ANSWERS: 1
  • Wiping your computer's hard drive of sensitive files and information is never as easy as most users think. Deleting a file or an email only hides the deleted information in recoverable areas on your computer's hard drive.

    Secure Deletion Standards

    The only real way to wipe your hard drive of sensitive data is via methods established in the Department of Defense (DoD) 5220.22-M protocol for secure deletion standards.

    DoD 5220.22-M Protocols

    Third-party software programs will "wipe" your hard drive through DoD 5220.22-M protocols, which rewrites all accessible data on a hard drive with a special character and its complement, followed by a random character.

    Misconceptions: Formatting

    Wiping a hard drive of information is typically why people format hard drives. However, formatting the data fragments it, compresses it and makes it recoverable through various programs.

    Considerations

    Per DoD 5220.22-M protocols, three to seven passes of overwriting need to occur to make the data unrecoverable. Therefore, time should be considered, and is based on speed of the computer and the read/write rate of the hard drive.

    Alternatives

    Wiping a hard drive per DoD 5220.22-M standards allows the hard drive to remain usable. However, complete physical destruction of a hard drive ensures sensitive data cannot be recovered.

    Source:

    Deparement of Defense: NIPSOM Supplement 1; Section C8.5.2.4.1. Overwriting Media.

    PCMag.com: Wiping a Hard Drive

    PC Hell: Deleting Hard Drive Data vs. Physically Destroying Hard Drive

    Resource:

    Active @ Killdisk Hard Drive Eraser

    QSGI: US Dept of Defense Standard 5220.22-M

    How to Wipe Your Drive

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