New Ipad Owner Here - Greetings to All!

[Robs58]

Hello Everyone,

Am so glad to have found this forum and would like to say my introductory "Hello" to all of you!

About me:

Dallas, TX is home
Am first time Ipad owner (Air 2)
Enjoy talking about Ipad techie subjects
Am excited to be here!

I do have a question:

In the best interests of making sure that my question gets routed to the most appropriate forum/sub-forum,
where should I post the following question:

"I am interested in finding out what is a very good IOS data wiping program so as to make sure that any
and all data, such as contacts, notes, files, etc. get permanently wiped from my Ipad. Can anyone
help me with this? Thanks in advance"

Best Regards,

Robs58

 

[J. A.]

Welcome to iPadForums, Robs58!

There's a built in feature, Erase all Content and Settings, that will take care of any data stored on your iPad.
You'll find more information in this thread:
removing info from Ipad

 

[Robs58]

Hello J.A.

Thank you for replying.

Yes, I am aware of the native feature installed on Ipads which allow the owner to delete data.

However, simply "deleting" the data does not really permanently remove it; it only removes indexed references to the data, which means that any and all data that was deleted can easily be recovered by any one of a number of IOS software data recovery programs. This is a very serious privacy/security
problem that most folks don't know about.

Stated more fully, I am looking for a recommended IOS Data Wiper/Eraser software that specializes in actually shredding/permanently deleting, forever, any and all data.

Again, thank you for responding.

Best Regards,

Robs58

 

[scifan57]

Welcome to iPad Forums, @Robs58! As you've already seen, our members are willing to help you with any questions or problems you may have.

 

[giradman]

Yes, I am aware of the native feature installed on Ipads which allow the owner to delete data.

However, simply "deleting" the data does not really permanently remove it; it only removes indexed references to the data, which means that any and all data that was deleted can easily be recovered by any one of a number of IOS software data recovery programs. This is a very serious privacy/security
problem that most folks don't know about.

Stated more fully, I am looking for a recommended IOS Data Wiper/Eraser software that specializes in actually shredding/permanently deleting, forever, any and all data.

Hi Robs58 - first, welcome to the forum! Second, many of us are aware that simple deletion of files often removes only 'pointers' and until the files are 'overwritten', recovery w/ special software is possible. But keep in mind, that Apple has built into iOS protection steps to eliminate that possibility, e.g. look at the quote below from a late 2015 article (Source) - if anything, security has likely improved.

Now, I've sold two iPads and have used Apple's guidelines in erasing their flash memories - have never used additional security software for that purpose, so I cannot provide any personal experience nor recommendations; however, if you simply google "ios secure data deletion", plenty of hits appear, including one from HERE (home page shown below) - this one is $30 although I'm sure 'free trials' are available - also as stated in the quote, Apple has claimed that their use is misleading. Hopefully, others will respond w/ some more personal experience, but as I upgrade my iPads, I'll simply continue to follow Apple's advice. Dave

You’ll be surprised at how quickly the iPhone is wiped — as soon as you’ve entered your password and hit erase, you’ll get a notification email on your account’s other devices that Find My iPhone was disabled, and it should take only a couple of minutes for the wiped iPhone to display “Hello” and “Slide to Set Up” text. Is the erasure secure? Well, all of the iPhone’s memory is protected using AES-256 encryption, and hitting the Erase iPhone button destroys the encryption key. Several security companies have tried to offer ‘secure erase’ tools that more aggressively scrub the iPhone’s memory, but Apple has shut those tools down as ‘misleading,’ noting that the encryption is effectively unbreakable. Hitting the Reset button leaves the former contents of your device all but completely impossible to recover by a subsequent owner. But you’ll be able to get everything back from your computer’s encrypted iTunes backup, should you need it.

.

 

[Robs58]

giradman,

Thank you for the detailed response!

All the best,

Robs58

 

[twerppoet]

It's true that the underlying data is not erased, but it is also true that all data stored on the iPad is encrypted. Apple takes special care to delete all encryption keys when an iOS is reset to factory, making it nearly impossible to retrieve the stored data in a reasonable time frame (years even with a powerful computer).

I can't claim to understand the underlying technology, but I note that every tech savy blogger I follow seems to think it adequate.

Note that the FBI spent considerable time trying to get Apple to unlock one of it's older phones, and eventually resorted to buying a hacking tool from a third party to unlock it. If you could access the solid state memory and unscramble it with a tool, none of that would have been necessary. They could have disasembled the iPhone, hooked up (or soldered on) some connections, and accessed the memory directly. But, it's not that easy.

All the legitimate tools I've seen online to extract or recover data from erased iOS devices rely on either you having the passwords, or on extracting the data from an unencrypted backup.

Here is Apple's document about iOS security. Perhaps you understand it better than I do, and can point out how to bypass the hardware encryption.

https://www.apple.com/business/docs/iOS_Security_Guide.pdf

The one thing I do know is that if it's easy to nab data off a restored iPhone, the securty comunity has been unusually silent on the subject. And the security comunity is not known for silence, especially with Apple.

 

[twerppoet]

Hi Robs58 - first, welcome to the forum! Second, many of us are aware that simple deletion of files often removes only 'pointers' and until the files are 'overwritten', recovery w/ special software is possible. But keep in mind, that Apple has built into iOS protection steps to eliminate that possibility, e.g. look at the quote below from a late 2015 article (Source) - if anything, security has likely improved.

Now, I've sold two iPads and have used Apple's guidelines in erasing their flash memories - have never used additional security software for that purpose, so I cannot provide any personal experience nor recommendations; however, if you simply google "ios secure data deletion", plenty of hits appear, including one from HERE (home page shown below) - this one is $30 although I'm sure 'free trials' are available - also as stated in the quote, Apple has claimed that their use is misleading. Hopefully, others will respond w/ some more personal experience, but as I upgrade my iPads, I'll simply continue to follow Apple's advice. Dave


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Forgot to check for more posts, so I missed this before I replied.

 

[Thomas1977]

Welcome to the forums Robs58. I am a relatively new ipad owner myself.

 

[Robs58]

Many thanks to all who have responded (hoping I didn't forget anyone!)

Thomas1977 cool! Don't you just love the ipad? Its truly an amazing and time saving device
on so many levels. Every time I hold it in my hand, I feel like I'm in possession of magic!

 

[Robs58]

Greetings!

Before I get to my question, I would just first like to say, ahead of time, that "Yes, I am aware that Apple has installed encryption data privacy protection features within Ipad". I am also aware that some folks will say that,
because of Apple's proactive approach in implementing these encryption features, that IOS Data Wiper
software is really not necessary nor even desirable, in some cases. I do understand their reasoning in saying that and am fundamentally not disagreeing with them.

Having said all of that, I am also aware that simply "deleting" the data does not really permanently remove it; it only removes indexed references pointing to the data, which means that any and all data that was deleted can easily be recovered by any one of a number of IOS software data recovery programs if an Ipad happens to get stolen while an active, unlocked user session is in progress. Admittedly this hypothetical confluence of events
is unlikely to happen. However, it *IS* possible and must be taken into account by those whose devices
contain crticial/sensitive data.

I am one of those folks who believe that the very best security systems that can be implemented on any
type of computing device - can either fail, or can be successfully penetrated.

Being as such, I am looking for anyone's input/recommendations on any IOS Data Wiper/Eraser software that specializes in actually shredding/permanently deleting, forever, any and all data on an Ipad.

To all who respond, thank you in advance!

Best Regards,

Robs58

 

[scifan57]

Even if someone were to get a hold of an unlocked iOS device, previously deleted data would not be accessible as the data is encrypted and when you delete the data the encryption keys are deleted. Even the FBI can't access deleted data in circumstances like this.

 

[twerppoet]

Well, nothing from the App Store anyway. No app (approved by Apple) has 100% access to your iPhone's storage. An app might be able to guarantee deletion and shredding (writing and re-writting random data) for specific data types that it's been granted access too, but it can't ensure that all storage is erased; no matter what it says.

So, that leaves jailbreaking and apps that run on computers. There are some of both that claim to do the job. I don't know enough to recommend any of them.

 

[giradman]

Hi again Robs58 - many of us have already responded to your question about security software in your introductory post - below is the post I left there and have little more to add - I suggested that you simply google "ios secure data deletion" and there will be plenty of hits, and I left a reference to one app. You're unlikely to find much in the 'App Store' because of what is stated about Apple's attitude toward these tools. I cannot add much more and don't use this software (which in my mind would be a waste of money and time - sorry). Hopefully others who may be using an app that will serve you needs will respond, don't know? But as you explore this issue, please post back - always willing to learn more. Dave

********************************************************************************************

Yes, I am aware of the native feature installed on Ipads which allow the owner to delete data.

However, simply "deleting" the data does not really permanently remove it; it only removes indexed references to the data, which means that any and all data that was deleted can easily be recovered by any one of a number of IOS software data recovery programs. This is a very serious privacy/security
problem that most folks don't know about.

Stated more fully, I am looking for a recommended IOS Data Wiper/Eraser software that specializes in actually shredding/permanently deleting, forever, any and all data.

Hi Robs58 - first, welcome to the forum! Second, many of us are aware that simple deletion of files often removes only 'pointers' and until the files are 'overwritten', recovery w/ special software is possible. But keep in mind, that Apple has built into iOS protection steps to eliminate that possibility, e.g. look at the quote below from a late 2015 article (Source) - if anything, security has likely improved.

Now, I've sold two iPads and have used Apple's guidelines in erasing their flash memories - have never used additional security software for that purpose, so I cannot provide any personal experience nor recommendations; however, if you simply google "ios secure data deletion", plenty of hits appear, including one from HERE (home page shown below) - this one is $30 although I'm sure 'free trials' are available - also as stated in the quote, Apple has claimed that their use is misleading. Hopefully, others will respond w/ some more personal experience, but as I upgrade my iPads, I'll simply continue to follow Apple's advice. Dave

You’ll be surprised at how quickly the iPhone is wiped — as soon as you’ve entered your password and hit erase, you’ll get a notification email on your account’s other devices that Find My iPhone was disabled, and it should take only a couple of minutes for the wiped iPhone to display “Hello” and “Slide to Set Up” text. Is the erasure secure? Well, all of the iPhone’s memory is protected using AES-256 encryption, and hitting the Erase iPhone button destroys the encryption key. Several security companies have tried to offer ‘secure erase’ tools that more aggressively scrub the iPhone’s memory, but Apple has shut those tools down as ‘misleading,’ noting that the encryption is effectively unbreakable. Hitting the Reset button leaves the former contents of your device all but completely impossible to recover by a subsequent owner. But you’ll be able to get everything back from your computer’s encrypted iTunes backup, should you need it.

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View attachment 75912

 

[Thomas1977]

Robs58: Yes I love the iPad sometimes it is even more convienant than my 2 year old hp envy desktop in my room.