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Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

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shutter
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Posts: 22,206
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

I have an excellent program on my Windows machine that will erase/overwrite files and folders from 1 time to 36 times overwrite security.. I have tried to run this program in my Linux Mint 18.2 laptop. with WINE.. however it refuses to work !..  CryCryCry

 

So now I want to erase/overwrite files and folders on a USB stick.. ( and in other places on the Hard Drive ). on the Linux machine...

 

does anyone know of such a program.. where you can specify the number of overwrites ?

 

Another progam I would like to run is CCleaner,.. but it doesn`t seem to want to run on Linux... any offers  ?

 

 

8 REPLIES 8
VileReynard
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Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

Try installing wipe

Read the documentation using man wipe

Alternatively, you could try installing shred.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."

shutter
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Posts: 22,206
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

Fix

@VileReynard  Actually, just found "Secure File Delete" which seems to be the same as Eraser 6.2 using the "Gutmann overwrite method" on the Software manager...

Thanks for the pointer ! ...

cheers

 

HairyMcbiker
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Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

One of the many reasons you will not find ccleaner on Linux, is no use for it. We don't suffer from overloaded registry files, etc.
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shutter
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

@HairyMcbiker  OK.. thanks... I`m learning !... is there a way to get that "secure file delete" to be available on the "right click" context menu ? when I click on the file I want to delete ?

 

HairyMcbiker
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Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

Doesn't it do that automatically? Don't use it so not sure.

OK you could try adding nautilus-wipe from synaptic, then run nemo, edit/plugins it should show in there.

shutter
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Registered: ‎06-11-2007

Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

@HairyMcbiker No.. doesn`t appear... seems like I have to find it first... the input the files...then do the delete... what a lot of faffing. !

(doesn`t appear after doing a reboot either)...   will go and have a look at that nautilus wipe.. neither does nautilus wipe... cant find it.. although it does say it is now installed... searching on the "all applications" on the menu... doesnt show it...

 

HairyMcbiker
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Posts: 6,792
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Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

@shutter  OK just for you:

Try THIS attachment, (rename to .zip) extract which ever version you want and double click on it to install it.

Restart nemo, by typing "nemo -q" in a quick run box (F2)

You will then find wipe in the right click menu

 

VileReynard
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Re: Erasing files & folders in Linux Mint

The documentation for wipe includes (in part)...

It is probably only slightly paranoid, given the use of large intelligent disk caching.

NOTE ABOUT JOURNALING FILESYSTEMS AND SOME RECOMMENDATIONS (JUNE 2004)
       Journaling  filesystems  (such as Ext3 or ReiserFS) are now being used by default by most Linux distributions.  No secure deletion program that does filesystem-level calls can sanitize files on such  filesystems,  because  sensitive  data  and metadata can be written to the journal, which cannot be readily accessed.  Per-file secure deletion is better implemented in the operating system.

       Encrypting a whole partition with cryptoloop, for example, does not help very much either, since there is  a  single  key for all the partition.

       Therefore  wipe  is  best used to sanitize a harddisk before giving it to untrusted parties (i.e. sending your laptop for repair, or selling your disk).  Wiping size issues have been hopefully fixed (I apologize for the long delay).

       Be aware that harddisks are quite intelligent beasts those days.  They transparently remap defective blocks.  This  means that  the  disk  can keep an albeit corrupted (maybe slightly) but inaccessible and unerasable copy of some of your data.
       Modern disks are said to have about 100% transparent remapping capacity.  You can have a look at  recent  discussions  on Slashdot.

       I  hereby speculate that harddisks can use the spare remapping area to secretly make copies of your data.  Rising totalitarianism makes this almost a certitude.  It is quite straightforward to implement some  simple  filtering  schemes  that would  copy  potentially  interesting data.  Better, a harddisk can probably detect that a given file is being wiped, and silently make a copy of it, while wiping the original as instructed.

       Recovering such data is probably easily done with secret IDE/SCSI commands.   My  guess  is  that  there  are  agreements between  harddisk  manufacturers  and  government  agencies.  Well-funded mafia hackers should then be able to find those secret commands too.

       Don't trust your harddisk.  Encrypt all your data.

"In The Beginning Was The Word, And The Word Was Aardvark."