15% contained personally identifiable information (PII),
putting individuals at risk of becoming victims of
cybercrime
AUSTIN, Texas and
LONDON, April 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Blancco Technology
Group (LON: BLTG), the industry standard in data erasure and mobile
device diagnostics, today announced the findings of a new report,
which looks at residual data on used storage drives purchased on
eBay, the world's largest online marketplace. Conducted in
conjunction with partner, Ontrack, the study analysed 159 drives
purchased in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Finland. Sensitive data was discovered to be
present on 42% of devices, with 15% containing personally
identifiable information (PII). This included:
- A drive from a software developer with a high level of
government security clearance, with scanned images of family
passports and birth certificates, CVs and financial records
- University student papers and associated email addresses
- 5GB of archived internal office email from a major travel
company
- 3GB of data from a cargo/freight company, along with documents
detailing shipping details, schedules and truck registrations
- University student papers and associated email addresses
- Company information from a music store, including 32,000
photos
- School data, including photos and documents with pupils' names
and grades
For every 20 drives, at least three had PII. Furthermore, each
seller Blancco interacted with as part of the process stated that
the proper data sanitisation methods had been performed so that no
data was left behind. This highlights a major concern that while
sellers clearly recognise the importance of removing data, they are
in fact, using methods which are inadequate.
"Selling old hardware via an online marketplace might feel
like a good option, but in reality, it creates a serious risk of
exposing dangerous levels of personal data," said
Fredrik Forslund, VP, cloud and
data erasure, Blancco. "By putting this equipment into the
wrong hands, irreversible damage will be caused – not just to the
seller, but their employer, friends and family members. It is also
clear that there is confusion around the right methods of data
erasure, as each seller was under the impression that data had been
permanently removed. It's critical to securely erase any data on
drives before passing them onto another party, using the
appropriate methods to confirm that it's well and truly gone.
Education on best ways to permanently remove data from devices is a
vital investment to negate the very real risk of falling victim to
identity theft, or other methods of cybercrime."
As part of the research, a range of used hard drives from
leading brands, including Samsung, Dell, Seagate, HP, Hitachi were
purchased at random. The only requirement was that the drives had
not been wiped using Blancco products. They were analysed in early
2019 by partner Ontrack, using proprietary data recovery tools.
Once the recovery exercises were complete, the drives were then
sanitised by Blancco to ensure permanent removal of the data.
To learn more about preparing old hard drives for sale and more,
download the full report, Privacy for Sale: Data Security Risks
in the Second-Hand IT Asset Marketplace.
About Blancco Technology Group
Blancco is the industry standard in data erasure and mobile
device diagnostics. Blancco data erasure solutions provide
thousands of organisations with the tools they need to add an
additional layer of security to their endpoint security policies
through secure erasure of IT assets. All erasures are verified and
certified through a tamper-proof audit trail.
Blancco data erasure solutions have been tested, certified,
approved and recommended by 18 governing bodies and leading
organisations around the world. No other data erasure software can
boast this level of compliance with the rigorous requirements set
by government agencies, legal authorities and independent testing
laboratories.
Blancco Mobile Diagnostics solutions enable mobile network
operators, retailers and call centers to easily, quickly and
accurately identify and resolve performance issues on their
customers' mobile devices. As a result, mobile retailers can spend
less time dealing with technical issues and, in turn, reduce the
quantity of NTF returns, save on operational costs and increase
customer satisfaction.
Additionally, Blancco Mobile Diagnostics solutions empower
mobile processors, 3PLs, Recyclers and Repair & Refurbishment
Operations to easily, quickly and accurately process used mobile
devices to identify any issues and determine overall value. By
incorporating Blancco Mobile Diagnostics, mobile processors
automate processes, deliver intelligent routing based on device
attributes and increase overall efficiency, while driving
incremental revenue and profitability.
For more information, please contact:
CCgroup for Blancco Technology Group (UK)
Abbie Godward / Josh Cobb
T: +44 (0) 20 3824 9214
E: blancco@ccgrouppr.com
CCgroup for Blancco Technology Group (US)
Lori Scribner
T: +1 619 798 0043
E: blancco@ccgrouppr.com
Blancco Technology Group
Liz Adams, Global Marketing
Director
T: +44 (0) 7725 010 412
E: liz.adams@blancco.com
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