DelSec: An Anti-Forensics Data Deletion Framework for Smartphones, IoT, and Edge Devices

In the era of smartphones and the Internet of Things (IoT), we are witnessing exponential growth in data generation. This data encompasses Personal Identifiable Information (PII), important discussions, documents, images, and videos, to name a few. The challenge lies in the fact that once created, it becomes extremely difficult to erase this data completely. In certain sce-narios, data might still be retrievable after deletion, formatting, or even a factory reset, thereby making them vulnerable to unauthorized access, hackers, and cybercriminals. To mitigate these concerns, we introduce ‘DelSec’, a robust framework designed to permanently erase data from smartphones, IoT, and edge devices. The DelSec software is capable of erasing a wide range of data types, including images, audio, video, and document files, ensuring that they cannot be retrieved using sophisticated data recovery software or forensic analysis tools. DelSec operates in three distinct deletion modes and incorporates several secure deletion algorithms such as 0x00, CSEC ITSG-06, BSI-2011 0 VS, NATO Standard, and BSI TL-03423. The effectiveness of the proposed framework has been evaluated, and the results demonstrate its superior accuracy across various file types and devices when compared to existing data deletion methods. This paper introduces a community-driven open-source tool, contributing significantly to data security and privacy.