Data destruction tools debut to toughen enterprise defense
Connecting state and local government leaders
Code42's CrashPlan enterprise endpoint backup now features triple-pass data sanitization and secure delete capabilities.
When it comes to sensitive information, destroying data and computers is almost as important as keeping the information on them safe. And the need for reliable data destruction services is growing steadily with the rise of interest in information security and environmentally friendly recycling.
Code42, recently announced new secure delete capabilities for its CrashPlan enterprise endpoint backup. The software now features triple-pass data sanitization and secure delete capabilities while complying with federal standards, including Department of Defense 5220.22M data sanitization provisions, the company said. This process makes it impossible for deleted archives to be recovered through forensics or file system utilities — and eliminates the need for a separate, third-party application for that purpose, according to a company statement.
Some federal agencies, such as the Air Force and the National Security Agency use the WipeDrive program from WhiteCanyon to do the job. That technology uses DOD-approved wipe patterns to overwrite data multiple times and make it impossible to recover.
Otherwise, there are a variety of methods and tools available for data destruction. The memory on a hard drive can be erased using a high-powered magnetic process called degaussing. Drives can be overwritten or wiped, and computer components can be crushed into recyclable glass without a trace of data left behind.
And then there’s always brute force: Editors at the British newspaper The Guardian are seen in newly released video footage destroying the hard drives used to store the top-secret NSA documents leaked by Edward Snowden. They demolished the computers using angle-grinders and drills to destroy the internal components, as the British intelligence agency GCHQ closely watched.
Most physical destruction of hard disks is performed by companies with specialized shredding equipment.
NEXT STORY: BYOD seeds Apple's public-sector growth