Data Destruction Standards

Published On April 26, 2019

When ITAD vendors state that their data destruction solutions meet the DoD 5220.22-M “standard,” it…

When ITAD vendors state that their data destruction solutions meet the DoD 5220.22-M “standard,” it typically means that their software will write to all addressable hard drive locations with a character, its complement, and a random character.  It must then be followed by verification.  This “three-pass” procedure is designed to prevent data from being recovered by commercially available processes.   But is the DoD 5220.22-M standard the best wiping method for eradicating electronic data?   In a recent blog post, Blancco’s Richard Steinnon examines the applicability of the DoD standard and compares it to other approaches such as NIST 800-88 and physical destruction:

 

https://www.blancco.com/blog-dod-5220-22-m-wiping-standard-method/