Data eradication sounds good in theory, but how does it work?
When companies get rid of their old devices, they need to invest in data eradication—the process of eliminating old data from the device. This is done to ensure data security, preventing new owners or third parties from gaining access to things like customer data, login credentials, or old files stored on the device.
But how exactly does data eradication work? And how can you be confident in the process?
Data Eradication: The Basics
When you delete a file on your computer, it isn’t really gone. The raw data for the file remains on the hard drive, even if it isn’t accessible via your operating system. To fully delete the data, you’ll need to completely overwrite the hard drive.
In the old days of floppy disks, simply overwriting data with random zeroes and ones was enough to securely and confidently eliminate former data. These days, it’s possible through forensic retrieval to gain access to old data this way. Instead, modern data eradication often relies on cryptographic erasure. According to SanDisk, a “crypto erase” is “the process of reverting an OPAL-activated or eDrive-activated SSD back to its factory default state. After a Crypto Erase, all security keys get deleted; therefore, user data is destroyed.”
Modern technology recyclers often utilize a number of different data eradication techniques, which may also include multiple data overwrites, the identification of hidden and bad sectors, and occasionally, the physical destruction of the device.
Data Eradication and Regulatory Compliance
In order to maintain regulatory compliance, you may be required to erase old data in specific ways. For example, you may be required to erase hidden areas, prepare a defects log list, and identify bad sectors that were unable to be overwritten. Your technology recycler should be able to provide you with full certification that your data eradication conformed to these regulatory requirements. Note that these requirements may vary depending on your industry. Are you interested in learning more about data eradication, or are you in need of data eradication services? Contact us today for a free quote, or to learn more!
