Importance of C Cleaner Free space wiper

CCleaner for Windows
1

Like many, I have come to trust C Cleaner to keep my PC clean and tidy. No doubt, like me, most people also have numerous passwords, user names and PIN numbers, of which some may be very sensitive, financially or personally. If, you have these in a printable file, which is updated from time to time, then - even if that file is not kept on the PC and stored safely elsewhere, it has to be accessed to update and then deleted to the re-cycle bin and then 'Permanently Deleted', when the Bin is emptied.

Not so! Having done this file update myself, quite recently and deleted the file, after printing, I wondered if Recuva could still recover it - no problem whatsoever - quite concerning really as anyone who stole or hacked the PC, (maybe whilst you are on vacation), could run a file recovery program and print off your entire Password list. What fun they could have emptying your bank account, running you into massive debt, using or cancelling all your credit cards, car insurance etc., etc., the list goes on - thus generally destroying your entire life.

Perhaps this potential nightmare should be better publicized in this digital age. From now on, I intend to carry out a 'Disc - Free Space Wipe' with CC, after having any sensitive document on my PC, even though it takes several hours to run and complete.

If anyone can suggest a simpler approach to dealing with the problem, or feels I am wrong in my assumptions, I would value your comments. Maybe if I just open the file from the storage media, update and print it, then close it after saving to the storage media - perhaps it would not be recoverable from the HDD. Trouble is, I need to use burning software to save the updated file safely for future updates - any suggestions?

Thanks from a retired guy trying to keep up with today's technology and guard against increasing cyber crime and online scams.

2

Yes, encrypt the file. There are plenty of free encryption applications available. I use TrueCrypt for my password file, which - despite it's abandonment by the developers recently - is still uncrackable by any normal means and is easy to use. Easier than all this copying, editing, printing, writing to dvd, deleting, wiping free space, and you're still ending up with a printed copy, the most insecure security.

3

I too keep my passwords in a file, but in my case, an Excel 2016 file with a password to open and another one to modify.

4

While you can password protect/encrypt the file(s), also if going on that vacation you mentioned you can also password protect your PC.

5

I would definitely go with the penultimate version of TrueCrypt (the final version was made read-only to get people to switch to Bitlocker). Create a drive partition and have TrueCrypt encrypt that. If anyone wants to access that drive or read its contents, they'll have to enter your password to access it. You can use this drive to house all your sensitive documents and then clean up the temp files and file references Windows generates when you access them.

I would do a quick test with your CCleaner setup to make sure CC is not doing anything funny with the encrypted drive/files. It should have all the switches available to circumnavigate this drive correctly, but definitely worth double-checking. Another thing to check would be using Recuva to get a file back from a drive on an encrypted partition. This might not be compatible, and you may have to be extra careful when deleting files from such a drive. Again, worth double-checking with a quick test to be on the safe side.