![]() ![]() Furthermore, those who buy second-hand devices must also be careful and ensure that the device does not contain any residual data because if the device contains “illegal information” owned by the previous user, it can pose risks of litigation, loss of reputation, and embarrassment for the new owner/enterprise.įor businesses, the risks extend beyond compromising PII and personal data they include misuse and theft of crucial business data, trade secrets, financial reports, intellectual property, and business intelligence. In addition, people also store a lot of personal information like private pictures, contacts, text messages, emails, addresses, chat history, browsing history, date of birth, etc., that can be misused and can lead to harassment, extortion, and other kinds of physical/emotional threats. Individuals store lots of sensitive information on a PC, Laptop, or Mac like personal data, PII, social security number, biometric data, medical information, passport, national identity cards, credit card numbers, online banking credentials, etc., that can be misused for financial fraud. These risks apply to both live data and data at rest when devices are sold or disposed of. The importance of securely erasing files can be gauged by understanding the privacy and security risks associated with dark data, data at rest, ROT (Redundant Obsolete Trivial) data, or residual data on storage devices. However, files, folders, and applications are erased in the former, leaving the OS intact. The latter erases data on the entire drive leaving nothing behind, including the operating system (OS). File Erasure is confused at times with Drive Erasure. This method makes recovery of the erased data impossible, even in a laboratory setting. File erasure involves overwriting the data with binary 1’s & 0’s or a pseudorandom character. A file eraser software can also securely and irreversibly erase folders, partitions, applications, internet cache, and other data traces from a storage device. What Is File Erasure & Its Importance?įile erasure is the method of permanently erasing files. Therefore, it’s vital to understand the difference between deleting and securely erasing files. A freely available DIY data recovery software can recover the data from these devices, compromising business and stakeholder information confidentiality. Despite the sensitivity of the information held on personal and professional computers, most people are unaware that simply deleting files or formatting the device is not a secure method of wiping data from them. Knowing how to securely erase files from your device (PC, laptop, or Mac) is essential because if you don’t, sensitive information stored on your device can be retrieved, compromised, and misused. This blog provides an overview of file erasure, how to erase files, its importance, and methods of achieving secure file erasure. Therefore, secure erasure of files is necessary to ensure that the sensitive data does not fall into the wrong hands. However, deleting or formatting data from the device can be detrimental to data security and often leads to data leakage. Summary: Securing data while using the device, or when it changes hands, is resold, and is disposed of remains a priority for organizations and stakeholders alike.
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