DBAN

Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN) is a software application to securely erase data from storage media like hard drives.

http://www.dban.org/

It can be run from bootable CD or USB stick.

DBAN does not know or care what filesystem is on the device.

DBAN only deals with devices (i.e. entire hard drives) not the volume/partition/filesystem level.

Alternatives for secure data erasure include shred, wipe and Blancco

If you want to securely (and quickly) erase modern media e.g. SSDs look into hdparm(8) ATA Security Feature Set