Destructing Data Carriers – Not So Simple
The destruction of a data carrier is not as simple as it may appear to be. First, you have to take the data carrier out of the device or system, except for when you decide to destruct the whole device. That can be a loss of capital and is not...
Guidelines for Media Sanitization: The Essentials of NIST 800 88r1
Every decisionmaker involved in protecting the confidentiality of information in public or private organizations should be concerned about the protection of information stored on disposed media. Media sanitization refers to a process that renders access to target data on the media infeasible for a given level of effort. Guidelines from...
Data Classification and Categorization More and More a Necessity
For ISO 27001, data classification is a compulsory part. Guidelines for data sanitization, like NIST 800-88, and norms for data destruction, like ISO/IEC 21964, refer to categorization of information and information systems. Large government and military organizations are familiar with the concept of data classification. In the past few years...
To Degauss or not to Degauss?
Degaussing or demagnetizing is a method of data storage sanitization. It can be used in combination or be complementary to other methods, like erasure with software, or shredding. Degaussing has some interesting advantages, for instance it is a quick process, and can be executed onsite by internal operators. But it...
What is the Most Sustainable Data Sanitization Solution?
There is no doubt that data erasure or wiping software is the most sustainable of all data sanitization solutions. This is because it allows the device to be re-used with its original data storage components. After degaussing, only certain types of tape can be reused, but other media, like HDD’s,...
How Secure is Data Erasure Software?
Deleting files and emptying the recycle bin or reformatting a drive is not sanitizing a data carrier. That only deletes references, which makes files invisible to the operating system. The data is still there, and easily recoverable. It is like tearing the table of contents out of a book. More...
Data Erasure Software Enveloped in Mist
Commercial software for data erasure is not as “shiny” as it could be because it has been enveloped in mist due to a lack of transparency and hard data. That has been the case since the beginning by not debunking the Guttman myth for HDD erasure, to today with the...
