From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 From: bugzilla-daemon@bugzilla.kernel.org Subject: [Bug 92271] Provide a way to really delete files, please Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2015 21:55:50 +0000 Message-ID: References: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit To: linux-ext4@vger.kernel.org Return-path: Received: from mail.kernel.org ([198.145.29.136]:35802 "EHLO mail.kernel.org" rhost-flags-OK-OK-OK-OK) by vger.kernel.org with ESMTP id S1757530AbbA2Vzx (ORCPT ); Thu, 29 Jan 2015 16:55:53 -0500 Received: from mail.kernel.org (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by mail.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A33C720225 for ; Thu, 29 Jan 2015 21:55:52 +0000 (UTC) Received: from bugzilla1.web.kernel.org (bugzilla1.web.kernel.org [172.20.200.51]) by mail.kernel.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 78F3920254 for ; Thu, 29 Jan 2015 21:55:50 +0000 (UTC) In-Reply-To: Sender: linux-ext4-owner@vger.kernel.org List-ID: https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=92271 --- Comment #7 from Alexander Holler --- The problem is the missing promise from the FS that is has overwritten the used blocks. Even using fstrim --secure doesn't give that promise, because the user doesn't know if the FS has given the blocks back to the device (as free). And as long as the FS doesn't give such a promise, the only way for the user to be sure is to shred the whole device/partition. So in case of ext4, implementing a syscall like s[ecure_]unlink() doesn't seem to be a big complicated thing and would be a very great start in solving the problem. Of course that might not be final ultimate solution because it doesn't solve the problem about what happens when files have been modified, moved and then deleted. Here something like the 's' bit could help. But I'm a friend of starting with small steps and I think a special unlink syscall would be a great and already useable start in solving the problem. -- You are receiving this mail because: You are watching the assignee of the bug.