Zero Out iphone/permanently erase data?

[Zaviex]

im trying to sell my iphone and ive heard too many horror stories of sold iphones being dug into with recovery tools and info stolen.... I cant find any tool to zero my iphone out not just restore it... any help?

 

[thelatinist]

im trying to sell my iphone and ive heard too many horror stories of sold iphones being dug into with recovery tools and info stolen.... I cant find any tool to zero my iphone out not just restore it... any help?

Settings>General>Reset>Erase All Content and settings.

That zeroes out an iPhone 2G or 3G. On a 3GS it erases the encryption key; since all data on the 3GS is protected by 256-bit encryption, this renders it indistinguishable from white noise.

 

[Zaviex]

thanks and another quick question i have an iphone 3gs im transfering some stuff too and if i have some save files on a few apps i want to keep should i locate them with SSH and just put them in the same location on the new 3gs?

 

[175170]

Just back up the phone.

Then, restore it from backup.

Note, however, that removing data permanently isn't just deleting, you have to write over it a few times.
Traditionally, using a HDD, the standard is 7 times.

With Flash, one time should suffice.

And, no, I'm not joking, I've gotten info from my own iPhone after deleting everything from it.

 

[Zaviex]

even on a 3gs i need to overwrite it? thats a shame but its worth it i guess and the back up worked for my new phone thanks

edit: and what tool can i use to test for possible recovery because i really dont want to wipe this and overwrite 7 times

 

[175170]

Well, if you're still jailbroken, iWipe should do it.
I believe it's on Cydia.

No problem, glad you got it working.

 

[thelatinist]

even on a 3gs i need to overwrite it?

The method I explained above *does* overwrite the 2G and 3G. Overwriting the 3GS is not necessary because everything in the Flash memory is encrypted using a 256-bit encryption key; overwriting the encryption key is plenty.

Unless you're going to be selling it to the NSA, I wouldn't worry.

 

[175170]

Oh, trust me, encryption on the iPhone 3GS is a joke. I've owned all three iPhones, and seriously, they aren't hard to crack at all. Even after a full erase.

 

[Zaviex]

wait so are you saying i should erase it fully more than one time to ensure security or will that not make a difference?

my first erase finished and i have no problem doing it again to be safe

 

[175170]

Doing it again won't really do anything anymore.

Now, what you need to do is to write over your information, with something.

If the phone is still jailbroken, use iWipe. Otherwise, try using some generic music.