ReclaimNUKM - Secure Disk Wiping Tool
NUKM Definition: NUKM is defined by the acronym for 'Next Unit of Kill Module' as it pertains to data sanitization.
A comprehensive, user-friendly disk wiping application with multiple secure erasure methods, designed for Ubuntu Linux systems. Features advanced enterprise drive support, USB NVMe enclosure handling, and touchscreen-optimized interface.
🚀 Quick Start
Prerequisites
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or later
- Python 3.10 or higher
- Administrative privileges (sudo access)
Installation
1. Download and Extract
cd ~/Desktop
tar -xzf ReclaimNUKM-v1.5.tar.gz
cd ReclaimNUKM-v1.5
tar -xzf ReclaimNUKM-v1.5.tar.gz
cd ReclaimNUKM-v1.5
2. Install System Dependencies
# Core dependencies
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip python3-tk python3-pil
# Wipe tools
sudo apt-get install -y coreutils util-linux gdisk xterm
# Enterprise drive support
sudo apt-get install -y sg3-utils
# USB NVMe enclosure support
sudo apt-get install -y usbutils
# Optional: Hardware error compensation
sudo apt-get install -y gddrescue
# Optional: Nwipe for advanced wiping methods
sudo apt-get install -y nwipe
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python3 python3-pip python3-tk python3-pil
# Wipe tools
sudo apt-get install -y coreutils util-linux gdisk xterm
# Enterprise drive support
sudo apt-get install -y sg3-utils
# USB NVMe enclosure support
sudo apt-get install -y usbutils
# Optional: Hardware error compensation
sudo apt-get install -y gddrescue
# Optional: Nwipe for advanced wiping methods
sudo apt-get install -y nwipe
3. Run Installation Script
chmod +x install.sh
./install.sh
./install.sh
4. Launch Application
./ReclaimNUKM
📋 Features
Multiple Wipe Methods
- Quick Format: Partition table creation + filesystem formatting (recommended for most users)
- Zero Device: Complete device zero-fill with optional hardware error compensation
- Shred (3 Pass): Advanced shredding with 3 random passes + zero fill
Filesystem Options
- exFAT: Quick and Full formatting options
- NTFS: Quick and Full formatting options
- EXT4: Quick and Full formatting options
- None: Skip formatting (wipe only)
User Interface
- Modern, intuitive GUI with optional ttkbootstrap theming
- Touchscreen-optimized mode for tablet/mobile use
- Real-time progress monitoring with integrated terminal
- Device selection mode for targeted operations
- Responsive logo that scales with window size
- Comprehensive logging and reporting
- Auto-zap functionality for automated environments
Security Features
- Root privilege escalation with GUI password prompts
- Device validation and safety checks with USB NVMe enclosure detection
- Multiple verification methods with hardware error compensation
- Detailed operation logging with customer/company metadata
- Enterprise drive support with proprietary sector detection
- Automatic reformatting of non-standard sector drives (520B/528B)
Enterprise Drive Support
- Proprietary Sector Detection: Automatically detects 520B/528B sectors found in enterprise drives (NetApp, Toshiba, etc.)
- SCSI/SAS/SATA Compatibility: Enhanced detection using sg3_utils for all drive protocols
- Automatic Reformatting: Option to reformat non-standard drives to standard 512B/4KB sectors before wiping
- UI Warnings: Visual indicators and popup warnings for drives requiring special handling
- Protection Type Detection: Identifies drive protection schemes and data integrity features
USB NVMe Enclosure Support
- Automatic Detection: Identifies USB NVMe enclosures (RTL9210, RTL9220, JMicron, ASMedia)
- Device Initialization: Multiple wake-up methods for problematic enclosures
- Recovery Procedures: Advanced recovery for zero-capacity enclosures
- USB Reset Support: Hardware reset via usbreset utility
- Power Cycling: UDisks power-off/power-on cycles
Hardware Error Compensation
- DDRescue Mode: Error-resilient zero-fill using ddrescue
- Automatic Recovery: Continues wiping despite bad sectors
- Progress Tracking: Maintains progress through hardware errors
- Mapfile Support: Resumable operations with error mapping
🛠️ System Requirements
Minimum Hardware
- Intel or AMD x64 processor
- 4GB RAM
- 100MB free disk space
System Dependencies
- Python 3.10+ (
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip) - Tkinter (
sudo apt-get install python3-tk) - Pillow (
sudo apt-get install python3-pil) - GNU Shred (
sudo apt-get install coreutils) - DD utility (
sudo apt-get install coreutils) - GPT tools (
sudo apt-get install gdisk) - SG3 Utils (
sudo apt-get install sg3-utils) - For enterprise drive support - USB Utils (
sudo apt-get install usbutils) - For USB NVMe detection - DDRescue (
sudo apt-get install gddrescue) - For hardware error compensation - Nwipe (optional, for advanced wiping) (
sudo apt-get install nwipe) - Xterm (for terminal operations) (
sudo apt-get install xterm) - Util-linux (for block device tools) (
sudo apt-get install util-linux) - Zenity/KDialog (optional, for GUI sudo prompts) (
sudo apt-get install zenity kdialog)
Supported Platforms
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (primary)
- Ubuntu 20.04 LTS
- Other Debian-based distributions
📖 Documentation
User Guides
- Complete Documentation - Comprehensive user manual
- Wipe Methods Guide - Detailed method explanations
- Sudo Configuration - Privilege setup guide
- Desktop Integration - Desktop setup instructions
Quick Help
- Built-in Help - Application help system
- Command Line Help - Text-based help
🔧 Configuration
Sudo Setup
The application requires sudo privileges for disk operations. Run:
./setup-sudoers.sh
Benefits: Eliminates password prompts on first boot and subsequent reboots, enabling seamless operation in automated environments.
Desktop Integration
To add ReclaimNUKM to your desktop menu:
./setup_desktop.sh
📊 Wipe Methods Comparison
| Method | Speed | Security | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quick Format | ⚡ Fast | 🔒 Basic | General use with formatting |
| Zero Device | 🐌 Slow | 🔒🔒 High | Sensitive data with error compensation |
| Shred (3 Pass) | 🐌 Very Slow | 🔒🔒🔒 Maximum | Military grade |
🐛 Troubleshooting
Common Issues
Permission Denied
- Ensure sudo configuration is complete
- Check user is in sudo group
Device Not Found
- Verify device is properly connected
- Check device permissions with
lsblk - For USB NVMe enclosures, try different USB ports
USB NVMe Enclosure Issues
- Try unplugging and re-plugging the device
- Use USB 3.0+ ports for best performance
- Check kernel messages:
dmesg | grep -i nvme
GUI Won't Start
- Install missing dependencies:
sudo apt install python3-tk - Check Python version:
python3 --version
Wipe Operation Fails
- Verify device is not mounted
- Check available disk space
- Review system logs
- For enterprise drives, ensure sg3_utils are installed
Hardware Errors During Wipe
- Enable "HW Error Comp" for ddrescue mode
- Check device health with
smartctl -H /dev/sdX
Logs and Debugging
- Application logs:
logs/directory - Wipe results:
wipe_results/directory - System logs:
/var/log/syslog
🔒 Security Considerations
- Always backup important data before wiping
- Verify device selection carefully
- Use appropriate wipe method for data sensitivity
- Monitor operations for errors
- Keep logs for audit purposes
- Enterprise drives may require special handling
📝 License
This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.
🤝 Contributing
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch
- Make your changes
- Test thoroughly
- Submit a pull request
📞 Support
For support and questions:
- Check the documentation first
- Review troubleshooting section
- Check system logs for errors
- Ensure all prerequisites are met
🔄 Version History
v1.6 (Current)
- USB NVMe enclosure support with automatic detection and recovery
- Hardware error compensation using ddrescue for resilient operations
- Touchscreen-optimized interface for mobile/tablet use
- Auto-zap functionality for automated drive wiping
- Device selection mode for targeted operations
- Multiple filesystem formatting options (exFAT, NTFS, EXT4)
- GUI-based sudo authentication with zenity/kdialog support
- Responsive logo display that scales with window size
- Enhanced device status tracking and monitoring
- Optimized partition table selection (GPT/MSDOS)
- Centralized volume label generation system
v1.5
- Enterprise drive support with proprietary sector detection
- sg3_utils integration for enhanced SCSI/SAS/SATA compatibility
- Automatic reformatting of non-standard sector drives
- UI warnings for drives requiring special handling
- Protection type detection and data integrity features
v1.0 (Initial)
- Initial release with 4 wipe methods
- Modern GUI with ttkbootstrap
- Comprehensive documentation
- Ubuntu 22.04 optimization
- Desktop integration support
⚠️ WARNING: This tool permanently destroys data. Use with extreme caution and always verify your target device before proceeding with any wipe operation.