IT Security Stack Exchange
IT Security Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [disposal]

15 questions
73
votes
11 answers

How to securely dispose of a smartphone?

How to dispose of a smartphone (it's an iPhone 5) at home? I was reading through this SE site questions and found this one which hardly applies here. Besides, I'd want to do it so that: It's not damaging the ecology (at least not too much) I don't…
Alma Do
  • 803
  • 1
  • 5
  • 9
48
votes
7 answers

How to securely, physically destroy a hard drive at home?

Hard drive in question has sensitive unencrypted data but has failed and no longer responds so can't be wiped. I'd like to physically destroy the said hard drive (3-1/2" desktop, spinning platter drive) before discarding it. What "home remedies" are…
DeepSpace101
  • 2,143
  • 3
  • 22
  • 35
13
votes
3 answers

Why are drives overwritten three times when being disposed of?

I am looking at the secure disposal of old flash drives, and one of the standards I have come across says that they should be overwritten three times. Why is one time not enough? I assume doing the process three times is more expensive than doing it…
Arlix
  • 1,459
  • 3
  • 13
  • 22
8
votes
4 answers

Does a rewritten file on NTFS use the same blocks?

Suppose that we produce a sensitive document on a Windows 7 box, NTFS filesystem. As we write the document, it grows longer, and we keep saving it, which means that the editor overwrites it from the beginning, truncating it to zero length and…
Kaz
  • 2,303
  • 16
  • 17
6
votes
1 answer

Hardware-based full disk encryption without pre-boot authentication

I am looking for a possibility to sanitize large amounts of data on regular hard-drives and SSDs. Instead of overwriting the data several times (on regular hard-drives, which could take days and doesn't "work" on SSDs) I am thinking about using…
Malevol
  • 61
  • 1
6
votes
1 answer

What Certification(s) to look for in Hard Drive destruction?

Many vendors exist to pick up old (enterprise) Hardware for recycling and offer services including sanitization and destruction (shredding). The concern is that media could potentially still contain sensitive information (through data remanence…
bfloriang
  • 205
  • 1
  • 6
4
votes
2 answers

Do any web browsers create cached copies of local HTML files?

Suppose that we create a sensitive file as a HTML document, and then view that file with a web browser such as Firefox, or other. Is it possible that the file is treated as if it were a document fetched over HTTP or HTTPS, and stored in the…
Kaz
  • 2,303
  • 16
  • 17
4
votes
4 answers

How to physically destroy an SSD at home?

SSDs seem to be notoriously tricky to properly erase (see for example this question and answers here). An easier and potentially safer solution could be to physically destroy the SSD device. I am looking for a way to physically destroy an SSD device…
fgysin
  • 715
  • 1
  • 9
  • 13
3
votes
6 answers

How do I securely dispose of a removable USB storage device from within an office?

How can I safely and securely dispose of a USB device at my workplace using only basic tools and objects commonly found in an office? I am unable to remove the device from the premises. I cannot engage in potentially dangerous activities like…
Numeron
  • 2,455
  • 3
  • 15
  • 19
1
vote
1 answer

How to ensure that a router is fully reset to factory defaults

I have a router (TP Link Archer C2) that I would like to pass on to a friend or give to a thriftstore. However, I noticed some logs via the admin tools. The router apparently logged some requests and associated IP adresses for debugging. Logging was…
hexamon
  • 273
  • 1
  • 2
  • 7
0
votes
2 answers

Using a https Website will my ISP see to which IP i am connecting?

If i am visiting a https Website will my ISP see the IP i am connecting to, or is the destination IP adress somehow hidden because i am using ssl?
Junior J. Garland
  • 677
  • 5
  • 15
0
votes
2 answers

Deniable discussions online

Consider this scenario: Alice is a typical corporate shark. She wants to get ahead in her organisation. Alice has a sensitive information security scenario, she needs expert consultation but she doesn't know any experts. Due to whatever she's…
a20
  • 198
  • 7
0
votes
2 answers

If an SSD uses TRIM, is there any reason to destroy it physically to protect one's data?

If an SSD uses TRIM such as a Mac with TRIM support when it deletes files, I've been told that it is completely unrecoverable. Therefore, is it ever really better protection to physically destroy the SSD to protect one's data?
sangstar
  • 13
  • 2
0
votes
3 answers

About SSD secure disposal for conforming to iso27001

To be compliant with ISO27001 secure disposal controls with a magnetic HDD we could degauss it before disposal. In SSD scenario, what is the best way for secure disposal which is compliant to ISO27001 standard?
MemoryLeak
  • 101
  • 1
0
votes
1 answer

Scrubbing data from a dead tablet

I have a broken android tablet (waterlogged) that is completely dead. I want to give it to a friend who wants to try to fix it, but I'm concerned with my data in the tablet. I don't have the tool nor the time to learn to disassemble the tablet to…
Endy Tjahjono
  • 101
  • 5