CleanSweep 🧹

Secure File Shredder & Context Menu Utility

CleanSweep is a native Windows utility designed to permanently destroy sensitive files. Unlike standard Windows deletion (which only removes the file pointer from the Master File Table), CleanSweep overwrites the physical data blocks on the storage drive using synchronous I/O operations, ensuring data cannot be recovered by forensic tools like Autopsy or HxD.

🚀 Features

• Deep Data Sanitization: Overwrites file contents using Cryptographically Secure Pseudo-Random Number Generators (SecureRandom).
• Metadata Scrubbing: Renames the file to a randomized .tmp extension before final deletion to purge the original filename from the OS file system index.
• Synchronous I/O: Utilizes "rws" mode in Java's RandomAccessFile to bypass OS-level disk caching and force immediate hardware writes.
• Seamless Windows Integration: Injects directly into the HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT registry hive for instant "Right-Click -> CleanSweep" access.
• Self-Extracting Installer: Bundled as a single requireAdministrator executable that automatically builds its own directory structure and generates a dynamic Uninstaller batch script.

🛠️ Tech Stack

• Language: Java (JDK 8+)
• Deployment: Launch4j (Win32 Executable Wrapper)
• OS Integration: Windows Command Prompt (CMD), Batch Scripting, Regedit

⚙️ Architecture & Installation

CleanSweep operates on a "Router" logic pattern. A single Master Executable handles the entire lifecycle:

1. Installation Phase: When double-clicked, the executable requests UAC elevation, copies its own bytecode to C:\CleanSweep, generates the uninstall.bat script, and writes the right-click shell commands to the Windows Registry.
2. Execution Phase: When triggered via the Windows Context Menu, the OS passes the target file's absolute path as an argument. The executable bypasses the installation logic, routes the payload to the Shredder engine, and executes the wiping algorithm.

How to Install:

1. Download the latest CleanSweep_Setup.exe from the Releases tab.
2. Run the executable (Administrative privileges will be requested automatically).
3. The tool will self-extract to C:\CleanSweep.
4. Right-click any file on your system to securely erase it.

How to Uninstall:

Navigate to C:\CleanSweep and run uninstall.bat. This will cleanly remove all registry keys and delete the installation directory.

🔬 Forensic Validation

This utility has been tested against standard digital forensic recovery methods.

• Hex Editing (HxD): Pre-and-post execution memory analysis confirms that sectors previously holding file data are successfully replaced with random byte noise.
• Data Recovery (Autopsy): Files shredded by CleanSweep are unrecoverable; only the scrubbed .tmp metadata fragments remain visible to deep scans.

⚠️ Disclaimer

Use with extreme caution. Files deleted using CleanSweep cannot be recovered via the Recycle Bin, System Restore, or professional data recovery software. The developer is not responsible for accidental data loss.

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Developed as a demonstration of secure file I/O operations and Windows native integration.