Sanitizing removable storage media

 Objective

Removable storage media can be sanitized if it will not be used again.

 Audience

• Faculty
• Staff

Details

Optical Storage Media

CDs, DVDs, and Blu-Ray disks

• Contact K-State Recycling (532-7430) to arrange a time to transport the media to the recycling center where it can be destroyed with the shredder and recycled properly.

Solid State Storage Media

USB flash drivs, solid state and hybrid hard drives, Secure Digital cards (SD/SDHC/microSD/MiniSD), memory sticks (used by Sony Cameras), Compact Flash Cards

• Overwrite the data for working devices: the entire media/device must be overwritten with a minimum of three passes. Some suggested software for completing this overwrite is:
  • Darik's Boot and Nuke (DBAN)
  • Heidi Eraser
  • PGP Whole Disk Encryption file shredding tool (installed automatically for those using PGP WDE)
• Physically destroy the device

Removable Magnetic Storage

Floppy disks, tape drive media, zip disks

• Contact K-State Recycling (532-7430) to arrange a time to transport the media to the recycling center where it can be degaussed.
  • If the device contains confidential data, you may dissemble the floppy by removing the media from the housing and removing the center ring (if the disk contains one) and Facilities can shred the media after degaussing.

 Notes

Review Media Sanitization and Disposal and Table A5-A9 in the Guidelines for Media Sanitization NIST Special Publication 800-88, Rev 1. for further instructions and procedures for sanitizing specific media, including paper-based media.

See K-State's Data Classification and Security Policy for definitions of confidential and internal data.