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  • Shred Gets Rid of Files For Good
Technology Articles > Software > Security & Privacy > Shred Gets Rid of Files For Good

When you come across a file that you no longer want, what do you do with that file? If you are like most people, you send that file directly to the trash and forget about it. After all, sending a file to the trash means that the file has been sufficiently deleted, right? Well, not exactly. Even if you delete files and send them to the trash, hackers can still find those files and access sensitive information. How? Because, simply put, hackers aren’t fools. Most people toss sensitive information in the trash, and this is a well-known fact. So where will hackers look for these personal details first? Why, in the trash, of course!

There are ways to avoid the inevitable hacking of your trash, however. One such way is to download a program called Shred. Shred actively gets rid of deleted files for good, so that no hacker on the planet can find those files ever again. If you delete a lot of personal and sensitive information, you need to check out what Shred has to offer.

How Shred Completely Annihilates Your Files

Shred locates all of the deleted files on your system by conducting a system search. Once deleted files have been found, Shred then overwrites those files complete – but not just once. Instead of overwriting a file one time, Shred overwrites a file three times, which just happens to be the standard according to the U.S. Department of Defense. But, Shred isn’t done once a file has been overwritten. After the three overwrites, Shred then renames the file more than 20 times. This actively confuses any hackers that might possibly be lurking in the shadows.

Once a file has been renamed, Shred then deletes the file. In short, this program really gets rid of all possible data that you tried to get rid of originally, and it does so with gusto. Not only is Shred one of the most accurate and complete programs of its kind on the market, but Shred also happens to be very easy to use – so easy to use that it comes with plenty of support and a great user interface.

Shred’s Interface and User-Friendliness

Some programs of this kind are, let’s face it, less than user-friendly. This isn’t the case with Shred, and that’s more than a good thing. The developers behind Shred have included excellent support for Safari, Firefox, and Chrome, along with an interface that any computer user will find simplistic from the start. The main Shred interface comes with five basic tabs as follows: Shred Free Space, Shred IM Logs, Shred Files, Shred Browser Data, and Shred Misc. All of these tabs are mostly self-explanatory, but there’s a compact explanation included in the Shred interface too, so you’ll never have to stop and guess at what to do next.

To Shred a file, simply choose the file or files that you want to Shred (a complete file option box will open upon starting the Shred program), and then hit the “Shred” tab. After that, the Shred process will begin, and those files that you no longer want will be completely wiped from your system. Shred can be purchased for only $8, which is an amazing price for a program that will keep all of your files from prying eyes.