Benefits of Data Destruction

1. Benefits of Data Destruction In today’s world, where the transfer of data from one place to another regardless if its hundreds of miles away can be sent and received faster than the speed of light, it is crucial that we protect our data. When you have important files, which can lead to compromising your personal security, getting your data destroyed before you sell, or throw away your storage media like hard disk is now an essential part of data security. For more information visit: http://www.cyberrecycling.com.au/lp/secure-data-destruction.php Businesses are now taking action to prevent being a victim of data breach. As of today, the number of companies that are becoming victims of data breach are increasing. Even those that we knew are aware about this and those that say they have top-level security with their data are now working full-time in protecting security holes in their systems because they also have encountered data breach once or twice per year. As an individual, you might ask: “Why do I need secure data destruction? Do I have files in my hard drive that can compromise my personal security?” Or “I’m not a businessperson, so there is no need to worry if someone gains access to my personal information, right?” One thing personal data gets compromised is through file deletion. Here, are some common misconceptions that you should be aware of: Decommissioning process – Deleting files in a drive and emptying the trash is not a secure way to remove data because data recovering tools can recover these files. Moreover, data recovering tools are very easy to use and can be downloaded online for free. Formatting won’t work either. No matter how many times you format a drive only 1% of the whole contents of the drive is unrecoverable. To get 100% of the drive unrecoverable, you will need to reformat the drive at least 100 times which is not a convenient thing to do. For more information visit: http://www.cyberrecycling.com.au/decommision-of-it-assets.php What actually happens when you delete a file? When you use the command/option to delete a file in an operating system permanently particularly Windows, you just make it invisible to the operating system. So it means it is hidden not removed. There is an index in a hard disk which determines the location of the files created. Without it, your files will scramble anywhere in the drive that is why there are folders, and when you look for a file, it is always in that same position, not unless you move it. When a file is deleted, the index of the actual file is only removed thus making space for a new file that might be created. The actual file is moved to the free space of the drive so, it can be overwritten; therefore, this is the only time that the file will be gone for good. To overwrite a file, you will need to create a similar size of the file you just deleted. So what if there are other files that got there deleted, as well? The order of overwriting a file starts from the newer ones than from the older files. So, if you

2. happen to delete an important document and before that you deleted a video, you will need a couple of overrides so. the new one can overwrite your document. This goes similar when formatting a drive. The index is only removed, but all your files stay in the disk’s free space. What are the risks of not removing remnant data? Anyone who knows how to recover remnant data are sure to view what you deleted, recover them, and use it as their advantage. Identity thieves use this advantage so they can get personal information without your knowing it (because you already know you deleted those files). Identity theft is one of the main reason you need to remove remnant data. Do you know that your identity can be used to commit the following crimes: Theft Robbery Murder And other criminal offense that will make you a suspect. You can lose thousands of dollars if your bank account is known. It is not hard to find out about your bank account once the thief knows your address, birthday, and real name. If your social security number is discovered by the thief, he can sign up for loans, credit card accounts, and cheque accounts. The thieves are so sly these days because you will never know about their doing because they will redirect the address from your true address to other address so when the bill comes, you will never know about it. Why do we need to remove remnant data? The answer is simple, to protect against data breach and identity theft. You have to be very cautious of your personal information whether you are rich, live by the wage, or a poor guy because identity theft chooses no one. Removing remnant data is very easy here are some things you can do: Secure data wiping – Install a wiping software or also known as a data shredder and then selectively wipe your important files. If you need to sell your hard disk, completely format the drive with data wiping so all files cannot be recovered. Hard drive destruction – Physically destroy the hard disk if it is damaged and cannot be run your computer to do the software wiping. Do not forget to crush the disk platters completely so, it cannot be run nor recovered.