Advanced iTunes Question

[BobBenson]

Hello, when an iPhone is synced to a computer and a backup is created, is all the data securely quarantined in the backup folder? Can traces of data be placed elsewhere on the hard drive upon being read off the phone and into the computer? I’m selling my computer, and have sensitive work data that was synced from my phone to the backup. I wondering if I delete my backup will all the iPhone data be gone. Thanks

[The_russian]

Can't answer your exact question, but if you are concerned about residual sensitive data being left behind, you can securely erase all data on the drive then reinstall the operating system. If the drive is a hard drive, use DBAN to overwrite all the data on the drive. If the drive is an SSD, don't use DBAN as it will severely shorten the life span of the drive, instead the manufacturer often provides a tool to securely erase all data. 

[Skiiwee29]

<-- Moved to Storage Devices -->

[Kilrah]

You just never sell a computer without completely wiping it...

 

As to the question, the backup itself is in a single location, but you may have calendar etc sync features enabled that would pass data to other apps (even if it's pretty rare nowadays, don't know your usage)

[Aereldor]

You'll wanna wipe the whole drive. Some people say 3x is okay, but I go for the whole whammy and do the gutmann 35x wipe in DBAN. After that, you can either install windows or sell the computer without it. The same key should work, it's the same motherboard.

[whispous]

Just as an anecodte for you, but when I make backups of iOS devices on my computer, I can use third party software to read a bunch of data from it.

 

If you don't want someone recovering data, use secure drive wiping software.

[BondiBlue]

This isn't a question of security of the iOS backup, rather it's a question of security practices when selling a computer. If it had sensitive data on it at any point then I'd recommend doing a wipe of the drive with something like DBAN before selling it. Don't just reset Windows.

[kirashi]

17 hours ago, BobBenson said:

 I’m selling my computer, and have sensitive work data that was synced from my phone to the backup.

Your question is actually not whether iPhone data can be read from a backup on your computer, but what you should do when you sell a computer... if you're looking to sell ANY electronic device, you almost always want to perform a full factory reset, including wiping any storage locations that could contain personal data.

 

Windows 10 has a drive wiping function built-into the reset process, but I personally recommend creating a Windows 10 Installation USB so you can pave & nuke the drive, then reinstall from the USB. https://helpdeskgeek.com/windows-10/3-ways-to-wipe-reinstall-windows-10/