Which Pass Is Best For Permanent Data Wiping: DoD 3 Pass Or DoD 7 Pass?

Which Pass is Best for Permanent Data Wiping: DoD 3 Pass or DoD 7 Pass?


Which Pass is Best for Permanent Data Wiping: DoD 3 Pass or DoD 7 Pass?
Which Pass is Best for Permanent Data Wiping: DoD 3 Pass or DoD 7 Pass?

A number of protocols are used to permanently delete data. With data eraser software, you can wipe using a variety of standards. Data can be deleted with BitRaser using 24 different international standards, such as DoD 3 pass and DoD 7 pass.

Data breaches happen frequently. 52 million data breaches occurred in the second quarter of 2022, according to Statista. It was more than double from a year earlier!

A number of protocols are adhered to. A quarter century after its adoption, the DoD data wiping standard is still among the best. Before disposing of hard drives, make sure they have been properly erased.

When vendors bid for the hard drives you are selling, they use terms like “DoD 3 pass” and “DoD 7 pass.” What do they imply and who are they? We offer a clear explanation that is intended to educate the complete layperson.

Data erasure – What is it?

Data erasure techniques include DoD 3 pass and DoD 7 pass. They were DoD data erasure guidelines. Let’s start by defining data erasure. It will become evident with a brief explanation.

Recycle Bin, a nice new feature that debuted with Windows 95, caught our attention. Any file can be dropped and will vanish instantly.

We were no longer burdened by the challenging instructions that MS DOS imposed on us. However, have you ever considered what happens to a document after you drag it and drop it into Windows’ Recycle Bin?

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Nothing major occurs.

The file path is removed from the file table. The path to the data has been destroyed, but the data itself is still there.

Erasing data entails deleting the entire file, including all the bytes and bits of 0 and 1 that were added when the document was formed.

Data erasure is a component of a bigger project called data sanitization, which also includes degaussing and physical destruction.

What Does DoD 3 Pass Mean?

What does DoD data wiping standard entail? The United States Department of Defence is indicated by the abbreviation. The DoD was one of the first organisations to recognise the significance of data erasure, which is only natural. In every branch of cutting-edge science, they own patents. Additionally, they had classified data on US military personnel, war exercises, and foreign policy stored on their computers.

DoD 5220.22-M, also known as DoD 3 pass, is first mentioned in the NISPOM, or National Industrial Security Programme Operating Manual, from 1995. It stipulates how a hard drive must be overwritten before being discarded.

Pass 1: Write binary zeros to every addressable location.

Pass 2: Replace every addressable location with a binary one.

Pass 3: Apply a random bit pattern to all addressable locations.

Due to the fact that a byte is made up of 8 bits, each is 8 characters long, not one. A byte is the smallest unit of storage that can be used in computer languages. Since a computer can only interpret the binary digits 0 and 1, the name “bit” was derived from them.

The DoD 5220.22-M procedure has undergone comprehensive testing. Any chance of a software-based recovery is gone. Software-based recovery involves reading a hard drive and using an algorithm to decipher the data by analysing the 0s and 1s.

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It is uncertain whether it will endure being scanned by an electron microscope.

What’s the issue?

If there is a problem with the DoD 3 pass, nobody can say for sure. However, there have been rumours that data can be partially recovered from a hard disc using a cutting-edge technique called magnetic force microscopy.

It must be made clear that the necessary resources are more than anything a hacker or even a local law enforcement agency could obtain. Even if it were conceivable, only a nation-state with access to significant resources could possibly piece back a small portion of a hard disc.

What does a DoD 7 pass entail?

The DoD data wiping standard was upgraded to DoD 5220.22-M (E) following changes to NISPOM. It suggests using 7 passes rather than 3 passes. In essence, perform 3 passes twice, with 0 or 1 pass in between.

Does it have any benefits? Of course, a disc becomes safer the more times it is overwritten.

Which is better for permanently erasing data?

The DoD data wiping standard has modified, to start. The most recent iterations of DoD 5220.22-M don’t define how data should be erased.

When you hear “erasure as per DoD 5220.22-M,” it signifies that new data will be erased three (or seven, depending on the situation) times on the hard drive.

DoD 7 pass versus DoD 3 pass

Regarding which is superior, there are two schools of opinion. According to the old school, more passes are usually better, hence seven passes are preferable to three passes.

The emerging trend dictates that one pass of any character is sufficient, as stated in NIST SP 800-88. Data recovery after a single pass is not possible with any forensics (although isolated bits might be).

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A Certified Data Erasure Software for Every Need: BitRaser

Depending on your preference, DoD 3 pass or DoD 7 pass. The best data erasure software to carry it out is BitRaser.

BitRaser, a reasonably priced option for preventing data breaches from used hard drives, was created and developed by Stellar Data Recovery and is aimed at both people and businesses as well as ITADs.

Data can be erased with BitRaser utilising 24 various international standards, including DoD 3 pass and DoD 7 pass, and an audit trail can be created.

You can utilise a variety of erasure methods with disc erasers, including the Gutman method (35 passes) and NIST SP 800-88 (single pass).

Both are unacceptable because they represent opposing extremes. To be safe, use DoD 3 pass or DoD 7 pass. It is the midway ground between two opposites.

Use BitRaser to deploy DoD 5220.22-M (E) for piece of mind, but be aware that it will take a long time. Choose DoD 5220.22-M and let it run overnight if you need to remove it in a few hours.


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