Securely Destroy Data from Your Old Devices

Ever thought of selling or recycling your old phone or computer? The first step you might take is to perform a factory reset to erase all of your personal data from the device. Your device then looks like it did the day you purchased it, so you’re good to sell or recycle it, right? Security software company Avast recently put this theory to the test.
Avast reported that after purchasing 20 used Android phones through eBay, they were able to recover the previous owners’ personal photos, contact info, music and files still stored on the device. The startling part is that Avast merely used standard data recovery software to retrieve the information.
Why wouldn’t a factory reset erase all of the previous files? When wiping any storage device, the software that runs the device’s content only removes the index information for the file. The content remains on the device until it is overwritten by new data. Therefore, the content can still be restored. This goes for wiping any storage device.
When your company is ready to move on to a new phone, computer or server system, you should carefully consider what you will do with your old device. Partnering with a trusted company that can assist you with taking the necessary precautions ensures that your data cannot be recovered from decommissioned systems. This could include DOD grade wipes of the storage hardware or physical destruction. These measures help you protect sensitive company information, such as accounting documents, financial data, client information and other confidential files.
eIRONClad provides this service free to our managed clients. We securely destroy data as well as properly dispose and recycle hardware to protect the environment. Not a managed customer? Call us for a free consultation at 858.202.1758.