To perform a NIST data wipe according to the NIST SP 800-88 Media Sanitization Guidelines, first determine the level of data confidentiality and security required for the drive.. Select the proper sanitization method based on your organization's security policy and the drive's planned use: NIST 800-88 Clear and Purge. NIST SP 800-88 Rev.2 suggests referring to IEEE 2883 for media-specific sanitization guidance. IEEE 2883 suggests utilizing a data cleaning tool to sanitize hard drives using methods like Overwrite, Secure Erase, or Block Erase. The tool should be able to completely sanitize all user-accessible data, including data stored in hidden areas (HPA and DCO) and remapped sectors, where applicable.
In this knowledge base, we shall understand how to wipe a hard drive with the NIST SP 800-88 Clear and Purge sanitization methods using BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics, a NIST data wiping software. The software supports both the “Clear” and “Purge” methods defined by this standard.
Note: For this guide, we have used the ISO Customization feature to freeze the erasure method as NIST SP 800-88 Purge for all locations and preconfigure additional settings to automate the erasure process.
Step 1: Log in to the BitRaser Cloud Console and go to ‘Create Custom ISO’ (Refer to Image 1).
Image 1: BitRaser Cloud Main Dashboard
Select the latest BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics version and choose the Cloud Variant to start the customization (Refer to Image 2).
Image 2: BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics ISO Customization
You can customize the BitRaser ISO file based on your organizational requirements. This allows you to freeze the erasure method (such as NIST SP 800-88 Purge). It also allows you to preconfigure hardware diagnostics, save network and BitRaser Cloud credentials, enable Auto Erase, and other settings to standardize the use of NIST data wiping software across all locations. This reduces manual effort during deployment, minimizes human intervention, and ensures consistent execution of erasure and diagnostics in an automated manner. Once the ISO is ready, download it from the Customized ISO dashboard (Refer to Images 3, 4, and 5).
Image 3: BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics Erasing tab
Image 4: BitRaser Drive Erasure & Diagnostics Test tab
Image 5: BitRaser Drive Eraser & Diagnostics Customized ISO Information
Step 2: Burn the customized ISO file on a USB drive using Rufus, a free open-source software. For step-by-step instructions, you may refer to our KB on How to Create a BitRaser Bootable USB.
Step 3: Once the bootable USB has been created, connect it to the PC or laptop you want to wipe. Turn on or restart the device and press the appropriate boot menu key (typically F1, F2, or F12, depending on the manufacturer) to open the Boot Selection Menu. Then, select the bootable USB as the boot device to start BitRaser.
As soon as the machine boots, the BitRaser software gets launched. It starts erasing the hard drive using the pre-selected NIST SP 800-88 Purge method. The software runs automatically because the ‘Auto Erase’ functionality was enabled during ISO customization.
Important: Users who did not perform ISO customization must manually complete the erasing procedure by following the instructions below.
Step 4: Connect the machine to the internet by selecting Settings > Network. BitRaser supports both Ethernet and Wi-Fi connections.
Step 5: Next, connect the application to the BitRaser Server by clicking the BitRaser Server option next to Network. Enter your BitRaser Cloud Console credentials to authenticate and retrieve your assigned licenses.
Note: Upon successful connection to the server, ‘Connected’ will be displayed as the Login Status and Running as the BitRaser Cloud Status.
Step 6: At the bottom, under ‘Advanced Options,’ there is a drop-down menu for erasure methods. Select NIST 800-88 Clear or NIST 800-88 Purge as your preferred data erasure method. This configuration allows the NIST data wiping software to use the selected NIST method for the drive.
Step 7: Click ‘Erase’ to start the NIST data wipe on the selected hard disk drive. Then, click ‘Yes’ on the pop-up window to confirm your choice to proceed. The erasure process will start, and you will be able to see the progress on the software UI (Refer to Image 6).
Image 6: HDD Erasure Process Using NIST 800 88 Purge
After the erasure is completed, the erasure report and certificate of sanitization are automatically uploaded to your BitRaser Cloud account. You can access and save the reports and certificates in PDF, CSV, or XML format (Refer to Image 7).
Image 7: BitRaser HDD Drive Erasure Report
