A hard drive pulled from an unclassified information system containing high confidentiality information will be reused. What is the recommended course of media sanitization?

A hard drive pulled from an unclassified information system containing high confidentiality information will be reused. What is the recommended course of media sanitization?

• A. Clear
• B. Purge
• C. Degauss
• D. Destroy

Answer: (B)

The recommended course of media sanitization in this scenario is to purge the hard drive. Purging involves using methods that render the data unrecoverable but still allow for the media to be reused or repurposed. This is particularly relevant when dealing with hard drives that have contained high confidentiality information, as purging typically includes techniques such as overwriting the data multiple times, which is effective at preventing unauthorized recovery of sensitive information. In the context of hard drive reuse, purging provides a balance between ensuring that sensitive data cannot be accessed and maintaining the usability of the hard drive for future applications. This aligns with federal standards that govern the sanitization of media containing sensitive information, highlighting the importance of confidentiality while also considering practicality in reuse. Other options, while useful in certain contexts, do not suit the requirements for a hard drive meant for reuse. Clearing data, for example, makes it difficult but not impossible to recover, which would not suffice for high confidentiality information. Degaussing is effective for magnetic media but renders the drive unusable afterward. Destroying the hard drive is the most extreme form of sanitization, ensuring data is completely unrecoverable but negating any possibility of future use. Therefore, purging best meets the needs of secure data sanit

The recommended course of media sanitization in this scenario is to purge the hard drive. Purging involves using methods that render the data unrecoverable but still allow for the media to be reused or repurposed. This is particularly relevant when dealing with hard drives that have contained high confidentiality information, as purging typically includes techniques such as overwriting the data multiple times, which is effective at preventing unauthorized recovery of sensitive information.

In the context of hard drive reuse, purging provides a balance between ensuring that sensitive data cannot be accessed and maintaining the usability of the hard drive for future applications. This aligns with federal standards that govern the sanitization of media containing sensitive information, highlighting the importance of confidentiality while also considering practicality in reuse.

Other options, while useful in certain contexts, do not suit the requirements for a hard drive meant for reuse. Clearing data, for example, makes it difficult but not impossible to recover, which would not suffice for high confidentiality information. Degaussing is effective for magnetic media but renders the drive unusable afterward. Destroying the hard drive is the most extreme form of sanitization, ensuring data is completely unrecoverable but negating any possibility of future use. Therefore, purging best meets the needs of secure data sanit