When we go about our daily lives, we probably don’t think about all of the places we have been, the trail of information we have left behind, and what it could do in the hands of someone who wanted to exploit that data. We live in a relatively cashless society. A world in which many of our records connect to our digital footprint, either through credit cards, tax information, or even our institutional records from higher education. No other time in history has held such a comprehensive record of our comings and goings than right now. We need to stay several steps ahead to keep the bad people at bay who might use that information.
Not long ago, the University of Washington in Seattle notified over 1 million people that someone breached their records at the university by accessing a safe containing their academic and financial records. The hard drive in question was the backup drive of server in an 85lb safe. They also stole the safe. Had the thieves gained access to the safe off-site, the article goes on to state:
“The thieves would require some skill to view the information as data were stored in a relational database which is not straightforward to access, although it is possible that the thieves could figure out how to view the information”. Difficult, yet not impossible.
What is impossible to access is a completely mangled hard drive, disabled with technology approved by the NSA. Phiston hard drive crushers not only compress and compact the entire device, platters, motors and all, but a series of hardened carbide steel teeth puncture and separate the media until complete destruction.
Total destruction of old media
The only sure way to make sure you have 100% data security covered is through total destruction of old media. Disposing of mountable volumes must ensure complete data security and protection of those who entrusted their personal information to you. It’s just too easy for thieves to gain access to data, even if there are passwords and encryption. This incident has been costly for the University of Washington in the scope of damage control. It could worsen in the long run, with incalculable costs should the information be used in the future.
A hard drive crusher is a wise investment when dealing with the best possible way to keep your data secure. Contact us to find out more about data security and hard drive destruction today.
