SoK: Secure Data Deletion Joel Reardon, David Basin, Srdjan Capkun Institute of Information Security ETH Zurich Zurich, Switzerland freardonj,basin,
[email protected] Abstract—Secure data deletion is the task of deleting data ir- is that users delete data not to make the data inaccessible, but recoverably from a physical medium. In the digital world, data simply to recover the consumed storage resources. Despite is not securely deleted by default; instead, many approaches that, clearing the web browsing history is labelled as a add secure deletion to existing physical medium interfaces. Interfaces to the physical medium exist at different layers, such privacy option in most modern web browsers. Mobile phones as user-level applications, the file system, the device driver, etc. offer users to delete individual text messages, to clear call Depending on which interface is used, the properties of an logs, etc. In all these systems, users typically assume, falsely, approach can differ significantly. that when they delete the data, it is from that moment on In this paper, we survey the related work in detail and irrecoverable. organize existing approaches in terms of their interfaces to physical media. We further present a taxonomy of adversaries There are also many security schemes that require secure differing in their capabilities as well as a systematization for the deletion to achieve other security goals. A tacit assumption characteristics of secure deletion approaches. Characteristics in many key negotiation protocols is that temporary values include environmental assumptions, such as how the interface’s used to negotiate session keys are not disclosed to an use affects the physical medium, as well as behavioural prop- adversary; these must be securely deleted from the system erties of the approach such as the deletion latency and physical wear.