Stellar launches data recovery-proof erasure tool

Data recovery
Stellar is one of the most-used platforms by people who need to restore corrupt or accidentally deleted data. (Image credit: Stellar Data Recovery)

Data recovery software firm Stellar has announced the release of BitRaser, its new erasure tool. 

The program looks to be able to fully eradicate data from storage devices, effectively preventing end-of-use privacy breaches.

Stellar is offering BitRaser variants to businesses, but the service also believes that consumers should be taking action to erase their personal information when disposing of storage devices, pointing out that data erasure tools are particularly pertinent given that rates of identity theft have shot up dramatically as a result of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic.

BitRaser is not the first time Stellar has made a foray into data erasure services, having previously distributed a software package known as Stellar Wipe that was also designed to securely delete sensitive information.

BitRaser

To ensure that nobody will be able to restore information from a storage device that has been wiped by BitRaser, Stellar says the software will overwrite all possible storage locations, including hidden areas. To verify that a disk or drive has been adequately wiped, BitRaser leaves an immutable audit trail as it runs.

Stellar CEO Sunil Chandna promised that BitRaser will outperform built-in OS data deletion tools, noting that when users attempt to use a more basic technique to erase sensitive information, it “doesn’t completely erase all traces of data, which potentially leaves sensitive data vulnerable.” 

Stellar has had somewhat of a busy summer. In July, the business launched a new data recovery tool for Windows and Mac devices which enables users to recover up to 1GB of lost or corrupted data for free.