# Secure Erase Reviews **Vendor:** UC San Diego **Category:** [Data Destruction Software](https://www.g2.com/categories/data-destruction) **Average Rating:** 4.2/5.0 **Total Reviews:** 3 ## About Secure Erase Secure Erase is a freeware utility developed by the Center for Magnetic Recording Research at the University of California, San Diego. It leverages the Secure Erase command embedded in the firmware of most ATA and SATA hard drives manufactured after 2001 to perform thorough data sanitization. By executing this command, Secure Erase ensures that all user data is irreversibly removed from the drive, including data in remapped sectors, rendering it unrecoverable. Key Features and Functionality: - Comprehensive Data Erasure: Utilizes the drive's built-in Secure Erase command to overwrite all user-accessible data areas, including those that are typically inaccessible due to remapping. - Firmware-Level Operation: Operates directly through the drive's firmware, ensuring a more thorough and faster erasure process compared to software-based methods. - Compliance with Standards: Aligns with data sanitization standards such as NIST Special Publication 800-88, which recognizes the effectiveness of the Secure Erase command for data destruction. Primary Value and Problem Solved: Secure Erase addresses the critical need for secure and complete data removal from hard drives, particularly when decommissioning or repurposing storage devices. Traditional file deletion methods often leave data remnants that can be recovered using specialized tools, posing a risk of unauthorized data access. By employing the Secure Erase command, this utility ensures that all user data is permanently destroyed, mitigating potential security breaches and protecting sensitive information. This is especially valuable for individuals and organizations handling confidential data, providing peace of mind that their information cannot be retrieved once the drive has been sanitized. ## Secure Erase Reviews ### 1. Vanish all from Storage **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Vinod B. | Technical Business Operation Analyst, Small-Business (50 or fewer emp.) **Reviewed Date:** April 18, 2023 **What do you like best about Secure Erase?** It is a robust tool to erase data from a hard and solid drive. One of the best feature I like is its enhanced erase option that generates public key encryption key so the data can become unreadable **What do you dislike about Secure Erase?** It is working perfectly nothing to dislike but I can suggest to improve documentation **What problems is Secure Erase solving and how is that benefiting you?** It is a wonderful tool. It prevents restoration of deleted data. Deep recovery also does not work on that and does not overwrite data once deleted. ### 2. Best data sanitization tool with reduction in overall time with in-drive overwrite **Rating:** 3.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Kapil K. | Senior Analyst, Enterprise (> 1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** October 15, 2022 **What do you like best about Secure Erase?** Secure erase less prone to malicious software attacks. Ease of carrying out nondestructive data erasure with simple addition to the existing 'format drive'. In a single click data erasure of disk drive. FDE is another aspect we are looking after. **What do you dislike about Secure Erase?** Nothing much apart from the documentation. Need to carry POCs but yes CMRR does provides verification and certification of data erasure effectiveness. **What problems is Secure Erase solving and how is that benefiting you?** Meeting laws and regulations imposed from HIPAA & SBA. Escaping voilations and penalities. Ease of administration and operation. Speed of operation is better than many of its counterparts. ### 3. Wipes out the whole thing from storage device beyond recovery **Rating:** 4.5/5.0 stars **Reviewed by:** Verified User in Medical Devices | Mid-Market (51-1000 emp.) **Reviewed Date:** November 02, 2022 **What do you like best about Secure Erase?** Secure Erase is a robust tool that securely erases all files, and folders, including file explorer, and this software works with both SSD's and HDD's. The most outstanding feature is the enhanced erase option; if the storage drive supports that, it produces a new public encryption key so the data can become unreadable. **What do you dislike about Secure Erase?** I do not have any dislikes regarding Secure Erase. The software works exactly how it should. **What problems is Secure Erase solving and how is that benefiting you?** Secure Erase is a wonderful tool, and it prevents deleted data restoration. Even using a deep recovery after Secure Erase finished the overwriting, I could not retrieve my past data, and that was very reassuring, and I felt safe using this tool. - [View Secure Erase pricing details and edition comparison](https://www.g2.com/products/secure-erase/reviews?open_modal_url=%2Fde%2Fproducts%2Fsecure-erase%2Fwishlists%3Fhost_path%3D%252Fproducts%252Fsecure-erase%252Freviews%26source%3Dpdp_avatar§ion=pricing&secure%5Bexpires_at%5D=2026-06-14+16%3A21%3A46+-0500&secure%5Bsession_id%5D=d6539352-720a-4341-a14b-ce9825ab0f2b&secure%5Btoken%5D=e5b22eae880a78968edb17fe91495ab6ca3bb69c3bf05d4123d2221661187610&format=llm_user) ## Top Secure Erase Alternatives - [Deel IT](https://www.g2.com/products/deel-it/reviews) - 4.7/5.0 (487 reviews) - [Blancco](https://www.g2.com/products/blancco/reviews) - 4.5/5.0 (49 reviews) - [GroWrk](https://www.g2.com/products/growrk/reviews) - 4.4/5.0 (36 reviews)