mike3spsfontana

Q: Secure Empty Trash

Unlike previous versions, the option to Secure Empty Trash does not appear on the Finder Menu in El Capitan. The Help file shows the option can be activated in the same manner as previous versions.  However, after I did my upgrade, I have not been able to find that option  There is no link that I can find in System Preferences of the Finder Preferences.  Where has this option been moved to or has it been deleted completely and the Help File not updated?

MacBook Pro (15-inch Early 2011), OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Sep 30, 2015 8:37 PM

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Q: Secure Empty Trash

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  • by leroydouglas,Apple recommended

    leroydouglas leroydouglas Sep 30, 2015 8:39 PM in response to mike3spsfontana
    Level 7 (23,769 points)
    Notebooks
    Sep 30, 2015 8:39 PM in response to mike3spsfontana

    No. the option has been removed.

     

    Finder

    Available for: Mac OS X v10.6.8 and later

    Impact: The "Secure Empty Trash" feature may not securely delete files placed in the Trash

    Description: An issue existed in guaranteeing secure deletion of Trash files on some systems, such as those with flash storage. This issue was addressed by removing the "Secure Empty Trash" option.

    CVE-ID

    CVE-2015-5901 : Apple

     

    About the security content of OS X El Capitan v10.11 - Apple Support

  • by boredumb,

    boredumb boredumb Oct 6, 2015 9:44 AM in response to leroydouglas
    Level 1 (19 points)
    Oct 6, 2015 9:44 AM in response to leroydouglas

    That's great!  They "addressed the issue" by making it an issue for everybody...stunning.

  • by hawksblue,

    hawksblue hawksblue Oct 6, 2015 10:25 AM in response to boredumb
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 6, 2015 10:25 AM in response to boredumb

    ROFL!

     

    QA: "we've had reports of the Secure Empty Trash feature not working properly"

     

    OS X Engineers: "oh really? That's terrible. We've got a fix on the way."

     

    OS X Engineers: [remove Secure Empty Trash feature] "problem solved."

  • by mike3spsfontana,

    mike3spsfontana mike3spsfontana Oct 6, 2015 10:51 AM in response to leroydouglas
    Level 1 (6 points)
    Oct 6, 2015 10:51 AM in response to leroydouglas

    Thank you for the updated information.  I am somewhat surprised that I am the only one who has asked about this issue.

     

    While the option does not appear on the Finder Menu on a Mac running El Capitan, anyone who is not aware of the change and upgrades will still find the option mentioned in the Mac Help files.

     

    Securely erase your deleted files

    When you delete files from a hard disk, the storage space that the files occupied is available for use. However, the deleted files can still be recovered using data-recovery software.

    If you want to delete files that contain sensitive information, you can use Secure Empty Trash. Files deleted in this way are completely overwritten by meaningless data.

     

    • Drag the items into the Trash, then choose Finder > Secure Empty Trash.
    • To always empty the Trash securely, choose Finder > Preferences, click Advanced, then select “Empty Trash securely.”

     

    Using Secure Empty Trash takes a bit longer than simply emptying the Trash.

    If you want to erase a hard disk and be sure no information is left, you can use one of the secure erase options in Disk Utility.

    That reference should be removed from the Help files or there should be a specific reference to the versions of OS X that no longer have that option.

    Personally, I would like to see the engineers fix the problem and return the "Secure Empty Trash" option instead of just removing it.

  • by The D Man,

    The D Man The D Man Oct 8, 2015 10:25 AM in response to mike3spsfontana
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Oct 8, 2015 10:25 AM in response to mike3spsfontana

    Those do not appear on my system. I have an SSD, maybe systems with HDDs can still securely delete...

  • by eremo,

    eremo eremo Dec 14, 2015 5:25 AM in response to mike3spsfontana
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 14, 2015 5:25 AM in response to mike3spsfontana

    I do agree with mike3spsfontana "I would like to see the engineers fix the problem and return the "Secure Empty Trash" option instead of just removing it."