Warning: Casual Lending of Company Laptops May Lead to Serious Data Leaks
In today’s information society, data has become one of the most valuable assets of a company. However, as the importance of data becomes increasingly prominent, data protection has also become a significant challenge for businesses. Some seemingly harmless behaviors in companies, such as casually lending company laptops, can lead to serious data leakage issues.
Many people mistakenly believe that as long as the sensitive files on the computer are deleted, they can prevent data leakage. However, this is not the case. Typically, when we delete files from the computer, the physical data of the files is not completely erased but is marked as overwritable space by the computer’s operating system. This means that as long as there are suitable tools and techniques, these “deleted” data can still be recovered, leading to data leakage.
More importantly, only professional deletion software can ensure that data is completely deleted and unrecoverable. Professional data destruction software thoroughly erases original data by multiple read-write operations on the storage device, making data recovery nearly impossible. This is the reason for the existence and charge of professional deletion software. Therefore, if you simply delete sensitive data from the computer in a conventional way and then casually lend the computer, it is possible that this “deleted” data will fall into the hands of others.
Data Erase Technology
The idea of destroying disk data is to repeatedly write meaningless random data, such as “0” and “1” bits, to the disk sector where the data to be destroyed is located, and write non-sensitive data to the storage location where sensitive data was stored before. In order to achieve the purpose of clearing data. The “Information Security Technology-Data Destruction Software Product Security Technical Requirements” (GA/T 1143-2014) in China also elaborates on disk data destruction technology.
In addition to the above-mentioned relevant Chinese standards, there are also many influential data destruction technical standards abroad. The U.S. Department of Defense’s DOD 5220.22-M standard is perhaps the best-known and most widely used set of specifications. It is a method of using up to 7 overwrites to achieve the destruction effect. In addition, the current mainstream rewriting algorithms include the RCMP TSSIT OPS-II standard and the 35-time Gutmann data rewriting algorithm. For the requirements of different security levels, rewriting algorithms with different strengths can be used.
The following are also some international standards related to data erase:
Data Eease Certificate
Sinokap is committed to providing customers with comprehensive IT services and managing company assets, among which data erase is the link that must be implemented for asset retirement. Click here to view our success case. We will strictly abide by the scrapping process, use professional data erase software and provide reports to ensure that the company will not have the risk of data leakage.
The Dangers of A Data Breach
Data leakage can cause multiple harms to a business:
1. Financial Losses
Data breaches can lead to direct financial losses, such as compensations, the cost of new security equipment or systems, or even potential legal fees.
2. Brand and Reputation Damage
Data breach incidents usually have a negative impact on the public image of the company, damaging customer trust and leading to potential customer loss.
3. Business Interruption
Data breaches can interrupt business operations, affecting normal service provision and resulting in a decline in customer satisfaction.
4. Compliance Issues
In many countries and regions, businesses are obligated to protect customer data. Data breaches could lead to violations of relevant laws, facing the risk of fines or even suspension of business.
Click here to learn more about the dangers of data breaches
Companies should clearly prohibit the casual lending of company laptops and educate employees about the importance of computer data protection and secure deletion. At the same time, companies should also use appropriate technical means, such as using professional data destruction software, to ensure that all sensitive data has been safely and thoroughly deleted before the computer is lent or disposed of.
In conclusion, data security is not only the responsibility of the company but also of every employee. Any seemingly harmless behavior, such as casually lending company laptops, can bring unpredictable risks. Therefore, we must always be vigilant and take appropriate preventive measures to ensure the security of company data.
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