18/10/2022
A customer asked me recently…”what do I do with old. Sensitive data?”
This is a very good, but very subjective question. There are several scenarios, and I will go through those now.
Basic delete. For these, a standard delete would usually be enough. But make sure you “Shift + delete” rather than just delete. If not, they are stuck in your recycle bin which then needs deleted. This is a very low level delete. If somebody really wants them back, they can get them back. This is for domestic use..family photos etc
Erasing hard drive.
The way files work on a storage drive is the files are stored in 2 pieces…a header, like a signpost, and the data itself. The signpost points to the data. The problem with the basic delete is the signpost is deleted, but the data itself remains. For under £100, you can buy software that will find this data. If you are using an external hard drive, such as a USB stick, you can format the drive. Formatting the drive will erase all data, including the headers (signposts). If you have admin rights to the machine, you can delete user accounts that will have this data but it wont erase the data. You can do a “Windows reset” which gives the option to erase all user data…this will indeed erase the data too. This is one of the services I provide, even if you don’t know the admin passwords, I am able to get round that usually.
Does erasing hard drive remove the data?
Just to confuse you even more, formatting a hard drive will erase the data to most people. However, you can take your formatted hard drives to a forensic data company who will usually still be able to recover most of the data. This will be charged at maybe £200 or more, but it is possible.
So how do I do it?
This is my best advice. I would always reset my hard drive before getting rid of it…using the Windows reset function. Following that, if there was sensitive data on there (financial, legal..again all very subjective) and then I would open the device up, put the hard drive into a shopping bag and hammer the contents vigorously for a minute. This usually exposes the circular media on which the data is stored. I would then cut this into little pieces and dispose of those pieces in separate bins or burn them. To regain that data, somebody extremely keen would have to find all the physical pieces and put them together jigsaw fashion, and refit them into a hard drive casing. If you think this is extreme, think of shredding machines in your office. This is how the data companies do it. They physically shred your drives using commercial machinery.
And finally…I am happy to dispose of your domestic data. This would be chargeable. However, I am not licensed to dispose of commercial data.
Any questions…please ask
