At some point, most of us have to retire a computer, laptop, or mobile device, whether it be due to hardware issues, upgrades, new services, etc. Well, there are effective ways to make sure your data has been properly erased before letting go of your old hardware. Also, when you want to delete any critical data that you may no longer need or that you don’t want in the wrong hands, there are methods and techniques to provide some insurance or piece of mind.
Trend Micro security firm has offered another useful guideline on this subject. Some basic topics include: knowing where your data is located, prioritizing what is critical or sensitive, and choosing which method will best suite your needs. A few methods discussed are cleaning your hard drive using a secure erasing tool that overwrites data several times, degaussing the hard drive (basically demagnetizing the drive), or destroying it (sledge hammer, etc.). Also take precaution for data stored on CD’s, external backup drives, or secure cloud services when wanting to properly delete data. And, of course this is mention of smartphones, since these devices are capable of storing sensitive data, so factor-resets and SD cards are something to think about.
We strongly suggest to properly recycle old computer components rather than just simply discarding like everyday trash. This not only helps our environment, but also some pieces of hardware can be re-used for others.
Anyhow, to read this guide by Trend Micro – Click Here