Data Security and Sanitization Best Practices
Data security is paramount in today's digital landscape. As companies from small businesses to Fortune 500 enterprises and government entities handle sensitive information, secure IT asset disposition (ITAD) is critical. Nonprofit refurbishers provide secure data handling services while ensuring environmental responsibility. In this article, we outline best practices for data sanitization that are used to handle a wide range of assets, including magnetic media, SSDs, tablets, and phones.
According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-88, proper data sanitization involves ensuring that sensitive data is irreversibly removed or destroyed from storage devices. This is crucial to prevent data breaches and unauthorized data recovery. Members of the Nonprofit Refurbishers Network are committed to following industry-standard protocols for secure data destruction, ensuring sensitive data from government agencies, corporations, and other entities is handled with the highest level of security.
Overview of Data Sanitization Methods
Data sanitization is the process of securely erasing data from devices to make data recovery impossible. This process is crucial for organizations that handle sensitive information, and it must be approached with a method that suits the media being sanitized. The three primary methods of data sanitization are:
- Clearing: The process of overwriting storage devices with new data, rendering the original information non-recoverable. This is commonly done with software that writes patterns of 0s and 1s across the entire storage medium.
- Purging: More rigorous than clearing, purging involves overwriting the data with additional verification to ensure that the original data is not retrievable, even with advanced forensic tools. Magnetic degaussing is a common purging method for magnetic media.
- Physical Destruction: This method ensures data is irrecoverable by physically damaging the storage device. Examples include shredding hard drives, incinerating, or employing other destruction mechanisms.
Sanitizing Different Types of Media
Each type of storage media requires unique sanitization techniques to ensure complete data erasure. Below, we summarize best practices for sanitizing various types of storage media.
Magnetic Media (Hard Disk Drives)
For magnetic storage, such as traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), NIST recommends either overwriting the drive multiple times or degaussing. Overwriting is accomplished using specialized software that writes random data patterns, effectively rendering the original information inaccessible. Degaussing, on the other hand, uses a strong magnetic field to disrupt the magnetic domains on the drive, effectively erasing data. After degaussing, physical destruction is typically recommended to guarantee complete erasure.
Solid State Drives (SSDs)
Unlike magnetic drives, SSDs utilize flash memory, which requires special attention when it comes to data sanitization. Overwriting may not always be effective due to wear leveling, a mechanism that distributes data evenly across the memory cells. The NIST guidelines suggest using encryption-based erasure methods or manufacturer-specific secure erase commands to sanitize SSDs. These methods ensure that data stored across the flash cells is securely erased.
Mobile Devices (Tablets and Phones)
Mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, often come with built-in factory reset options. However, for complete data sanitization, especially when dealing with sensitive data, a factory reset may not be enough. Tools such as Blancco Mobile or other certified software should be used to ensure data is completely removed from all areas, including the flash storage, SIM cards, and external SD cards.
Best Practices for Data Sanitization
To ensure proper data sanitization, it is essential to follow established best practices that comply with industry standards:
- Follow Industry Standards: Use guidelines such as NIST SP 800-88 for data sanitization. These standards provide detailed processes and requirements to ensure the secure erasure of data from various media types.
- Use Certified Software: Employ certified data sanitization software such as Blancco, DBAN, or other reputable tools. These solutions provide a documented chain of custody and certifications to ensure that data has been securely erased.
- Maintain a Chain of Custody: When handling sensitive data, it's essential to maintain a documented chain of custody to track each step of the asset's lifecycle—from collection to sanitization and destruction.
- Verification: Always verify that the data sanitization process has been completed successfully. Verification can be done by sampling drives to ensure that no data can be recovered.
The Role of Nonprofit Refurbishers in Secure ITAD
Nonprofit refurbishers play an important role in providing secure ITAD services. By following industry best practices for data sanitization, they ensure the secure handling of sensitive data while extending the life of devices through refurbishment. This provides both a cost-effective solution for organizations and contributes to environmental sustainability by reducing e-waste.
Organizations ranging from government entities to Fortune 500 companies can confidently partner with nonprofit refurbishers to handle their retired IT assets. These refurbishers employ certified processes and adhere to stringent security measures to protect sensitive information throughout the disposition process.
