Mac OS X: secure deletion of User Files

Mac OS X: secure deletion of User Files

 

Generally, using system preferneces-> accounts to delete a user cannot safely delete user data.

 

There are other methods:

1. after deleting user data, you can use the disk utility to erase unused space. In this way, you can write zero data repeatedly in the free space. This makes data recovery less likely. the problem is that this method may take a long time.

 

2. drag the user's home folder to the wastepaper basket and use the secure empty trash function. This method is similar to the above, but the time is much faster, because it only writes zero to the space used by the user.

 

3. EnableFilevault, and then
In System Preferences-> accounts
Delete a user.

 

Although the preceding methods can safely delete user data in the home directory, the system may store user information elsewhere, for example, in/private/var/folders/, the user's cookes and other data on the Internet may still be stored.

 

May 1, 2009

Tony Liu