Are you Erasing Your Sensitive Data in a Right Way?

In this digital age, the hard drive are the most common source of storage media worldwide. Day in and day out many storage devices are dying due to multitude reasons. Are we enough aware about what happens to our data when we sell or dispose-off to local dealers. There is a high possibility of data breach by cyber criminals who are always looking for valuable data.

Let’s start, what we understand about data deletion. Many of us are still using old and traditional tricks like shift delete, formatting, reformatting, FORMAT, FDISK and Delete Command for removing the sensitive data. Is it a Right Way? The answer is NO. Advanced data recovery tool are smart enough to recover after these methods. So this way our hard earned data is leaked and sold by bad goons for their profit. Then what’s next.

Don’t be afraid and scared for what you have done in past. You can secure your data by next time using some secure and highly efficient way of complete data deletion. No one can recovered your data after performing these activities either mechanically or by taking help of software.

How to completely erase your old data? Still confused, follow these quick and simple methods to live a stress free life.

1)      Physical Destruction – One of the most common and easiest way of data destruction. With just a few handful of equipment’s, all the work will done.  Simply place the drive on wooden base and smash a powerful hit. BANG. You need to very sure, till the time all the internal elements like read/write head, platter and spindle are broke into pieces and completely dislocated from their original position. It will be a fun to break it many parts. You can hit hard, as powerful as you can.

2)      Degaussing – Degaussing, also sometimes called as demagnetizing. This process needs a Degausser device which generate a powerful magnetic field, which magnetically erases data from various magnetic media supported storage devices. This process is comparatively fast, as many companies are claiming to erase up to 250 drives per hour. While there are few of its disadvantages also, like the hard drive can’t be reused for future and thus it also increase E-waste. So this can be only used like the above one, when your drive comes near to its life-cycle. 

3)      Shredding – Another mechanical way of data deletion, where disk is turned into small slices once it passed through a powerful machine. There are two ways of doing. First one is shearing which slices entire drive into smaller pieces with thousands of lb.’s of giant force. Secure way to make data unrecoverable after this. Second method is crushing method which powerfully make punches with irreplaceable holes on the surface of the disk. The Drive patter is completely vanished. Huge amount of E-waste are also produced, but few companies are now started recycling it.

4)      Data Erasing Software – One of the finest and productive way of data deletion. Exerts always call it Eco-Friendly method. They are based on the principle of overwriting the drive with random 0’s and 1’s. This will be done multiple times, like 3 passes or maximum 35 passes. While one pass is enough for data deletion, but many times overwriting, gives total satisfaction that it can’t be recovered. Once the old data are erased, the hard drive can be reused again for storage purposes.

The software approach are quickly gaining very much popularity specially to cooperate world, where they are legally bound by various obligations from auditing firms before retiring their old components. To safeguard against such information security compromises, various international laws and policies have been put in place by various governments. Any data breach by organization can result in hefty penalty under laws such as SOX, HIPAA, GLBA, JPIPA, EU-DPA, IS027001, IT-Act, PCi-DSS, ISAE 3402-3416.

Various reputed software companies are developing certified data erasing software, separately for home user and enterprise versions. Few of the names which I had tried in past are BitRaser, Eraser, fileshredder etc. They all works well with satisfactory results of complete data deletion.

Before, doing any above activity, always take the backup of important data, which you may require in future. Once gone, it’s gone forever.

Cleaner and Greener: Data Destruction Technique

What is Data Destruction?

Data Destruction simply means removing your sensitive and confidential data permanently from any storage media. So it can’t be accessed by anyone in future. There are numerous ways to do this like data shredding, physical destruction, degaussing and last not the least data erasing software based approach. After some point of time, every electronic device will be retired. What happens to the data it carrying since long, that data must be completely destroyed before being handed over to any local seller or any unwanted person. WHO Knows what happen with your data?

Why Data Destruction is required?

Because data accommodating devices like hard drive, servers, flash drives are the softest target for the data breach. That is due to limited awareness among general masses. With advancement in digital age, the use of pen and paper is reduced to minimal which means we are switching to online and offline mediums for storing information. Age and gender are not a bar for technology with everyone storing their precious information on storage devices like bank details, credit card information, passport numbers, social security number, etc. Do you want it to be enjoyed by cyber criminals possibly for their own profit and helping anti-national elements? None of us surely want it, so be wise and clean the drive with the efficient method.

Who Required Data Destruction?

Almost everyone on this planet. Yes, you heard right, those who value their data will always opt for data deletion. The consumer base is quite large, from a home based user to a trillion dollars fetching big companies. In fact, bigger companies have greater threats, companies along with the people included are bound by certain laws and policies where they need to follow strictly to avoid hefty fines or imprisonment. Different laws prevailing in some countries are HIPAA, JIPA, PCi-DSS, IT-Act, SOX etc. The companies are required to erase their data before handed over old IT assets to a local dealer or computer recycler. Also, in the case of closure of any business or process all the data related to it should be permanently deleted.

Various Industries associated with it.

•            Hospitals and various Clinics
•            Banking and Financial Serving Groups
•            IT Companies
•             Laws and Audit Firms
•            Various Academic Institutions and much more.

What happens if Data Leaked?

Eventually, you will fall in a big mess if any of your data is compromised. We never now the value of our data, its better evaluation is done by cyber goons. They usually recovered only those data which return them huge profits like financial firms records, government department or defense-related information, personal images and videos of individuals. So, it depends on the individual how securely and timely, they deleted it completely.

How we traditionally Removing Data?

Most of us, in absence of awareness still removing data with old traditional practice like shift-delete, formatting a drive, FDISK, Delete command which is highly considered unsafe. After every data removal, we feel relaxed and stress-free, that’s its gone for forever, but actually the data removed from only index table, with still prevailing in the core of disk. By using Data Recovery software, it will be easily recovered by the wrong intention fellows.

Sustainable way of deleting data

Few of the methods are already mentioned in the start of this post, but which one to choose is mattered the most. Physical destruction method is easy to done, but it creates lots of E-waste and contributes to polluting our environment. While the others have also, their pros and cons. But one method which surprised me most and produces excellent results is data erasing software method. No need to pollute the environment, even no need to visit data removal centers, just a click of the mouse and all wiped. This approach is based on the principle of overwriting with random 0’s and 1’s and other military based algorithms, there is no chance of any data recovery from any forensic tool. Consumers need to choose wisely because numbers of utilities are available in the market. Few of them which I personally test and used in recent past are:

1. BitRaser – From the house of Stellar Data Recovery
2. Secure Eraser
3. MiniTool- Drive Wipe

Final Words:-

Before doing any of the above methods, backups are must, because once the data is gone, its gone for forever. All the important information should be preserved for future use. Always clean up your important information timely to avoid any data breach in future. Use such methods which give you maximum returns at lower costs and saves the environment too.