB) and many more.
It also supports all the popular SSDs. Some of them are mentioned below:
- Samsung SSD 860 EVO 2.5" SATA III 500GB
- Western Digital Blue 3D NAND SATA SSD - 500GB
- SanDisk Ultra 3D SSD - 500GB
- Samsung SSD 850 EVO 2.5" SATA III 500GB
- Crucial MX500 500GB SATA 2.5" Internal SSD and several others
How to Erase HDD & SSD using BitRaser Drive Eraser?
BitRaser Drive Eraser is an easy-to-deploy software and can be used for onsite data wiping, off-site or remotely. You need to ensure that the following system requirements are met before you begin with the drive-wiping process.
System Requirements:
- Drive/s to Wipe
- Processor: x86 or x64
- RAM: Minimum 1 GB (4 GB recommended)
- USB Drive: Minimum 2 GB for creating a bootable USB (USB 3.0 recommended)
- USB Port: 2.0/3.0
- Internet: Wi-Fi or Ethernet (BitRaser Cloud Variant)
Not required for BitRaser Offline Variant
Drive Wiping Process Overview:
For ease of understanding, we have given simple stages. You can refer to detailed guides to understand the complete process while deploying the software-based BitRaser variants. The most popular variant today is the Drive Eraser Cloud variant, which requires an internet connection. Below are the steps for the same.
Stage 1: Download BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO File
- Log into your BitRaser Cloud Account using credentials received post-purchase.
- Download the BitRaser software ISO file.
Stage 2: Create a BitRaser Bootable USB
- Use Rufus (https://rufus.ie) to create a bootable USB flash drive.
- Burn the BitRaser Drive Eraser ISO image onto the USB drive.
Note: If you are wiping SSD in a Mac, then refer to our Mac Drive Erasure blog.
Stage 3: Begin Wiping Process
- Insert the bootable USB into your device (laptop, desktop, PC, Server).
- Boot the system using the BitRaser bootable USB.
- Connect to the internet to download erasure licenses and report upload.
- On the BitRaser interface, Select the drives (HDD or SSD) you wish to wipe.
- Choose Erasure Standard, Verification Type, and click 'Erase' to begin wiping.
- Auto upload reports & certificate of erasure to your BitRaser Cloud account.
To know step-by-step instructions to wipe drives, you can refer to the articles below, or alternatively, you can refer to the help manual in the support section of the Cloud console.
How to Wipe Hard Drives?
How to Wipe SSDs?
How to Wipe Hybrid Drives?
How to Wipe BitLocker Encrypted Drives?
How to Wipe SATA Drives?
How to Wipe SAS Drives?
Is it safe to format a hard drive before selling it? 
Formatting is not a reliable and safe method. It is the process of wiping the storage partition table and unlinking the data in the file system. It re-indexes the file system for reusing the drive. Although the user feels that the data has gone as it becomes invisible, technically, the data resides in the media, and with the help of a FREE DIY data recovery software, all data can be restored back from the formatted drive.
How do I completely wipe a hard drive?
You can completely wipe a hard drive by either performing physical destruction or logical data sanitization. The logical method or data erasure ensures that your wiped data is irrecoverable and that the device is reusable, which is impossible with physical destruction.
What is the most secure way to wipe a hard drive?
The most secure way to wipe the hard drives is permanent data sanitization using software-based overwriting. It makes the data irrecoverable by overwriting existing data with a series of 0s and 1s or pseudo-random characters.
How many passes needed to wipe a hard drive?
NIST confirms that a single write pass effectively erases data from modern hard drives, rendering recovery impossible. Advancements in drive technology, including increased data density on disk platters, ensure this effectiveness, especially when followed by an overwrite verification.
Why can’t Degaussing wipe data on SSDs?
Degaussing works on the principle of demagnetizing the magnetic platters of mechanical drives. Since the SSDs store data on a series of NAND chips, degaussers do not affect the data held by SSDs.
