How do I responsibly dispose of backup tapes?

Question

Our old tape drives have failed and we not using tapes for backup anymore. We still have a stack of DLT tapes with backups which may contain sensitive information like credit card numbers, social security numbers, etc.

How do I responsibly dispose of these backup tapes?

If I had a working drive I would be tempted to dd from /dev/urandom to the tape device, but the drives have failed. Would this be a good method if the drive was still working? What do you recommend I do with these tapes given that I have no working drive for them?

Depending on the type of data on those tapes, are you sure you want to get rid of them immediately? You might check with accounting to ensure that they don't include data that might be requested by the IRS/[Insert Revenue or Regulatory Service]. For example you usually need to keep financials for 7 years - if you get audited, all you need to do if buy/rent a new drive to recover the data. — David, May 05 '09 at 16:54
@David, thanks, but in this case the tapes haven't been used for over 4 years, and I am sure our archival data exists in other locations. — Zoredache, May 05 '09 at 17:24

score 29 · Accepted Answer · edited Jan 18 '17 at 20:32

You could read the Guidelines for Media Sanitization (PDF) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Reel and Cassette Format Magnetic Tapes

Clear magnetic tapes by either re-recording (overwriting) or degaussing. Clearing a magnetic tape by re-recording (overwriting) may be impractical for most applications since the process occupies the tape transport for excessive time periods. Clearing by Overwriting: Overwriting should be performed on a system similar to the one that originally recorded the data. For example, overwrite previously recorded classified or sensitive VHS format video signals on a comparable VHS format recorder. All portions of the magnetic tape should be overwritten one time with known non-sensitive signals.

Degauss using an NSA/CSS-approved degausser. Purging by Degaussing: Purge the magnetic tape in any degausser that can purge the signal enough to prohibit playback of the previous known signal. Purging by degaussing can be accomplished easier by using an NSA/CSS-approved degausser for the magnetic tape.

Incinerate by burning the tapes in a licensed incinerator

Shred

Preparatory steps, such as removing the tape from the reel or cassette prior to destruction, are unnecessary. However, segregation of components (tape and reels or cassettes) may be necessary to comply with the requirements of a destruction facility or for recycling measures.

score 16 · Answer 2 · answered May 05 '09 at 16:17

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May I suggest Thermite?

answered May 05 '09 at 16:17

Julio César

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+1 to anyone who mentions Thermite for any reason. – cop1152 Jun 12 '09 at 12:25
+1 to both of you :-D – Bigbio2002 Apr 06 '12 at 14:43

score 6 · Answer 3 · answered May 05 '09 at 16:42

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Fire is your friend.

answered May 05 '09 at 16:42

Chopper3

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I like that option :-) – Antoine Benkemoun Jun 12 '09 at 11:43
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I say we take off and nuke the entire site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure :) – Chopper3 Jun 12 '09 at 14:12
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Plastic emits toxic fumes when burned. – Les Sep 29 '09 at 18:44
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And sites emit radioactive particles when nuked from orbit. – MadHatter Apr 06 '12 at 16:05

JohnyD · Answer 4 · 2009-09-29T16:46:36.057

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If the number of tapes is reasonable (<100) then there are any number of ways to permanently destroy them. Be creative.

If the number of tapes is much greater (>500) then I would contact a shredding company. Even if they don't handle tape media I'm sure they would have knowledge of those who would.

edited Sep 29 '09 at 16:46

answered Aug 19 '09 at 16:13

JohnyD

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i liked the original answer better :) – warren Oct 01 '09 at 12:59
I didn't have enough characters left to hum out the theme song so..... :) – JohnyD Oct 01 '09 at 17:30

score 3 · Answer 5 · answered Jun 12 '09 at 14:06

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I'll tell you what we do

1- 2 minutes on the degaussing machine 2- sharp scissors and about 20 minutes to make confetti. alternately, a good office shredder.

answered Jun 12 '09 at 14:06

hellimat

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score 2 · Answer 6 · edited Mar 28 '12 at 14:52

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When I first took over at my current job, we had well over 100 old backup tapes. I borrowed a huge magnet from the hardware store, the kind on wheels that is used to roll through a yard to pickup nails after a re-shingle. Anyway, I zapped them all with that. Then tossed them into the trash

I have always read that would work, but I havent tested it. I probably should have spot-tested a couple of them.

edited Mar 28 '12 at 14:52

user9517

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answered Jun 12 '09 at 12:27

cop1152

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Edit: Can confirm this works. I used the set of magnets from an old hard drive. Strong as hell. Tested on VCR, Floppy, and Travon 20 GB Data Cartridge. All the data was corrupted. – user9517 Mar 28 '12 at 14:51

score 2 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 28 '12 at 15:04

Not that this answers the question as asked by the OP, but for the benefits of anyone else reading this question, easy disposal is one of the fringe benefits of encrypting my backups: when I need to dispose of the tape, I tear the first few inches of tape off to make casual scanning difficult, then drop the rest into any old bin.

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Jan 09 '16 at 15:14

I was given a faulty 12" 1000W speaker with large heavy magnet. I put 4 tapes on at a time. Leave overnight. Strip the first 3 feet off by hand then bin them. Try your local disco equipment center for faulty speaker, should be able to get one with exposed magnets for £5. PS The tapes were encrypted.

How do I responsibly dispose of backup tapes?

8 Answers8