Paragon Software Group’s (PSG) Paragon Disk Wiper 15 for Mac OS X Free (http://www.paragon-software.com/home/dw-mac/) is a utility to clean hard disks and SSDs or permanently erase critical data on separate partitions or entire hard disks.
With Disk Wiper for Mac, wiping is not accomplished under Mac OS X, but from a special Linux-based flash stick that can be easily created from the program. After booting the Mac from this device, the Wipe Wizard can irreversibly remove confidential data in just a few easy steps, according to the folks at PSG.
Multiple sanitization methods are available: SSD Trim (recommended for SSDs), selecting a specific algorithm, or a user-created method. Unlike traditional HDD-based wiping methods, SSD Trim works very quickly and is completely safe for SSDs, claims PSG.
As research has shown, the “trim” command to delete data on the entire drive or individual volumes does not completely remove all traces of your personal data. Trimming is accomplished by a delete operation in relatively large blocks while remnants and entire small files remain intact; some data still stays on the drive in segments. Besides, all storage service areas containing active user data remain intact.
To be confident your data on SSD doesn’t fall into the wrong hands, you have two options: either physically shred your SSD into pieces that are small enough that a single chip cannot escape damage, or use a specialized data erasure utility that supports solid state drives, like Paragon’s Disk Wiper for Mac.
Paragon Disk Wiper 15 for Mac OS X Free supports OS X 10.6 and higher. Paragon Mac ToolBox portal with additional solutions for dual-boot users is available at the PSG website.
What’s more, the Paragon Mac ToolBox web portal makes it easy to find which of the company’s products can be used to solve particular Mac-related problems. For example, a user who wishes to reallocate disk space between OS X and Windows after using Boot Camp is directed to Paragon Camptune X.
Or if the issue involves the use of an external drive in NTFS format, the Mac ToolBox reveals that Paragon NTFS for Mac 12 provides full read/write access. Some of the tools described in the Mac ToolBox are available free of charge, including Paragon Boot Camp Backup Free to back up Windows under OS X, while all commercial products are available on a time-limited demo basis.
