Renaming files before secure deletion

[shsaci]

Hello,

I hadn't estimated the benefit of renaming the files automatically before securely deleting them, until I decided to pose as a'bad guy' and tried recovering files from my own drive.

 

Renaming the files to an illogical name/numbers helps a lot in disguising where the file is.

 

I'd love this feature to be added to the already existing secure file deletion functions!

 

Thanks

Sach

[ident]

Hello and welcome. Could you please explain how this helps hide a file?

 

I just cant see how renaming a file could possibly help. The file is renamed before deleted. so how could this possibly hide it more?

 

you could rename it a million times and the fact still stands it was deleted with the last rename of the file. so if i broght a second hand pc and there was 100 files that could be recovered. it would not matter if they had been renamed 1million times sinc eim trying to recover the file infront of me regardles if its called 3453251q3.png

 

Please this is not a critism, just a general observation. I'd love to know more if this is the case

 

sam

 

edit* i would how ever like the option to add a personal 'stamp' to the over write on last pass. example:this file was over written by ccleaner

[login123]

Hi shsaci.

 

I sort of agree with you. Don't think Ccleaner nor recuva rename the files when they overwrite them (somebody confirm?) but it would be good if they did. For example if I delete a file called "TOP SECRET DOSSIER on ***", I would like it better if nobody knew it was there before.

 

The developers read these forums and make changes frequently, maybe they'll implement this one.

[Augeas]

OK, seeing as you asked. CC renames on secure deletion, Recuva doesn't, presumably on the grounds that it can't. Both leave the path info intact, presumably (again) that they can't alter directory info in the MFT.

[login123]

OK, thanks for the information, Augeas. I checked on this issue a while back using CC and several other apps, but don't have time nowadays. You saved me a lot of time. "Time is the...only coin you have...".

[Augeas]

You mean I've just spent something? Damn.

[Fleet Command]

Actually, this is a good idea. Obfusication is actually a commonplace and successful method of information disclosure preventation.

 

One method would be to simply rename files to random numeric names and eliminate their file extension. This method is reliable enough.

[Augeas]

There must be something up with the question here. CC secure deletion does (as the previous posts state) rename deleted files, including their extension. Well, those it can.

[Fleet Command]

^ Really?

 

I didn't try it myself but since shsaci brought up the suggestion in the first place and said "I decided to pose as a'bad guy' and tried recovering files from my own drive" I though he must have had studied CCleaners secure deletion module carefully.

[Augeas]

Well just try it on a few files. Piriform says that secure delete overwrites file names. Posts 2, 4 and 8 say that secure delete overwrites file names. I know that secure delete overwrites file names. The misguided OP has long since buzzed off, and after posting the same stuff three times so have I.