Secure Data Sanitization

The process of irreversibly removing or obscuring all information stored on a device, data sanitization systematically and permanently destroys all the data on a specific piece of storage media. Unlike regular deletion, which only removes files from the directory structure, data sanitization erases every trace of information from a hard drive, making any means of data recovery impossible.

Data sanitization is important because it protects the data of an organization or individual and mitigates the risk of legal liability. It does this by ensuring zero leakage of data not just during transfers but also as part of optimized management and maintenance of your IT assets, making it a critical part of the process of protecting sensitive information when disposing of, repurposing, or selling old devices.

From company processes to customer information, IT assets hold critical information for every business. Sensitive data on obsolete or end-of-life media presents an increased risk on a number of levels, from the loss of valuable info to a legally actionable data breach. Read about a real-life scenario in our rundown of the Morgan Stanley data breach.

The three primary data sanitization methods are physical destruction, cryptographic erasure, and data erasure.

1. Physical destruction: The most common way to sanitize a device is to physically destroy it — for example, destroying a hard disk or an old laptop with an embedded hard disk.

2. Cryptographic Erasure: In devices that use encryption, cryptographic erasure involves deleting or changing the encryption keys, rendering the encrypted data permanently unreadable. This method is efficient because it makes the data inaccessible without the need for multiple overwriting passes. The effectiveness depends on the strength of the encryption method used.

3. Data Erasure (Software-Based Overwriting): This process involves using software to overwrite all areas of a device with new data — often using random patterns of 0s and 1s multiple times — to completely erase the original data and ensure that it cannot be recovered. Standards for data erasure can vary, with some requiring multiple overwrite passes to meet security requirements (e.g., DoD 5220.22-M standard).

Each of the two data sanitization methods listed above has its advantages and use cases, depending on the type of storage media and the level of data security required. It’s important to choose a method that ensures compliance with the legal and industry standards specific to your industry and location. Not sure what requirements apply to your business? We can help.

Zero leakage is the prevention of unauthorized transmission of data from an organization to any external source, commonly known as a data break. This data can be leaked physically or electronically via hard drives, USB devices, mobile phones, etc., and exposed publicly or exploited by cybercriminals.

Data sanitization needs to be carried out whenever a business relocates any part of its data center or IT infrastructure, or when it retires or disposes of older hardware.