Busted- Top 4 Myths about Data Erasure
Confused about the meanings of data erasure and its limits? Continue reading to learn more about data erasure and the different errors around it. Strict guidelines for user data protection have been developed by the EU General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), the Senate Law in New York, and laws of a similar nature in other nations. These rules have established requirements for the safe and legal processing of user data, including consumer data held by enterprises.
These data protection regulations include severe financial fines, legal action, and possibly prison time for violators. As well, there is a default possibility of lost customers or brand damage. Under these new data safety laws, tech behemoths i.e. Google & Facebook have already paid heavy fines for data breaches.
Different data destruction procedures have arisen at an industrial level as a result of the requirement for the safe and compliant handling of user data throughout its lifecycle. Information destruction refers to sensitizing data permanently so that it is unreadable (illegible) by any technique. Data destruction is done to protect the data subject’s privacy by preventing its leak or exposure (user).
Data eraser is a method of destroying data that involves overwriting the information’s bits with binary patterns to make it illegible. . It is a method of media sanitization that is widely used in both businesses and the ITAD sector. The top four data erasure myths are debunked in this blog post in light of the expanding reach and impact of data protection regulations. The goal is to provide you with the information you need to reach failsafe regulatory compliance and data privacy.
# Myth 1: Formatting Completely Removes Data from a File
Fact: Formatting doesn’t permanently delete any data.
Formatting your hard drive is not a safe solution if you want to completely lose access to the data, especially if you want to give or throw away your old computer. The data still lives on the storage drive after formatting the device, and it is simple to recover the data from a formatted hard disc or SSD using a DIY program i.e. like CubexSoft Data Recovery Tool.
The storage partition table is erased during the formatting procedure, and the data in the file system is delinked. In order to reuse the drive, it re-indexes the file system. Although it appears to the user that the data has vanished since it is no longer accessible, the information actually remains in the storage. The information can be recovered utilizing free DIY Data Recovery Program. So, formatting is not secure and can result in data breaches and leaks.
# Myth 2: Deleting Aids Get Rid of Information
Fact: Deleting is extremely insecure and can result in data leaks and breaches.
A file or any other type of data can be deleted from your computer, but doing so just gets rid of the file’s links to memory locations in the file system. Even if you empty the recycle bin, this fact remains valid. File deletion followed by Recycle Bin emptying is a perfect example of “out of sight, out of mind.” The file disappears from view and is no longer traceable. As a result, you feel safe in your conviction that it has been completely wiped out. It is a myth because of this. The erased data are still present on your drive, whether it is an external storage device or an HDD. They may not be visible to you anymore, but they’re still recoverable. The erased files can be recovered using a DIY-free data recovery tool.
Consequently, erasing is a very unsafe way to get rid of files, particularly if you’re giving away your old computer, drive, or laptop, selling it on the secondary market, or donating it for a good reason. It is best to erase all of your data beforehand, even if you give it to a friend so that the old data doesn’t come back to haunt you.
Why take a chance? In fact, utilizing CubexSoft Data Erasure Tool to delete all of your data while in control makes far more sense.
# Myth 3: SSDs are Degaussable
Fact: Data kept on SSDs is not lost during degaussing.
Degaussing is a method for erasing data from electromechanical storage devices like hard disc drives that involves neutralizing the magnetic field of the device. In such a transition, data is irreparably lost.
However, that occurs only on traditional hard discs. Solid-state drives cannot be degaussed (SSDs). Data storage on SSDs is fundamentally different from data storage on traditional electromechanical hard discs. On SSDs, data is not magnetically stored. SSDs store data using flash memory chips. For these chips, a magnetic coating is not required.
On traditional hard disks, which store data magnetically, degaussing is almost a golden rule for data destruction. SSDs don’t. That’s all there is to it.
# Myth 4: Data is Destroyed by Shredding
Fact: Avoiding forensic recovery methods may not always be possible with shredding.
Shredding is a procedure of physical destruction where the storage device is cut into smaller parts, usually between 2 & 30 mm, rendering the data unrecoverable. The technique depends on erasing the storage media in a way that makes it difficult to read or recover the underlying data.
However, there is a chance that shredding may still leave behind some of the storage media, like the platter, in a dimension suitable for forensic data extraction. The prospect of data retrieval utilizing cutting-edge methods exists when a relatively small data storage component, such as the NAND chip in an SSD, escapes the grinder or is only partially damaged.
Now that you understand data erasure better, make sure to delete all the private information before getting rid of your old computer.
