Deleted files can often be recovered, and that's a problem when you're passing your PC or PC-related tech along to someone else. Whether it's sensitive financial data, business documents, or scandalous photos that could be used to blackmail you, you probably don't want people getting their hands on your private stuff.. Fortunately, you can take steps to protect your data, whether you're getting rid of a PC, external hard drive, or USB stick. Here's how! (And here's how to wipe mobile devices clean.) The link for this article located at IT World is no longer available. . Understand how to properly erase your files before disposing of computers and storage devices to ensure confidential data remains safe.. Data Sanitization, Secure Deletion, Device Recycling. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Solid state drives (SSDs) have a small security problem: they're tough to erase. That warning comes from researchers at the University of California at San Diego. "Sanitization is well-understood for traditional magnetic storage, such as hard drives and tapes," said the researchers' in their study summary. . "Newer solid state disks, however, have a much different internal architecture, so it is unclear whether what has worked on magnetic media will work on SSDs as well." Accordingly, the researchers tried 14 different file sanitizing techniques -- ranging from Gutman's 35-pass method to the Schneier 7-pass method -- on SSDs. To study each technique's effectiveness, the researchers didn't query the flash translation layer (FTL) that's part of an SSD, but rather accessed the chips at the lowest level possible, via their pins. (Dismantling chips is straightforward, they said.) The link for this article located at Information Week is no longer available. . Scientists uncover difficulties in effectively wiping SSDs when juxtaposed with conventional storage techniques. Explore the ramifications.. SSD Security, Data Sanitization, Solid State Drives, Storage Challenges, Erasure Techniques. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
NASA released 10 PCs to the public without completely scrubbing information from their hard drives, calling into question how the agency disposes of equipment that's no longer in use, according to a report by a government watchdog agency.. In a report (PDF) looking at how NASA disposes of old equipment, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) found "significant weaknesses in the sanitization and disposal processes for IT equipment" at four centers -- the Kennedy and Johnson Space Centers and Ames and Langley Research Centers. The link for this article located at Information Week is no longer available. . In a report (PDF) looking at how NASA disposes of old equipment, the Office of Inspector General (OI. released, public, without, completely, scrubbing, information, their, drives. . Alex
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