Windows 10: Bitlockered drive, secure erase some files and reuse

Discus and support Bitlockered drive, secure erase some files and reuse in Windows 10 Ask Insider to solve the problem; Ok so this is all theoretical so far but maybe you guys can chime in. So i have a drive now thats bitlocker encrypted, but with only the used space.... Discussion in 'Windows 10 Ask Insider' started by /u/user_276589, Dec 25, 2019.

  1. /U/USER_276589
    /u/user_276589 Win User

    Bitlockered drive, secure erase some files and reuse


    Ok so this is all theoretical so far but maybe you guys can chime in.

    So i have a drive now thats bitlocker encrypted, but with only the used space.

    We soon get another identical drive and will setup raid0.
    Would the following work?:

    1) Turn off bitlocker
    2) Secure erase the files that are on the drive now with Eraser or something similar (I would prefer not having to secure erase/encrypt the entire drive because its 16TB)
    3) When we get the new identical drive, setup raid0 with the current drive and the new drive
    4) Enable bitlocker on the new partition that has raid0, and select "encrypt only used space"

    What are your thoughts on bitlocker encrypting only used space vs entire drive? Securitywise

    Would the data i had before i did anything, be recoveraly or would it be securely erased?

    If it works, would it matter if i do step1 before 2, or maybe viceversa?

    Cheers

    submitted by /u/user_276589
    [link] [comments]

    :)
     
    /u/user_276589, Dec 25, 2019
    #1
  2. MICHAEL MEIER
    Michael Meier Win User

    Secure erase single directory on BitLocker-encrypted SSD

    (How) Can I secure erase a single directory (or even file) on an SSD?

    I'm returning a work laptop to my former employer that I was allowed to and did use for private matters. Normally colleagues just remove their data and not even their Windows user.

    All my sensitive data is in my user folder, so I'd like to just secure erase that.

    The SSD is a SanDisk SD6SB1m-128G-1006. SanDisk has a tool called SanDisk SSD Toolkit or SanDisk SSD Dashboard that does supports secure erasing.
    (Note that SanDisk calls clearing the mapping table secure erasing and calls the actual erasing of the blocks sanitizing, while I call the latter secure erase.)

    My goal is to actually erase the user folder's data.

    More information:

    • My OS is Win 10 1803 and the SSD is NTFS formatted.
    • The disk is Bitlocker encrypted
    • The computer is part of a windows domain
    • The company heavily customized the Windows installation w/ logon scripts, registry hacks, group policies (which are synced however) and whatnot
    • Creating system images is disabled
    • I think I can boot from USB

    I don't think it's worth the effort anyway, but could I create a disk image with a third party tool, which skips unassigned sectors/blocks?

    Would restoring that image (after removing and recreating the BitLocker encryption) work if it skipped unassigned sectors/blocks?

    Does Windows save critical information in unassigned blocks (and prevent drivers from overwriting it)? Or did only 90s copy protections do so?
     
    Michael Meier, Dec 25, 2019
    #2
  3. TWISTY IMPERSONATOR
    Twisty Impersonator Win User
    Secure erase single directory on BitLocker-encrypted SSD

    Good. This means the data you want securely erased is already encrypted. All that remains is to destroy the encryption keys which will render the data unrecoverable. Here's how to do this on your volume which is currently BitLocker-encrypted:

    1. Delete the data you want to erase. Empty the Recycle Bin.
    2. Turn off BitLocker and allow it to fully decrypt the drive.

      Note: Check this by running manage-bde -status from an elevated command prompt and observing that the fields shown here match the screen shot:

      Bitlockered drive, secure erase some files and reuse dQkTl.png

    3. (Optionally) Turn BitLocker back on.

    When you completely disable BitLocker on a volume, the Full-Volume Encryption Key (FVEK) used to encrypt the disk's sectors is deleted. So, even if there are bits remaining on the SSD from the data you deleted (and there almost certainly are), they are encrypted with a key that no longer exists.

    Warning! Changing the volume's key protectors (e.g. a PIN, Recovery Key, TPM) does not change the FVEK. And only deleting the FVEK is sufficient to permanently prevent access to data encrypted with said key.

    Additional Information

     
    Twisty Impersonator, Dec 25, 2019
    #3
  4. PETEDREAD
    petedread Win User

    Bitlockered drive, secure erase some files and reuse

    Secure Erase question.

    I should have used Secure Erase before I sent my Asus board back but I didn't think about it at the time. I was wondering if using Drive Wipe in CCCleaner would achieve the same results as Secure Erase. Asus say that Secure Erase helps bring back some of the performance that can be lost over time on a SSD. Surely it isn't anything much different to the drive wipe function in CCCleaner? Will using CCleaner to wipe free space (not the complete drive) improve it's performance?
     
    petedread, Dec 25, 2019
    #4
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Bitlockered drive, secure erase some files and reuse

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