iPhone 2.0 software securely erases user data

The fact that the iPhone doesn't securely erase user data when you select "Erase All Content and Settings" has prompted a lot of hand-wringing (and given rise to a lot of complicated manual workarounds) as people get ready to flip their old phones and upgrade to the iPhone 3G, but it looks like there's a simpler solution coming: AppleInsider says the iPhone 2.0 software now securely erases user data. The process is apparently similar to Leopard's Secure Erase Trash feature, and it'll unlink data and overwrite it with random bits, making your personal info impossible to recover. Of course, that'll take some extra time -- you're looking at an extra hour of progress bars in your life. That's not so bad -- and if it keeps anyone from checking out our super-embarrassing 80s pop playlists, we're all for it.

[Thanks, Mark]

[gei @ Jun 25th 2008 4:42PM]

Too bad the iphone's suck so much. Does anyone actually use these little toys?

[grull27 @ Jun 25th 2008 4:44PM]

Only about 6 million people bought them in less than a year. You're a dumbass,

[Grant @ Jun 25th 2008 4:47PM]

Whats that flying over your head?
It....It kinda looks like sarcasm...

[Encoding @ Jun 25th 2008 5:11PM]

motions to grull27 and points to the sign which reads: Please don't feed the Trolls.

Low ranking is should be enough for them.

[Khris @ Jun 25th 2008 5:20PM]

Low Ranking them is almost worse than feeding them.

Would be even nicer just to block their comments from showing.

[7on @ Jun 25th 2008 6:01PM]

@Khris

What do you think this is? Digg?

[Reid @ Jun 25th 2008 8:29PM]

Dude, there's a difference between sarcasm and trolling. Sarcasm can be funny. Trolling is like unfunny sarcasm, without the intelligence.

[Khris @ Jun 25th 2008 8:44PM]

@ Reid

What is it exactly that you're doing?

[xValentine @ Jun 26th 2008 1:46AM]

Hiding comments would be bad.

But making it fade (just like on the ps3fanboy.com) would be good IMO.

[ThePerfectCompanion @ Jun 25th 2008 4:42PM]

This thread should be epic...

Good for iPhone owners though. I'm glad they finally have this option.

Still waiting for a great phone that's as good as the iPhone when it comes to looks and UI but excels in features and comes with a decent plan and less restrictions on it.

[Craig @ Jun 25th 2008 8:27PM]

Based on what we've seen in the past few weeks,

don't hold your breath.

[Reid @ Jun 25th 2008 8:28PM]

What's wrong with the plan? Just the lack of an all-you-can-talk option? Even the 3G plan is cheaper than what Verizon charges for EVDO, and the airtime is cheaper as well on AT&T (plus you get rollover).

[Nicky-Larson @ Jun 25th 2008 4:43PM]

NICE. Good to know people don't have to fear anymore if they sell their iPhones

[ugg.tryptophan @ Jun 25th 2008 9:29PM]

what do iphone users have to fear?, its not like they'd have 'questionable' content on their magical jesus phone (sarcasm)

[grull27 @ Jun 25th 2008 4:43PM]

That's another +1 for the 2.0 software update and iPhone 3G.

[helixtimestwo @ Jun 25th 2008 5:21PM]

Okay, but with 2.0 will you be able to individually delete synced media from itunes?

It's not a huge deal, but it seems silly that the current software doesn't allow it.

[Scott Miller @ Jun 25th 2008 4:45PM]

I was told there would be nachos in here.?.?.

[Lowest Ranked @ Jun 25th 2008 5:08PM]

This is a taco and burrito discussion...

NACHOS!!

[Khris @ Jun 25th 2008 5:21PM]

No nachos.......only Punch and Pie.

[Spart @ Jun 25th 2008 5:31PM]

Hunch punch? Yeah I know. I'm a drunk. ;(

[Khris @ Jun 25th 2008 6:25PM]

And not a funny one either!

[cablefun @ Jun 26th 2008 3:18PM]

o2 uk pricing for payg iphone have just been released. 8gb £299 and 16gb £359

[Grant @ Jun 25th 2008 4:48PM]

i wonder why it has taken so long for secure deletion to become a standard option in most OS's.

[Encoding @ Jun 25th 2008 5:16PM]

Is Mobile ME going to support a secure remote wipe?

Also, does this imply that the remote wipe will take an hour to complete? or is it a non-secure quick and dirty version?

[yode @ Jun 25th 2008 4:54PM]

Hey, wait a minute, there's no birthday party for me here!

[fewerbars @ Jun 25th 2008 5:11PM]

FAKE. I call fake.

The screenshot clearly shows full reception, 5 bars. Everyone knows that AT&T sucks a$$hole and can't deliver reception that good.

[srw985 @ Jun 25th 2008 5:28PM]

how come one has options listed as "reset network settings" above "reset keyboard dictionary", but its the other way round on the other phone?

[G-Money @ Jun 25th 2008 6:07PM]

Although arguable, your "Slow Jams" playlist is probably significantly more embarrassing than your 80s pop playlist.

[Nilay Patel @ Jun 25th 2008 6:08PM]

Dude, that's like the best playlist I have and you know it.

[roach @ Jun 25th 2008 5:21PM]

Echo on the fake. It shows the time as 15:38...everyone knows clocks stop at 12.

next they are gonna tell me the date can be written as 25/6/2008

[Josh @ Jun 25th 2008 5:26PM]

What the hell happened on the 9th of November anyway?

[Spart @ Jun 25th 2008 5:30PM]

Halo 2 came out.

[Boarderwoot @ Jun 25th 2008 6:23PM]

But when you're a peein there's 24 hours in a day...besides, its pretty sad if it takes you four hours to upgrade to 2.0

[roach @ Jun 25th 2008 11:18PM]

correction: 4 hours and 3 minutes

[Jesse S @ Jun 25th 2008 5:34PM]

Why not just forgo the built in memory and allow some form of SD expansion?

Much more secure. As you know, no data is truly ever erased, unless you melt the storage device, or use volatile memory.

[matt @ Jun 25th 2008 5:42PM]

Because then you don't have to pay Apple a massive amount of money to upgrade. I have heard some people like that kind of thing though...

[CaptCaveman @ Jun 25th 2008 5:50PM]

It will take an hour to erase everything? Wow!

[ian @ Jun 25th 2008 6:01PM]

yah, securely deleting stuff takes along time. especially since the processor isn't so hefty in these things. even with my quad core at 3.5 it still takes a good amount of time, then again i'm doin 10 passes

[Rich @ Jun 25th 2008 6:50PM]

600-700Mhz is pretty fast for a phone and it's all flash memory. I assume your PC is running over 1TB of HDD space rather than 16GB of flash...

[morcheeba @ Jun 25th 2008 7:16PM]

That sounds like a long time. It takes ~2ms to erase a block (16KB). The iphone has 8 memory chips (in 2 packages), so theoretically that could be done in a little over 2 minutes. But, they probably don't have the chips wired to erase in parallel, so one erase pass would be 18 minutes minimum. Add in overhead for the CPU (which shouldn't be much since it's only takes a couple of bytes to send the erase command), and it's still not an hour. It probably takes longer to erase a MLC chip, and my example numbers are SLC... either that, or they're writing multiple passes, which is cool.

[jammy @ Jun 26th 2008 3:32AM]

Just wait for M$ to release the Zune Phone it will have all the iPhone features plus more...Bill Gates' wet dream last night!

[Mark Anderson @ Jun 25th 2008 6:17PM]

Nice feature. That should reassure people about some of the security issues it's been accused of.

[gutier @ Jun 25th 2008 7:15PM]

I do think this is fake too. look at the distance between "Erase All Content and Settings" and "Reset Network Settings" and "Reset Keyboard Dictionary".

They are the same.

Now look right behind "This will delete all media and data, and reset all settings. This will take about an hour" and you can se a water mark that says "Reset Homescreen Layout".

The distance from "Reset Keyboard Dictionary" to "Reset Homescreen Layout" is too short and does not make sense. In the 1st screen shot the distances they match, even the one behind "This will delete all media and data, All setting will be reset as well"


FAKE FAKE FAKE!!

btw...cant wait for July 11th!!!!

[morcheeba @ Jun 25th 2008 7:19PM]

It's not fake. You obviously don't know anyone with the 2.0 firmware.

[retro77 @ Jun 25th 2008 7:10PM]

Actions speak louder than words. Hand this over to the security community to put it to the test.

[Gutier @ Jun 25th 2008 7:16PM]

I do think this is fake too. Look at the distance between "Erase All Content and Settings" and "Reset Network Settings" and "Reset Keyboard Dictionary". They are the same.

Now look right behind "This will delete all media and data, and reset all settings. This will take about an hour" and you can se a watermark that says "Reset Homescreen Layout". \

The distance from "Reset Keyboard Dictionary" to "Reset Homescreen Layout" is too short and does not make sense. In the 1st screenshot the distances they match, even the one behind "This will delete all media and data, All setting will be reset as well"

FAKE FAKE FAKE!!

btw...cant wait for July 11th!!!!

[kingdom2000 @ Jun 25th 2008 7:42PM]

Now if only they would build in an easy way to clear cookies, cache, and history and other temp data.

[stevesreed @ Jun 25th 2008 11:05PM]

You mean like the clear cookies, clear cache and clear history button on the current phones?

[Chris @ Jun 25th 2008 7:48PM]

"and if it keeps anyone from checking out our super-embarrassing 80s pop playlists, we're all for it."

Not as bad as someone finding my huge Morning Musume collection.

[engadgetier @ Jun 25th 2008 8:20PM]

i wonder, CAN IT ERASE MY BRAIN?!?!?