Every time technology takes a step forward in terms of security and privacy, malicious actors seeking to exploit sensitive data also find new ways to access confidential information.
In this article, we will explore the different techniques you can use to render hard drives and other storage media irretrievable and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each. We will also compare various modern data destruction products and see how each can help you safeguard your critical data against data breaches.
What is Data Destruction?
When we talk about data destruction, what we are referring to is the process of making the data stored in various devices (such as hard drives, solid-state drives, magnetic tapes, or optical media) unrecoverable.
This can be done using various techniques. For example, the most common ones include:
- Data overwriting: This process systematically overwrites the existing data on a hard drive, replacing it with random or predefined patterns. You typically do this several times to ensure the information is irrecoverable.
- Cryptographic erasure: Instead of destroying the data, this method encrypts the entire storage device with strong encryption algorithms. The key is then securely erased.
- Degaussing: Degaussers are machines that use powerful magnets to disrupt a hard drive’s magnetic field, erasing any stored data. The process renders the drive unreadable by scrambling the magnetic patterns.
- Shredding: This method involves physically shredding a drive into small pieces, rendering it completely unusable, too. Drive shredders are designed to break the hard drive platters containing the data.
- Crushing: Similarly, crushers use hydraulic or mechanical pressure to effectively destroy the data by deforming the drive and damaging the platters and other components beyond repair.
Old Data Erasure vs Physical Destruction
There are important differences between data erasure and data destruction you should always keep in mind before you make a decision about how you deal with essential information.
The most relevant one is that simply deleting files or formatting a hard drive does not guarantee the data will be made irretrievable. While erasure can overwrite old information, it might not be enough to ensure data privacy. For one, the effectiveness will depend on using reputable and certified software tools. But also, it’s vital to perform the erasure on all areas of the hard drive, including hidden sectors or system areas. If, for example, your drive has underlying hardware issues like malfunctioning components, the data erasure might not be completely successful. Lastly, erasure on removable storage media (like USB drives or memory cards) can be less secure compared to erasure on fixed hard drives.
Now, what about physical destruction? This method (which can include shredding, crushing, or incineration) breaks or deforms drives – so it ensures the platters of memory chips that contain the data are destroyed beyond repair. Plus, you get visual confirmation of data destruction.
A Note on Degaussing
Degaussing is a highly effective method for destroying the information in data storage devices, as the magnets in these machines disrupt and erase the magnetic patterns that represent the data. However, there’s one important consideration about this technique: It’s only useful for traditional magnetic drives, such as HDDs and magnetic tapes.
So, while degaussing is an efficient and rapid method suitable for organizations that need to destroy data on a large scale, it will not work on SSDs and NAND chips because these do not have magnetic domains.
Data Destruction Benefits
We have covered the main methods for destroying data, including erasure and physical destruction. So, what are the benefits of using them, and how can you choose the best one to fit your needs?
Data Security
When you destroy the data stored in a hard drive, you can ensure that sensitive information (such as personal information, business trade secrets, or other confidential data) is permanently and securely eliminated from it. This, in turn, minimizes the risk of data breaches and unauthorized access.
Compliance with Regulations
Data destruction can help your organization comply with data protection and privacy regulations, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and other industry-specific standards. So, by using these methods, you will be able to avoid the potential fines, penalties, and reputational damage associated with non-compliance.
Risk Mitigation
Securely eliminating your old data makes it practically impossible for cybercriminals or unauthorized individuals to retrieve or misuse sensitive information. So, by doing this, your company will be able to reduce the risk of data breaches, identity theft, and financial fraud.
Reuse and Recycling
Data destruction can help you safely reuse or recycle electronic devices (if you use a technique that does not physically destroy the media). By securely erasing the data before repurposing or recycling, your organization can thus minimize electronic waste and contribute to environmental sustainability.
Intellectual Property Protection
Destroying old data can also help you safeguard valuable intellectual property, trade secrets, and proprietary information from being accessed or stolen, preventing competitors or malicious actors from gaining unauthorized insights or leveraging confidential information and using it to their advantage.
End-of-Life Data Management
When you retire or decommission a storage device, destroying the data stored in it can ensure that there is no sensitive information left behind. This, as we mentioned, reduces the risk of accidental exposure or data leaks.
Our Data Security Products and Data Destruction Services
At Phiston Technologies, we engineer our data destruction products to respond to the rapid growth of information technology and the rise of data breaches. Our range includes disintegrators, HDD destroyers, SSD destroyers, and degaussers.
Our HDD Destroyers
A hard drive destroyer is designed to employ various destructive mechanisms to render a hard drive inoperable. We offer three HDD destroyers:
- MediaVise® HDD Destroyer: A compact, portable solution to destroy hard drives that deliver 20 tons (40,0000 lbs) of destructive forces to mangle platters, controllers, and read heads in just 30 seconds.
- MediaVise® Compact HDD Destroyer: A versatile NSA/CSS-approved destroyer that can be deployed in any office, truck, or data center.
- MediaVise® Rackmount HDD Destroyer: The first and only destroyer that can be installed in a server rack, this machine only takes nine rack units and includes mounting and installation.
Our SSD Destroyers
A solid-state drive destroyer (or SSD crusher) is designed to deal with SSDs, which do not contain rotating platters but instead use flash memory chips to store data. We offer five SSD destroyers:
- MediaVise® SSD Destroyer: A commercial-grade SSD destroyer that is designed for use in offices, trucks, and data centers and that is both portable and versatile.
- MediaVise® Compact SSD Destroyer: A remarkably powerful and compact SSD destroyer designed with specially designed plates with interlocking pyramidal teeth.
- MediaVise® Compact V-Spike SSD Destroyer: A compact desktop SSD destruction solution that offers 20 tons of destructive forces.
- MediaVise® High Thru-Put SSD Destroyer: A quiet and portable machine designed for organizations needing to destroy a large number of SSDs on-site.
- MediaVise® Rackmount V-Spike SSD Destroyer: The first and only SSD destroyer that can be installed in a server rack (and destroy drives in less than 30 seconds).
Our Disintegrators
A disintegrator physically destroys hard drives by disintegrating them into tiny particles or powder. We offer three robust disintegrators:
- MediaDice® All Media Disintegrator A2: A solution that can destroy and disintegrate all types of media, including solid state drives, hard drives, switches, and laptops, meeting the 2mm nominal edge length required by the NSA/CSS.
- MediaDice® All Media Disintegrator A10: The market’s only solution to disintegrate all types of media to 10mm by 10 mm. It also includes a built-in magnetic metal separator sp the e-waste produced can be recycled.
- MediaDice® SSD Disintegrator-2C: A powerful SSD disintegrator trusted by some of the world’s largest tech companies that can destroy up to 25 drives in a batch.
Our Degaussers
A degausser erases data from magnetic storage media (like hard drives and tapes) by generating a strong magnetic field that disrupts and neutralizes the magnetic patterns. We offer one powerful degausser:
- MediaVise® Rackmount Dual Sanitizer: An innovative 2-in-1 hard drive destruction solution that can both degauss and destroy the media in less than 25 seconds.
