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月份: 2021 年 9 月

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The risks of erasing hard drives only with software

There are a number of risks associated with the use of software for hard drive erasing and ‘cleaning’ especially when companies want to dispose of their old hard drives for recycling purposes. Below are some of the risk factors associated with hard drive erasure:

  • Regardless of how sophisticated the software program is for hard drive erasing, not all data can be erased on a hard drive disk due to bad sectors. Bad sectors prevent software from erasing over them and no hard drive disk is 100% error free. In fact, as hard drives age, they develop faults and data degradation where corruption occurs. This means that there is no 100% guarantee that data can be fully removed from a disk using software only. 
  • Software erasure doesn’t prevent state actors or other government agencies from being able to re-access old data. The data is merely written over with a new layer of information. There is no physical removal or destruction of the original information. A major risk for security companies and agencies that want to replace their older systems.
  • Software erasing leaves companies liable to damages due to data breaches and data theft, which can occur during the disposal process of older systems which have been erased only with software.
  • Software erasure can’t be used on damaged hard drives that have failed or get corrupted. This leaves all the original data on the volume. 

For software erasure, there are clear advantages and disadvantages which we go in-depth in this analysis, however for most companies wanting to securely remove data, degaussing is an essential must for total compliance on data protection and disposal.

So how does degaussing offer a better alternative and why should you consider investing in a degausser? Take a look at some of the benefits of a degausser and how they can be used in your enterprise.  Degaussing is the ultimate insurance policy for your data needs, guaranteeing 100% the destruction of your data in all circumstances, and if you are interested in exploring our degausser machines, you can see our automatic, manual and NSA approved degaussers for total security. 

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Destroy Drives Using A Hard Drive Crusher

The advantages of using a Hard Drive Crusher

Computers are an integral part of modern life and we all know the wide range of ways in which we use them. The problem comes when the computer reaches the end of it’s useful life and it is time to dispose of it or send it for professional recycling.  Packed on your Hard Drive inside your computer or laptop is an abundance of data, much, if not all of which is information you would not like others to have access to.  It is essential therefore that you have procedures for the secure destruction of data prior to computer disposal.

There are a number of ways to destroy a hard drive including erasing, shredding and wiping, but for the purposes of this article we shall consider the use of a Hard Drive Crusher.

What is a Hard Drive and why use a Hard Drive Crusher?

A Hard drive (sometimes abbreviated as HD or HDD) is a non-volatile memory hardware device which permanently stores and retrieves information.There are many variations, but their sizes are generally 3.5″ and 2.5″ for desktop and laptop computers respectively. A hard drive consists of one or more platters to which data is written using a magnetic head, all inside of an air-sealed casing. Hard Drives may be either internal or external but both types can be used to store just about any kind of data be it music, pictures, text, software programmes etc. This data is written to the part of the Hard Drive called the Platter.

It is the Platter that is the target for the Hard Drive Crusher to physically damage beyond repair such that it cannot be put back into a computer and still accessed.  A solution such as the Crunch 250 is a perfect example of a specially designed machine capable of destroying a hard drive in just 9 seconds.  A desktop, office friendly machine such as this is a good solution for processing any number of Hard Drives as it is easy to operate and quick to use.  You can easily crush 250 Hard drives in an hour with a Crunch 250.  It can be installed in any office, and by being used “in-house” it negates the need to send your hard drives off site and entrust your precious data to third parties.  It also provides an ongoing solution so that you don’t have to gather up large numbers of drives and store them while you wait for a mobile crushing service truck to make an appointment.

Is there anything better than a Hard Drive Crusher?

While for some industries simply crushing the hard drive is sufficient evidence that their data is no longer accessible to prying eyes, for some data users an even more robust solution is required.

VS Security Products manufacture a range of degaussers which can be used to remove user data and servo control data from hard drives before they are processed by the Hard Drive Crusher.  Manual degaussers such as the V660 HDD Evo allow you to erase up to 20 hard drives every hour whilst an automatic degausser such as the DataGone can erase up to 200 every hour.

Whether your business requires just crushing, or prefers to degauss and crush, VS Security Products offers an extra tool for ultimate assurance that your responsibilities with regards to data destruction have been fully met and that is its unique Data Destruction Auditor system.  This is a program which can be linked to your Hard Drive Crusher and it will provide you with recorded and printable evidence of all the media you have destroyed.

In Summary:

A Hard Drive Crusher is a very effective, simple and quick method to destroy hard drives without them leaving your premises.  It may be enough for your needs on its own or it can be joined with a degausser and a Data Destruction Auditor system to provide true peace of mind for the security conscious computer user.

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Hard Drive Destruction Methods

What is the best way to set about Hard Drive Destruction?

Computers are an integral part of life today. We use them at home, at school and at work.  We store everything that we hold dear on them such as our photos, our contact lists, our course work, our bank details and our company secrets. This information is all stored on the Hard Drive and the question is how do you protect your data when the time comes for you to change from one computer to another?

The Hard Drive can be removed from the computer and destroyed in a number of ways. The key point is to make sure that after you have finished with it the data which is stored on the magnetic Platter inside the drive is not accessible to prying eyes. 

The method of destruction that you choose may be to some extent dependant on who you are and how secret your data actually is. Your holiday snaps are somewhat less interesting to the bad guys than the medical records of A. N. Celebrity for example!

Shred? Wipe? Crush? Degauss?

Hard Drive destruction is achieved by one or more of the following ways:

Shredding –literally “slicing into small pieces”is undertaken in bulk by companies who offer this service.  You can either send them your drives or they may bring a shredder to your premises.  Obviously if you send your drives off site to be shredded you need to be sure of secure transport arrangements once the data is out of your control.  Similarly, if you need to collect up enough drives to warrant a visit from the mobile crusher you need a secure means to store the drives while you collect up enough of them to warrant the cost of a visit.

Wiping is done by the use of downloadable software. While this may be the most cost effect solution to a small user it is worth noting that it is a time consuming process as the software overwrites the drive multiple times, and it does not work on faulty drives. There may even be areas of a drive that your computer has abandoned as bad sectors which will still contain data after you have tried to wipe the drive using this method.  Wiping is therefore not considered to be a high security solution.

Crushing means that the Hard drive is subjected to physical damage usually ending up with either shattering or piercing the Platter and folding up the casing such that it is not possible to connect up the Drive and read the data. This method of Hard Drive Destruction is suitable for a wide variety of people as it offers a very flexible and relatively low cost solution.  Unlike Shredding, a table-top machine such as the Crunch 250 from VS Security Products can be placed in an organisation so that you keep control of all you drives in house, and you can destroy an individual drive in just 9 seconds, or you can collect them up in the safety of your organisation and crush them at the rate of 250 per hour.

Degaussing means subjecting the Hard drive to a high-energy magnetic field which has the effect of scrambling all the minute particles of recorded bits of data into random and completely unreadable configurations. Since, in the first instance it is the data recorded on the Platter which is the thing you are trying to destroy, using a degausser is the absolutely most secure method of Hard Drive destruction. For more information please see our Introduction to Degaussers.

Deciding which method of Hard Drive destruction is best for you depends on several factors including how sensitive your data is, how many hard drives you need to destroy, how much you can spend on a solution.

One additional aid for the most security minded is offered by VS Security Products in the form of its unique Data Destruction Auditor system. This is a program which can be linked to their Hard Drive Crusher – the Crunch 250 – and their degaussers including the DataGauss, the DataGone and the SDD Master. It will provide you with recorded and printable evidence of all the media you have destroyed. 

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Why should my business invest in a hard drive degausser?

Using a hard drive degausser in your business can provide total protection for your customer or employee data, but what are some of the advantages of investing in a data degausser? Below we explore some of the advantages that secure data erasure can provide businesses, not just from a practical standpoint, but also, from the point of view of the customer. 

With data security becoming more prevalent and following on from the European Union’s strict GDPR law, businesses are looking for solutions whereby they can protect their customer and internal data while also complying with legislation to ensure safe data disposal. 

Here are some of the advantages of hard drive degaussing and the use of magnetic data erasure in businesses today: 

Data security compliance for GDPR and data law

GDPR is one of the world’s strictest data compliance laws affecting all businesses that trade with or operate in the European Union. Data security has increasingly faced scrutiny after several high profile data breaches in the past several years have made governments step up their efforts to ensure people’s personal data is protected. 

Hard drive degaussing can help businesses erase data from a large number of different mediums to ensure that customer data is properly handled. This is particularly the case when systems are being upgraded and replaced with newer frameworks. The hard drive disposal process is delicate and should data not be erased from all mediums, businesses affected by the new GDPR data protection law can be held liable if data is hacked or accessed by a third party without customer consent. In this situation, disposing of hard drives requires secure data erasure through the use of a degausser so that it cannot be retrieved later. 

Destroying a hard drive’s sensitive data

For many businesses holding sensitive data – being able to erase hard drives securely is a must. This is because a simple hard drive wipe with software doesn’t magnetically remove the data from the actual hard disk itself. Sensitive data, particularly if handled by security companies, the defense industry and other government departments needs to be disposed of with the highest level of erasure, and without third parties being able to recover the data. 

Sensitive data erasure with degaussing is also beneficial for businesses that want to reassure investors and stakeholders that there are internal procedures for data handling and that these are being followed strictly to ensure data safety. 

Hard drive degaussing audits for transparency

Businesses can leverage hard drive degaussing audits to demonstrate their processes for data erasure. This information can be provided to senior stakeholders in the business, managers and other C-level executives to show hard drives being erased and the full reporting of each set of disks that have successfully gone through the process. These reports can also be used elsewhere for legal investigations and for general business data security practices. 

You may like to see the DataGauss XL-LG that comes with an auditing tool. 

Ensuring customer data doesn’t fall into the wrong hands

Being able to erase hard disks securely through degaussing helps businesses erase customer data completely from their systems. This can then be confirmed to customers in writing and supports business transparency as well as ensuring that no third parties can access older data or break into systems to gain sensitive data. 

Supporting internal data processes

Hard drive degaussers can be brought into a company and form part of the data erasure process. Businesses will already have existing processes and may wish to further strengthen their data disposal by adding a layer of security through degaussing. By investing in a hard drive degausser unit, a business can support the internal data erasure processes, create transparent reports and provide total assurance to customers and internal stakeholders that processes are being improved and upgraded for the highest level of data security. 

Improving public image through data protection guarantees

Outside of the practical elements of hard drive degaussing, businesses can also defend their reputation publicly and promote their use of hard drive degaussing as a way to properly handle data. This can strengthen the trust factor for a business with its customer base and also show external stakeholders, governments and organizations that data security is being taken seriously. 

Explore our full range of hard drive degaussers and hard disk destroyers and see how you can secure your business data for the future and improve your reputation through transparency and proper data handling. You can also speak to one of our advisors who can provide you with further insight on the hard drive degaussers we provide and what product will be best suited for your organization or business.  

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Hard Drive erasure software vs degaussing. Which is better?

When it comes to hard drive degaussing and software erasure tools, there are a number of distinct differences between the two methods that businesses and organizations need to be aware of. 

Using software erasure tools to erase a hard drive disk have some upsides for businesses however there are considerable disadvantages of the software erasing method that add a high degree of risk and uncertainty for those that choose this method of volume erasure over degaussing. 

Below you will see both the advantages and disadvantages of using software to erase hard disks and where data degaussing with a hard drive degausser or a destroyer, can be more appropriate. 

Advantages of software to erase data

  • Often easy to use, and gets the job done in a few clicks of a mouse.
  • It’s cheap, and can be applied to a number of computers and laptops at the office depending on the licence you buy.
  • Software erases existing data on the disk.

Disadvantages of software erasure

  • Every hard drive has bad sectors and the software is unable to erase these parts. In a typical hard drive, these bad sectors will not be accessible by any kind of overwrite software program, and the user would need to possess the hard drive’s original bitmap to be able to erase these. Therefore, the data in those sectors will remain and can be accessed at a later stage.
  • Software doesn’t erase the data on the disk. In fact, it overwrites a new layer of data, leaving the previous data layer intact.
  • Hard drives that have developed faults, or crashed, and can’t be booted with software, will inevitably have large chunks of data remaining on them, which can’t be erased.
  • Hard drives often possess an internal auto-recovery function which is known as a Ghost List or G-List for short. This recovery tool enables the disk to automatically save your file and document data without your knowledge to prevent data loss. This portion of the hard drive cannot be accessed by software programs under any circumstances and therefore retains key data information long after you’ve used the software to erase the rest of the disk.
  • The BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) may limit you in terms of the size of disks you can erase. In particular, if you have upgraded to 1TB or 2TB drives or larger, there can be restrictions where not all data can be erased – requiring different software for different types of hard drive volumes.
  • Hard drives also come in two types of standards, SCSI and IDE, meaning that the overwrite software programs you buy must be able to work sometimes on two formats requiring two sets of programs as one cannot write on the other.
  • Software can’t physically remove the data from hard drives no matter how many times it is used to overwrite the data – problematic especially for companies and government departments that require a complete erasure solution for sensitive data.
  • Software erasing is not an effective insurance policy against data theft and leaves businesses and organizations exposed to data leaks should hard drives be disposed, re-sold or re-used by other parts of the business without the same level of security.
  • Auditors and insurers looking into issues such as data security and data breaches will review systems and solutions in place by the data controller (Your business or organization). If software erasure is the primary method of data removal, this may be considered an unsatisfactory policy to protect and erase data – potentially exposing you to millions of dollars in damages and being void of certain insurance policies.

There are clearly a large number of disadvantages for the software operator in the case of erasing data from a hard drive, and for many businesses and organizations that choose to use this method only.  For small businesses and freelancers, this may be more of an appropriate method to erase a disk however in a majority of cases, software is not a viable solution given the high risk nature of data falling into the wrong hands, and the costs of potential lawsuits or losing insurance covers. 

Degaussing on the other hand provides some upsides for businesses as well as disadvantages that we will look at below:

Advantages of data degaussing

  • The disk of the hard drive and all its data will be magnetically erased – therefore the data will be completely unretrievable and physically no longer exist on the disk itself. 
  • With a hard drive degausser, the operator can completely audit their data erasure and provide transparent logs that prove the volume data was destroyed (see our popular DataGauss LG degausser for more information.)
  • Hard drive degaussing eliminates the risk of data being recovered either by another company, a foreign government or a criminal enterprise, therefore when a company or organization is audited about their data security processes, a hard drive degausser will ensure that data is unrecoverable in any scenario. 
  • Data degaussing provides businesses with the option to not only erase the data that is on the volume of the disk itself, but to safely dispose of their hard drives for the purpose of recycling. 
  • Old systems that are no longer in use, including hard drives from the 90s, tapes, and magnetic media, can be fully erased by default regardless of format, age or what’s on the disk. Degaussing destroys all data on any medium of this kind – which is not possible with traditional erasure software. 
  • Data degaussers are easy to operate and often take just a few seconds to fully erase the entire disk (See our Degausser range to check the speed of degaussing). In comparison to software, which can take hours or days depending on the number of disks, degaussing is a huge time saver. 
  • Degaussing can also be combined with data destruction, giving operators the possibility of crushing their own hard drives for disposal once they have been degaussed. (See our Crunch 250 Hard Drive Destroyer for more details). 
  • And finally, degaussers are highly recommended for businesses, and especially government departments that require the highest level of data security, to protect industrial secrets, information on individuals and much more. (We have NSA, NATO and DoD approved degaussers.)

Disadvantages of degaussing

  • Using a degausser can be more costly for a small business that has very few HDDs to erase, and is not ideal for the individual user or freelancer. 
  • Degaussing machines require a place to be stored (in an office, or under a desk) unlike software which is a download or DVD. 

For degaussing, there are a number of advantages over disadvantages, but most importantly, in this analysis, the business owner must understand that degaussing is a complete destruction solution for data vs software, which is merely an overwrite – and not a viable way of truly erasing data from hard drives. Depending on your use case, software may be sufficient, but for many, the high risk nature of not being able to fully erase data from the disk is likely to be far more costly for the owner when facing any kind of data breach in the future. 

In conclusion, erasing data with software may be a convenient, cheap solution to erase a volume for re-use by small companies or individuals, but in most cases, businesses will be taking a huge risk with their data by choosing this option, and exposing themselves to costs in an era where data laws are imposing strict penalties for oversights in the data space – and companies are being held accountable for failures, often in public.  

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If you are interested in learning more about how you can benefit from a degausser, and what kind of machine would be suitable, get in contact and an advisor will be able to recommend you a number of options. Alternatively you can call us during business hours to discover more about our product range and speak with one of our engineers. We ship and sell degaussers for a wide variety of organizations and businesses in more than 30 countries, and can provide you with an unlimited lifetime technical guarantee on any unit you buy from us – a world first, and only offered by Verity Systems. 

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Securing your data with NSA certified degaussers: What we offer

Working with government departments, businesses and organizations in more than 20 countries, we understand how important it is for you to be able to securely erase your data with a high level of security and compliance. Whether you are looking to invest in a degausser for the first time or are seeking to upgrade your data security infrastructure, we provide a number of solutions and specialized degaussers to enable you to fully erase data from hard drives and tapes.

Our degaussers enable the total erasure of data, ensuring that you can securely remove sensitive information from all magnetic media before disposing of your hard drives and tapes. We offer DoD compliant, NSA and NATO certified units for organizations and also a secure data auditing solution that enables the operator to verify and report on each drive that is successfully degaussed and erased. This provides you with a powerful, and easy-to-use tool to create audit ready reports of data destruction – essential for full transparency and complying with data laws in many countries including the EU’s GDPR.

Our DoD compliant degaussers come with a 2-years full parts and labor factory warranty along with lifetime technical support – unparalleled in the degaussing market and exclusively on offer by VS Security Products. All our clients benefit from having an advisor on standby, enabling you to diagnose any issues with your units with the support of our expert technical team of engineers with 30+ years’ experience.

You can also choose to order our degaussers with a destroyer as a combo should you wish to crush your erased hard drives and recycle them securely once you have erased your data – a popular option for many of our clients that wish to fully dispose of their old systems in total security. We also provide bulk discounts if you wish to order several units for your organization and we will provide any technical documentation or certification upon request.

You can explore our NSA and NATO certified degaussers below for further information on each unit and their technical specifications.

NSA and NATO listed degaussers

SDD Master – Government approved degausser with NSA certification

SV91M – Government approved degausser with NATO certification

Hard Drive Destroyer

Crunch 250 – Fully destroy your hard drives after erasure

We also provide a range of state-of-the-art pulse discharge degaussers which you can see below in more detail:

Automatic degaussers

DataGauss, DataGauss XL degausser with Data Destruction Auditor

DataGone degausser for high volume erasing

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VS Security Products heading to GITEX Technology Week 2018 In Dubai

VS Security Products has announced it will attend the 2018 GITEX Technology Week in Dubai this October to showcase some of its latest hard drive degaussers.

Along with distributing partner RAS Infotech, VS Security Products will highlight its popular degaussers including the DataGauss XL-LG hard drive degausser, which comes with the unique Data Destruction Auditor providing companies with the option to produce accurate data erasure reports. The NATO approved SV91M hard drive degausser will also be included in this year’s technology demonstration which provides businesses and government departments the highest level of data erasure.

This year’s GITEX Technology Week takes place at the Dubai World Trade Center and welcomes some of the world’s top brands demonstrating the latest advancements in technology and applications covering areas such as cybersecurity, Blockchain and IoT. This year’s attendees will include Google, Amazon, Huawei, Ebay, Linkedin, Uber, Renault, IBM, Siemens, HP and a host of other technology and manufacturing brands. 

David Tucker, Managing Director of VS Security Products will attend the event and will discuss the future of technology and data security as well as the evolution of hard drive degaussing with businesses looking to improve their data erasure processes. With over 30 years’ experience in the industry, Tucker brings a depth of knowledge on data security and will be available for meetings during GITEX to demonstrate some of the latest degaussers from the VS Security Products range.

“We are looking forward to attending this year’s GITEX Technology Week in Dubai and will be discussing the future of data security with a number of our key partners in the Middle East as well as demonstrating our degaussers to attendees during the event. We have seen a big increase in interest from businesses in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries that want to protect their data. With our hard drive crushers and degaussers, we are ideally positioned to support businesses as well as governments that wish to protect their most sensitive data.”

“Along with our partners we will be presenting our solutions to a number of businesses attending GITEX that are looking to improve their own data security processes – and demonstrating how hard drive degaussers and crushers can be operated.” – David Tucker, Managing Director, VS Security Products.

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VS Security Products Launch New Responsive website

January 2016 – World leading data destruction specialists VS Security Products today unveiled its new website, creating a strong online identity that will reaffirm VS Security Product’s standing as the work leading authority in data erasure and destruction.

The new website has been designed to reflect VS Security Product’s ongoing commitment to the data destruction industry and the customers, distributors and resellers they work with as well as increasing VS Security Products digital marketing activity and online presence.

With a clean and modern look the website has been designed to provide the ultimate user-friendly experience with improved navigation and functionality throughout, allowing customers to access detailed product information and videos.

Commenting on the new website, managing Director David Tucker said; “We feel that during our time of growth its right to invest in our marketing strategy and so create a stronger online presence that reflects our standing in the data destruction sector. We hope it provides a useful, informative portal for our customers to get to know VS Security Products and our products just a little better!”

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Data Destruction Auditor -The New Name for Erasure Log Manager

The All New Data Destruction Auditor 

In 2014 we launched our unique ‘Erasure Log Manager” feature to tremendous success. So much so, that models which include the logging feature our now our biggest sellers!

To help improve understanding of the system we have decided to rename the Erasure Log Manager as the “Data Destruction Auditor”.

Some customers assume it is just a software program but it is much, much more! By simply connecting the Hard Disk Drive Degaussers or Destroyer to a PC or Laptop via a USB, the customer can produce an Audit Ready Report which includes details of all the Hard Drives he/she has degaussed plus confirmation that the erasure was completed successfully.

The report generated includes detail such as: Hard Drive details (i.e. serial number); the model of degausser used; the date and time; and most importantly, details of the degauss cycle itself including the strength of the magnetic field and its successful completion! An optional barcode scanner is also available for fast and accurate data entry.

The report can be printed or exported as a .csv to a program like Excel.

To help customers see what the Data Destruction Auditor can offer them, and to demonstrate just how simple it is to use, we have created a new video.

The Data Destruction Auditor is available on all our Pulse Degausser Range.  It is a factory fitted option on the DataGauss, DataGauss XL, and DATAGONE and is fitted as standard on the NSA Approved SDD Master and Crunch 250 Destroyer. Videos of each of the models being used with the DDA are also available on the website.

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Universities facing increased data security risks after breaches made public

A number of universities around the world have experienced data breaches in the last several months which is part of a growing, global problem for education and for institutions seeking to protect their data.  As cybersecurity threats become more apparent, student data with records such as telephone numbers, social security numbers or addresses can sometimes lead to identity theft and fraud. This poses a risk for people affected by the breach, and also impacts the reputation of institutions that are doing their best to create a safe data environment for their students, family members and staff. 

Universities handle a lot of sensitive data including financial information when courses are booked and payments are transacted. Records have to be kept for certain pieces of information and sometimes this information may not be properly processed or there is a lack of data security practices – leading to older data, and disused hard drives suddenly becoming accessed by hackers who can then steal information.  

There are a number of ways institutions can protect their data and even create processes where older systems are recycled so that data is removed using degaussing or a HDD destroyer. With a degausser, hard drives and old tapes can be wiped clean ensuring that historical data and archives are removed from the medium before they are disposed of or recycled. In the recycling process, once a hard drive is degaussed it can be safely crushed. 

To understand more about the degaussing and hard drive crushing process, contact one of our experts and see how you can benefit from an added layer of data security by having on-site automatic or manual hard drive degaussers, and a destroyer.