Destroying a Hard Drive

Each time you save a bank statement or family photo on your computer, it's stored on your hard drive. Therefore, when you're ready to replace your unused computers and electronics, there's an increase in risk for identity and data theft. You're at a higher risk if you're not taking precautions to destroy your hard drives or securely wipe them clean.


What many computer and electronics owners don't realize is that deleting a file doesn't do the job. It's possible for a file that's been deleted to be recovered by a tech-savvy individual utilizing some free software. It's for this reason experts strongly recommend hard drive destruction to ensure your computers are free from data. 

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Encryption Isn't Enough


If you believe that encrypting your hard drives before disposing of them is enough, you're mistaken. You're not securely disposing of them. Because technological improvements are occurring at a rapid rate, encryption codes that were formerly uncrackable are now broken. Furthermore, encryptions codes that are strong today will not continue experiencing that same strength over time. It's for this reason that we're seeing emergences of data from old hacks occurring that have taken longer to decrypt.


A Secure Wipe Isn't Enough


You can accomplish a secure wipe by deleting the desired files and repeatedly writing over the hard drive. In doing so, you're making it nearly impossible to recover the hard drive. For those who are unable to accomplish this task alone, it's vital that you contact a professional for assistance to ensure it's done properly. However, this isn't enough to ensure your computer is safe from hackers. Some hackers have software that can recover hard drives that have been overwritten multiple times.


Ensure Destruction is Permanent


It isn't uncommon for businesses to believe that, because they have data that are no longer current, it's now obsolete. Therefore, they consider it rubbish. In these cases, they throw away their hard drives with the rest of their trash. Under these circumstances, this action is highly insecure. Unauthorized individuals can merely retrieve the hard drive from where it was disposed.


There are other circumstances when overwriting or deleting data isn't possible. One example may be if your hard drive is no longer functioning. If this is your situation, it may become necessary for you to destroy your hard drive physically, so you're sure no of the data can be recovered.


Final Thoughts


The only way to make certain that a data breach will not occur is to employ hard drive destruction. In doing so, you're minimizing your chances of a data breach tremendously. Your actions will ensure that hackers will have less of a chance of accessing your device physically because it will no longer be in one piece. It's for that reason that information recovery would no longer be possible. One of the best ways of accomplishing this goal is by partnering with an organization specializing in hard drive destruction and, upon doing so, will provide you with certification. Once you've destroyed your hard drives, you're well on your way to ensuring data breaches aren't occurring in your business.