Company XYZ recently salvaged company laptops and removed all hard drives, but the Chief Information
Officer (CIO) is concerned about disclosure of confidential information. Which of the following is the
MOST secure method to dispose of these hard drives?
A.
Degaussing
B.
Physical Destruction
C.
Lock up hard drives in a secure safe
D.
Wipe
Explanation:
The physical description of hard drives is the only secure means of disposing hard drives. This can include
incineration, an acid bath, and crushing.
Incorrect Answers:
A, D. Data wiping is the process of securely removing data remnants from a storage device so that the
data cannot be easily recovered. Degaussing is one method of data wiping. However, data wiping does
not provide a guarantee that the data is completely unrecoverable.
C: Locking hard drives in a safe still represents a risk should the attackers gain access to the safe.Dulaney, Emmett and Chuck Eastton, CompTIA Security+ Study Guide, 6th Edition, Sybex, Indianapolis,
2014, pp. 418-419Stewart, James Michael, CompTIA Security+ Review Guide, Sybex, Indianapolis, 2014, pp. 256