{"id":109126,"date":"2023-07-04T09:35:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T16:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/?p=109126"},"modified":"2023-07-10T11:55:14","modified_gmt":"2023-07-10T18:55:14","slug":"fire-works-or-does-it-how-to-destroy-your-drives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.backblaze.com\/blog\/fire-works-or-does-it-how-to-destroy-your-drives\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire Works (or Does It?): How to Destroy Your Drives"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Erasing data from old devices is important, but it doesn’t have to be boring. Sure, you could just encrypt the data, wipe your drive, and so on, but you can also<\/em> physically destroy a drive in a myriad of exciting ways. In honor of the United State\u2019s favorite day to celebrate with explosives, let’s talk about not-so-standard ways to get rid of old data (permanently). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Know Your Device<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Effective data destruction starts with good planning. When you\u2019re looking at how to securely erase your data, there are different options for hard disk drives (HDDs)<\/a> and solid state drives (SSDs)<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an HDD, spinning disks are encased in a steel enclosure. In order to do sufficient levels of damage, it\u2019s helpful to get through this steel layer first. Once you\u2019re in, you can drill holes in it, wash it in acid<\/a>, or shred it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an SSD, it\u2019s not just recommended to get through that steel layer, it\u2019s almost essential. SSDs are more resilient because data is stored magnetically. So, pull out that screwdriver, shuck that drive like an oyster, and expose your SSD. If you\u2019re going the physical destruction route, make sure that you\u2019re shredding with a narrow enough width that no forensic scientist can humpty-dumpty your data together again. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Have a Blast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We do have a Sr. Infrastructure Software Engineer who\u2019s gone on record recommending explosives. Note that while we don\u2019t doubt the efficacy, we can\u2019t recommend this option. On the other hand, we\u2019re big fans of bots that smash things. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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