Why Multi-Pass DoD Erase Schemes Don’t Translate to Flash Memory, Despite Being Widely Referenced

For a long time, secure erase meant one thing: overwrite the data. Then overwrite it again. And maybe again, just to be safe. That approach worked, it was measurable, and it aligned neatly with Department of Defense guidance written in the late 1990s.

This used to be true. It isn’t anymore. Let’s all stop pretending otherwise.