Every retired laptop, server and storage array carries data. Deleting files or reformatting a drive does not remove it. There are two reliable ways to make sure the data is gone: sanitize the drive so it can be reused, or destroy it physically. The right choice depends on the drive, the data and what you plan to do with the hardware.
What NIST 800-88 says
NIST Special Publication 800-88, Guidelines for Media Sanitization, is the standard most U.S. organizations follow. It describes three levels:
- Clear: overwrite user-addressable storage so the data cannot be recovered with ordinary tools.
- Purge: use techniques such as cryptographic erase or firmware-level secure erase so the data cannot be recovered even in a lab.
- Destroy: shred, disintegrate or pulverize the media so it can never be used again.
When data wiping makes sense
- The hardware still has resale or redeployment value.
- The drives are working and support a verified erase method.
- You need a record of each successful wipe, by serial number.
When physical destruction makes sense
- Drives are failed or cannot complete a verified wipe.
- The data is highly sensitive and policy requires destruction.
- The media has little resale value, such as older hard drives and tapes.
Do not forget SSDs
Solid-state drives store data differently from spinning hard drives, so classic overwrite methods are not always reliable on them. Use the manufacturer’s secure erase or cryptographic erase, or shred them to a small particle size.
What a certificate of destruction should include
- Serial numbers of every drive or device
- The method used (wipe standard or destruction method)
- Date and location of the work
- Signature of the party that performed it
Part of a bigger plan
Media destruction is usually one step in retiring equipment. Our data center decommissioning checklist covers the rest. CloudMosaic provides media destruction, data sanitization and decommissioning with documented results. Ask us about your equipment.