An organization is retiring several servers that stored sensitive data. Which approach best prevents retrieval of the stored information when those servers are taken out of operation?
Detach the drives and record the serial numbers prior to off-site storage
Remove the file system and partition entries with an operating system command
Peel off labels and barcodes from the drive enclosures
Perform repeated writes of random patterns on the drives using specialized utilities
Running multiple overwrite passes on storage media with specialized software hinders later attempts to recover previously written data. Detaching drives, removing partition information, or taking off external labels do not reliably remove data from the underlying media.
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Why is overwriting data with random patterns better for data removal?
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What tools are commonly used for securely overwriting drives?
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How does overwriting compare to physical destruction for preventing data recovery?