CompTIA A+ Core 2 (220-1202)SecurityHard
A company is decommissioning several old solid-state drives (SSDs) that contained confidential client data. Due to the nature of SSD technology, traditional magnetic degaussing is ineffective. The company requires a method that securely and permanently renders the data unrecoverable. Which data destruction method should be used?
- ALow-level format
- BShredding
- CStandard OS format
- DCryptographic erase
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. Shredding
For SSDs containing highly confidential data, physical destruction methods like shredding or pulverizing are the most secure and definitive ways to ensure data is unrecoverable, especially when other methods might leave traces.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Low-level format is often not truly low-level on modern SSDs and may not overwrite all blocks due to wear leveling.
- C. A standard OS format only deletes pointers to data, leaving the data potentially recoverable.
- D. Cryptographic erase relies on the drive's self-encryption capabilities and the secure deletion of the encryption key, but its effectiveness depends on the drive's implementation and cannot be independently verified without specialized tools.
Physical Destruction (for SSDs)
A data destruction method that involves physically damaging the storage media (e.g., shredding, pulverizing, incineration) to ensure data is irretrievable.
- Most secure method for highly sensitive data on SSDs.
- Renders the drive unusable and data unrecoverable.
- Necessary for SSDs where software-based wipes or degaussing are ineffective.
Memory trick: For SSDs, shred it to truly delete it.