ECHNATON - R.I.P
destruction of digital data & secure end-of-life data management
Not everything was better in the past, but erasing records was demonstrably much easier than it is today.
In the times of the pharaohs, for example, papyrus and clay tablets were mainly used in Egypt to record information. The recorded text could simply be wiped away with water. The example of Pharaoh Akhenaten (Echnaton), husband of the beautiful Queen Nefertiti, shows that even then records were deliberately erased.?His name was deliberately removed from (almost) all official documents - even from stone monuments - immediately after his death around 1330 BC, overwritten or knocked out. The reasons for this are well documented and worth reading.
This much can be revealed: Akhenaten, the father of the now world-famous Tutankhamun (yes, the one with the tomb and the golden mask) was more or less the inventor and first implementer of the disruptive change management movement that is often hyped as trendy and modern today. Akhenaten questioned the prevailing social structures of the time and used his unchallenged sole power for a radical social upheaval. This was done without compromise and in such a short time that it completely overwhelmed the intellectual horizon of the people.?
Data protection laws in the year AD 2023
Today, laws such as the European Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the new Swiss Data Protection Act (DPA), which will come into force on 01 September 23, regulate how we should handle data and in particular personal data, and in view of the large amount of data that is created every day, these data protection laws are extremely important and helpful.
Companies are now obliged to handle their data consciously and securely throughout the entire data life cycle and this also includes the aspect of digital data that is no longer needed or is stored on discarded storage media, in the data centre, on server systems, individual devices or smartphones. Only a certified and audit-compliant documented data destruction eliminates risks, fulfils a fully documented verification obligation and guarantees companies a professional and legally compliant handling of old digital data that is no longer needed.
The challenge of reliably erasing or destroying data?
In the course of my work so far, I have come across many entertaining and often frighteningly careless and negligent ways of trying to delete digital data:
The motivation for choosing such unserious and unsafe methods has always been exclusively the "cost" factor.?Unfortunately, this has often been placed above the risks and possible reputational damage.?If you want to delete/destroy digital data properly, you have to deal extensively with the complexity of the subject, which should not be underestimated, and this requires a lot of time and money, both in preparation and in effective implementation.?
What/why is the complexity of correct data- erasing/destruction?
Using the correct & professional technology or software solution is an essential part of data erasure.?But in order to choose the right data erasure technology, the following questions need to be answered first:
erasure technologies & standards
Reviewed and recommended by Ontrack:
Shredder:
Area of application: Shredders are basically suitable for all data media. However, it should be noted that different DIN safety standards apply to the shredding of flash memory media, SSDs or HDDs. For this reason, you often need differently equipped devices or a lower-performance combined device that is limited in terms of security standards.?
Applicable safety standards: DIN 66399
Advantage: Suitable for large quantities of data media.?Easy to handle??
Disadvantage: expensive to purchase, maintenance costs for wearing parts (especially the shredding of HDDs is brutal and requires a lot of power/energy). Different security standards for each type of data medium require different shredder configurations/models
Degaussen (magnetically destroy):
Area of application: Suitable for all magnetically constructed data media such as HDDs, LTO tapes, etc. The data media are unusable after degaussing because all magnetic particles are aligned in one direction. The data carriers are unusable after degaussing, as all magnetic particles are aligned in one direction, the data carrier no longer contains any data and cannot be reused. This technology is extremely reliable. Ontrack recommends only using degaussers with a minimum of 20,000 degauss, as only such devices can reliably erase the newer and more compact HDD data media.
Applicable security standards: NSA, CSS NCSA evaluated /NIST -SP 800-88??
Advantages: very fast erasure process takes only a few seconds per medium and is therefore also suitable for erasing large quantities of media. Damaged or no longer reliably functioning data media can also be destroyed. Cost-effective to maintain, as a degausser has no moving parts and there is hardly any wear and tear.??
Disadvantage: Can only be used for magnetic data media. Flash memory media cannot be deleted with it.
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Data erasure with software solutions:
Range of application: Basically, with a reliably functioning software, one can erase all data carriers that are still accessible. This is done by the software overwriting all areas of a data carrier with a predefined recurring data "pattern". In principle, erasing/overwriting data with a software solution is time-consuming and rather expensive compared to the previously mentioned erasure technologies. For this reason, software erasure is usually only used if the data carriers/devices are to continue to function after erasure (i.e. are to be used again or, for example, have to be returned to the manufacturer within the framework of a leasing agreement). The data erasure software manufacturers often offer a selection of different erasure algorithms, which often overwrite the data carriers to be erased several times with a predefined data pattern.?This falsely suggests that a higher security standard can be achieved by overwriting several times in succession. However, this is a misconception. It is much more important that the software describes reliably and is also optimised for the deletion of rather complex fl ash memory data deletion such as SSDs, or offers specialised deletion algorithms for SSD deletion. Because of the structure of SSDs, comprehensive and reliable data erasure from SSDs is a challenge with risks.?The Ontrack portfolio includes three software solutions/products reviewed by our specialists.??
Applicable security standards: NIST plus there are over 24 globally standardised/recognised erasure algorithms.
Advantages: Devices can be reused, professional erasure software provides comprehensive and tamper-proof certificates of erasure. Erasure licences and certificates can be managed centrally in a management console. Multiple devices can be erased at the same time. Often, the software also allows an optional device function test.?Another advantage is LUN data erasure, which also reliably erases complex data server/storage infrastructures.
Disadvantage: high costs per deletion and the person dealing with the software deletion should have certain expertise, because if the software is used incorrectly, it is not guaranteed that the data deletion has worked reliably. In addition, one should trust in an established software solution that also has erasure algorithms that have been specially developed for SSDs. This is because reliable SSD erasure in particular involves considerable risks if the software is handled incorrectly.
Ontrack Data Erasure Verification:
For companies and IT service providers who erase data or destroy data media themselves, Ontrack offers an independent and neutral erasure verification service. With this service, which is unique worldwide, our data recovery engineers check according to uniform standards whether the erased data media have really been reliably erased. We are not interested in existing certification of the used technologies, but focus exclusively on whether residual data or data traces can still be found on the deleted data media. With the Ontrack Data Erasure Verification Service, compliance and/or data protection officers have a neutral and audit-compliant way of verifying whether the technology used was correctly applied and the data carriers were correctly and comprehensively erased or degaussed or shredded in accordance with the specified security level.
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Outsourcing: often the better choice than deleting it yourself:
If you want to erase/delete data or destroy data media yourself, you usually have to compromise on a technology, because very few companies or IT service providers have enough data media to purchase all the technologies (degausser, shredder & software).?Partial or complete outsourcing (e.g. to the data erasure specialists at Ontrack) is therefore often the best and most cost-effective solution, which also has a number of advantages for both IT service providers and organisations:
For SMEs, private individuals and IT service providers with smaller quantities:?
The data erasure network developed by Ontrack with regionally based IT partners offers private individuals and companies a standardised process with which you can cost-effectively hand over small quantities and even individual digital data media to Ontrack for professional data erasure/destruction. Interested parties can hand over their data media (works with any digital data media/device) to one of the regional partners. You will immediately receive a proof of deletion/certificate. The Ontrack data erasure specialists will take care of the professional, certified and documented data erasure:?
additional Background Information about Pharaoh Echnaton
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