Whats our goal?

[shreyas-omkar]

Discussion: USB / Removable Device Wiping Support

Goal

The primary goal of this effort is to introduce safe, explicit, and reliable support for USB and other removable storage devices in SecureWipe, without compromising existing safeguards for internal disks.

This includes:

• Correct identification of removable devices
• Clear user-facing differentiation between internal and removable storage
• Secure overwrite-based wiping for removable media
• Preserving strong safety guarantees to prevent accidental data loss

The intent is not just to “make it work,” but to make it hard to misuse.

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Current State

• Device enumeration exists but does not reliably classify removable devices.
• UI/CLI does not clearly distinguish internal vs removable storage.
• Wipe logic assumes internal disk semantics in most paths.
• Users must manually infer device type, which is error-prone.

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Proposed Timeline and Next Steps

Phase 1: Investigation and Design (Short-term)

Goal: Understand device classification and define safe behavior

• Audit current device detection logic (lsblk, /sys/block, udev flags).
• Identify reliable indicators for removable media:
  • RM flag
  • ID_BUS=usb
  • /sys/block/*/removable
• Define expected behavior differences between:
  • Internal disks
  • USB flash drives
  • External HDDs/SSDs
• Decide whether removable support lives in the main flow or behind a dedicated mode/flag.

Output: Clear design notes and acceptance criteria.

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Phase 2: Detection and Classification (Mid-term)

Goal: Correctly tag and expose removable devices

• Extend device enumeration to classify devices as:
  • internal
  • removable
• Ensure classification is consistent across environments.
• Add internal validation checks to prevent misclassification.

Output: Reliable internal representation of device types.

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Phase 3: UI / CLI Integration

Goal: Make device type obvious to the user

• Display clear labels such as [REMOVABLE] or [USB].
• Optionally allow filtering:
  • Show only removable devices
  • Hide internal devices unless explicitly requested
• Introduce stronger confirmation prompts for removable devices if needed.

Output: Reduced risk of user error.

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Phase 4: Wipe Logic Adaptation

Goal: Ensure wiping works correctly and safely on removable media

• Verify overwrite methods behave correctly on flash-based devices.
• Handle edge cases like:
  • Smaller block sizes
  • Wear-leveling implications
• Maintain consistency with SecureWipe’s security guarantees.

Output: Functional and validated wipe support for removable devices.

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Phase 5: Testing and Documentation

Goal: Lock it down and make it understandable

• Test across multiple removable devices (USB, SD card, external HDD).
• Add documentation describing:
  • What is supported
  • What is not guaranteed (e.g., flash wear-leveling limits)
• Document known limitations clearly.

Output: Stable feature with honest documentation.

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Open Questions

• Should removable-device wiping require an explicit flag?
• Do we treat USB HDDs differently from flash drives?
• Are there environments where removable detection is unreliable enough to warrant disabling by default?

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Summary

Adding USB/removable device support is a necessary step toward making SecureWipe practical for real-world usage. The focus should remain on explicitness, safety, and correctness, even if that means slower rollout or additional confirmation steps.

This timeline keeps the scope controlled while allowing incremental progress and validation at each stage.