Securely remove files using 4 tools (Paranoid mode)

Let’s see how to create a tiny BASH script as a result of combining scrub, wipe, shred and srm to securely remove files on Linux, FreeBSD and MacOSX. Let’s call it the Paranoid mode. 😉

Requirements:

We need to have the following packages installed on our system.

• scrub: how to install scrub.
• wipe: how to install wipe.
• shred: how to install shred.
• srm: how to install srm.

Combining the above tools. (The Paranoid mode):

First, create /usr/local/bin/vsrm :

$ touch /usr/local/bin/vsrm

Then, fill it with the following :

#!/bin/bash

scrub -fp dod "$1"
wipe -ifck "$1"
shred -vzn 10 "$1"
srm -v "$1"

Now, make it executable:

$ chmod +x /usr/local/bin/vsrm

Usage:

Whenever you want to very-securely remove files, do the following:

$ vsrm FILE-NAME

Happy *nix-ing 😛