Webinar from Ben Rothke on 'Effective Data Destruction Practices'.

1. Garlic, Wooden Stakes and Silver Bullets -
Ensuring Effective Data Destruction
Practices
Ben Rothke, CISSP, CISA
Senior Security Consultant
BT Professional Services
June 29, 2010

2. About me
• Senior Security Consultant – BT Professional Services
• Frequent writer and speaker
• Author of Computer Security: 20 Things Every Employee
Should Know (McGraw-Hill)
• Veteran O’Reilly webinarist
– Information Security and Social Networks
– http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/e/1417
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3. Agenda
• Business case for media sanitization
• Why must end-of-life media/data be sanitized?
• Types of media sanitization
• DIY or outsource?
• References
• Q/A
• Twitter hashtag #rothkewebinar
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4. Business case for media sanitization
• Every business has digital media (often terabytes) that
must be sanitized
• Media sanitization is often overlooked
• Failure to adequately sanitize media can have
catastrophic consequences to a business
– financial loss
– damage to a company’s reputation
– regulatory violations
– civil and criminal liability for Directors and Officers
• especially since effective media sanitization is not rocket science
• Therefore - digital media must be sanitized before
disposal or redeployment
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5. Where magic fails, formal processes are effective
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6. Old data is big news
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7. Information security - printers and copiers
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8. Regulations, standards and other drivers
• HIPAA
• PCI DSS
• GLBA
• Privacy Act
• Electronic Espionage Act
• PIPEDA (Canada)
• FACTA Disposal rule
• Check 21
• FISMA
• Contracts
• Best Practices
• and more….. 8

9. Storage data is remarkably resilient
Fire - Found after fire Soaked – PowerBook
destroys home – all Crushed - Bus runs underwater for two
data recovered over laptop – all data days - all data
recovered recovered
Fall from space – Hard
drive recovered from space
shuttle Columbia recovered
from a dry river bed. 99%
of 400MB data recovered
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10. Sanitization as part of the data lifecycle
Discovery
Sanitization Classification
Auditing
Protection Control

11. When do you need to sanitize media?
• Device is sold, donated, discarded or recycled
• End of lease
• Device returned to a manufacturer for warranty repair
• After severe malware/hacking attempt, for complete
removal of offending code from infected storage device
• RAID or hot spare:
– Hot spare placed into service, then removed when faulty RAID
drive was replaced
– Hot spare should be sanitized, as well as the original failed
RAID drive if the drive is still operational
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12. Hard drives and media are everywhere….
• Over 500 million hard drives were
sold in 2009
• There are still billions out there
• Thumb drives are everywhere
• 4GB USB drives given away at
conferences for free
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13. Sanitization as a formal process
• Formal system of information sanitization
– Based on risk factors specific to the organization
– policy must be created and implemented
– should be extensive, explicit, auditable and audited
– performed in a formal, consistent, documented manner
– done on a scheduled basis
– in the event of a failure, plaintiff’s lawyers will have much less to
use, which could likely be judged positively by a jury
– has quality control built in
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14. Policy
• Policy is dependent on a number of factors including:
– age and type of the storage technology
– classification of the data residing on the device
– environment in which the device had been used
• One policy does not fit all
– If device was used to store public data, but used in a SCIF that
handles top secret information; the drive, since it was used in a
SCIF, likely classified as the highest level of classification
• Create a responsible policy
– must encompass all types of storage hardware and information
classifications and employ a responsible sanitization practice
using both in-house and if required external services/resources
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15. Sanitization moratorium
• Include notion of a data sanitization moratorium
– Often called a Litigation Hold or Legal Hold
– organization must stop its data sanitization activities
– sanitization activities must immediately be placed on hold until
Legal department determines whether these sanitization
activities jeopardize sought-after data
– doesn’t just mean when there is a lawsuit
• can be regulatory investigation, internal investigation for workplace
misconduct, preservation because a client or vendor is in litigation
• while you aren’t technically part of it, you may have data material to
the matter they are involved in
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16. Form factors
• Hard drives
• USB / thumb drives
• Optical disks
• Solid state storage
• Flash
• VHS video
• External hard drives
• Floppies
• MFP
• Back-up tapes
• Copy machines
• DVD/CD
• Smart phones 16

17. Selling is not sanitization
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18. NIST Special Publication 800-88
• Guidelines for Media Sanitization
• Sanitization
– general process of removing data from storage media, such that
there is reasonable assurance that the data may not be easily
retrieved and reconstructed
• 800-88 assists with decision-making when media
require disposal, reuse, or will be leaving the effective
control of an organization
• Develop and use local policies and procedures in
conjunction with 800-88 to make effective, risk-based
decisions on the ultimate sanitization and/or disposition
of media and information
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19. Types of media sanitization
• Clearing
– Protects confidentiality of data against keyboard attack.
– Example: overwriting
• Purging
– Protects the confidentiality of information against a laboratory
attack (use of special equipment by trained recovery
technicians)
– Example: Secure Erase, degaussing
• Destroying
– Absolute destruction
– Example: Hard drive shredding, smelting, disintegration
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20. Unacceptable media sanitization practices
• File deletion
• Drive formatting
• Disk partitioning
• Encryption / key destruction
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21. Software-based disk sanitization
Advantages Disadvantages
• Single pass is adequate (as long as • Requires significant time to process
all data storage regions can be entire high capacity drive
addressed) • May not be able to sanitize data from
• Cost-effective and easily configurable inaccessible regions (HPA, DCO, etc.)
sanitization solution • Inconsistent data logging, audit trails or
• Can be configured to clear specific certification labels
data, files, partitions or just the free • No security protection during the
space erasure process / subject to intentional
• Erases all remnants of deleted data or accidental parameter changes
to maintain ongoing security • May require separate license for every
• Green solution hard drive
• Ineffective without good QA processes
• Not scalable
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22. Single pass vs. multiple passes
• DoD standard 5220.22-M (1995)
– at least 3 passes required
• NIST Special Publication 800-88, section 2.3
– Replaces 5220 which is retired
– for ATA disk drives manufactured after 2001 (over 15 GB) clearing
by overwriting the media once is adequate to protect the media
from both keyboard and laboratory attack
– single pass is adequate only if able to access the entire data
storage region of the media surface
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23. Secure Erase – Purge Level Sanitization
• HDD manufacturers & Center for Magnetic Recording
Research created Secure Erase sanitization standard
– component of the ANSI ATA Specification
– optional inclusion for use in SCSI as Secure Initialize
– embedded in the firmware of all standards compliant ATA hard
drives manufactured since 2001 (IDE, ATA, PATA, SATA)
– single pass operation eradicates all data in all data sectors
– highly effective and fast
– validated and certified by various governing bodies
– but most individuals and companies don’t even know it exists
– HDD manufacturers scared of irate help-desk calls
– inhibited by most PC manufacturers to protect from the potential
exploitation by virus / malware
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24. Hardware-based disk sanitization – degaussing
• Removal of data by exposing data storage bits on media surface to
a magnetic field of sufficient strength to achieve coercion of the bit
– Ensure model is on NSA Degausser Evaluated Products List (DEPL)
• Destructive process
– Creates irreversible damage to hard drives
• destroys the special servo control data on the drive, which is meant to
be permanently embedded on the hard drive
• once the servo is damaged, the drive is unusable
• if you plan to reuse the drive, don’t degauss it
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25. Choosing a degausser
• Cycle time – amount of time it takes to complete the erasure
• Heat generation – may generate significant heat and need to be cooled
down
– If you need to degauss many drives, downtime can be an issue
• Wand or cavity style – hand wands models are generally cheaper, but
may lack certain power features
– cavity style degaussers enable you to place the entire unit into the degausser
• Size – smaller portable unit or a larger more powerful unit?
– Some powerful models require wheels to move as they can weigh nearly 400 pounds
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26. Environmental considerations - location placement
• Should be installed in a location that will not interfere with
equipment or cause risk to operator or the public
• Caution must be taken so that the strong electromagnetic
fields created by the degausser don’t produce collateral
damage to other susceptible equipment nearby
• Must not impose potential health risk
– Consideration for interference with those who have pacemakers
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27. Physical disk destruction
• Physical destruction achieved using many methods
– Shredding
– Disintegration
– Bending, breaking or mangling the hard drive
• hard drive is easily distinguishable from unprocessed hard drives -
ensuring the disposal of the correct hard drive
– Is absolute destruction required?
• Media must be ground to a diameter smaller than a single data 512KB
block, which would require a particle size of no larger than 1/250 inch
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28. Hardware-based disk sanitization – Secure Erase
• Enables the native Secure Erase command
- Overcomes host limitations to effectively launch Secure Erase
- Maintains internal audit log
- Issues destruction certificate upon successful completion
• Automatically format drives after erasure
– used to rollout a new O/S to multiple workstations
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29. Optical media sanitization
• Securely and permanently eradicates digital data on
DVD, CD-ROM and other optical media
– grinds the information layer off media
• Ensure device meets the requirements of NSA/CSS 04-
02 for Optical Media Destruction
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30. In-house data sanitization
Advantages Disadvantages
• Media never leaves your location, no risk • Destruction systems can be expensive
of loss in transit • Low volume makes a longer time for ROI
• Full control • Staff with other duties may miss devices
• Data is destroyed by your own trusted • Must manage internal personnel and
staff technology changes
– Recommended that all destruction • Lack of space and/or resources for proper
activities be carried out under the segregation between destroyed and non-
office of the CISO, and by a trained destroyed units
and trusted technology support • Still must have a qualified vendor to deal with
technician residual waste and/or drives that fail
sanitization/wiping process
• Disposal of residual material
• Technicians will miss drives
• Requires good QC process to be effective
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31. In-house sanitization
• Quality control
– If your organization is going to do any of its own data
sanitization, it must have quality control mechanisms
• Separation of duties - one tech removes hard drives while another
is assigned to verify the drives have been removed, document the
verification, and replace the cover
– Wiping - assign a separate tech to take a random sample of at
least 10% (depending on quantity) and attempt to recover data
with a COTS data recovery tool
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32. Outsourced data sanitization
Advantages Disadvantages
• No initial capital investment required • No direct control of vendor employees
• can handle varying destruction needs • media may be transported outside of your
(disintegration, degaussing, etc.) location
• can handle varying volume needs • possible security concerns with off-
• experts utilizing best practices premise transportation and handling
• may have higher security standards than • may get locked into a bad contract
your location • may require minimums greater than your
• no need to manage personnel and needs
technology changes • data is handled/destroyed by non-
• regulatory compliant residual disposal employees
• if litigated, professional secure destruction • if hardware is not disposed of properly,
services destruction documentation is you could be included in a pollution
more credible than internally generated liability case
processes • Given these disadvantages, special
emphasis should be placed on vendor
selection criteria that specifically
address these issues
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33. Questions for a prospective outsourced firm
• What type of insurance coverage do they have?
– professional liability (sometimes called Errors & Omissions)
– pollution / environmental liability
– demand to see certificate of insurance demonstrating coverage for both
• What processes do they follow from receipt of asset through disposition?
• What are their security procedures?
• How do they sanitize data?
• Are they NAID certified for digital data destruction?
• How do they verify data is eradicated?
• Do they do full background checks?
• What are financial capabilities?
• If private, where do they get their funding? How stable is source?
• Can they provide customer references?
• Do they have the necessary state and local permits?
• Do they export e-waste overseas?
• Can they handle all or most of the locations for which you will require services?
• Do they have processes around chain of custody?
• Will they agree to the SLA’s that you have created?
• Do they barcode items?
• The key is to ask a lot of questions in advance!
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34. Outsourcing - Caveat Emptor
• A certificate of destruction, and a contract assuring
responsibility of the process mean very little in the real
world
• If a device is lost or data is exposed, it will be the owner
of the data who will be getting the penalty and making
the mandatory disclosure
• The service provider will be little more than a footnote in
the disclosure
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35. Taking data sanitization seriously
• Segregation
– separate all storage devices and media from others to be
disposed of materials.
– specifically remove all hard drives from to-be-disposed-of PCs,
laptops and servers
• Inventory
– establish the chain of possession of the data storage device.
– best practice - establish the connection of a particular storage
device to the unit it was removed from and use internal asset
management records to track the device back to the actual user
• Isolation
– using secure collection containers, isolate the inventoried data
storage devices in such a manner as to prevent unauthorized
removal from the sanitization process
– but avoid warehousing – Media must be processed frequently
as to avoid warehousing of drives containing confidential data.
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36. NAID
• National Association for Information Destruction
• International trade association for companies providing
information destruction services
• Mission is to promote the information destruction
industry and the standards and ethics of its member
companies
• NAID certified companies are audited annually by an
independent 3rd-party and subject to unannounced
audits
• www.naidonline.org
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37. References
• Guidelines for Media Sanitization (NIST SP 800-88)
• UCF Media Disposal Implementation Guide
• NAID Information Destruction Policy Compliance Toolkit
• ARMA Contracted Destruction for Records and
Information Media
• Gartner - Best Practices for Data Destruction
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38. Vendors / solution providers
• DestructData • Ensconce Data
– www.destructdata.com Technology
– www.deadondemand.com
• Security Engineered
Machinery • Garner Products
– www.semshred.com – www.garner-products.com
• Ontrack Eraser • Darik’s Boot And Nuke
– www.ontrack.com – www.dban.org
• CPR Tools • Reclamere
– www.cprtools.net – www.reclamere.com
• Back Thru the Future
– www.backthruthefuture.com
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39. For more information
• National Association of Corporate Directors
– Record Retention and Document Destruction Policy
– www.nacdonline.org/images/RecordRetention051023.pdf
• Remembrance of Data Passed: A Study of Disk
Sanitization Practices
– www.computer.org/portal/cms_docs_security/security/v1n1/garfinkel.pdf
• Best Practices for the Destruction of Digital Data
– www.cicadasecurity.com/guide.html
• Hard Drive Disposal: The Overlooked Confidentiality
Exposure
– http://www-03.ibm.com/financing/pdf/sg/Hard_Drive_Disposal_The_Overlooked_Confidentiality_Exposure_AP.pdf
• Storage & Destruction Business Magazine
– www.sdbmagazine.com
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40. References
• Center for Magnetic Recording Research
– http://cmrr.ucsd.edu/
• Australian Department of Defence
– Information and Communications Technology Security Manual
– http://www.dsd.gov.au/_lib/pdf_doc/acsi33/acsi33_u_0907.pdf
• Can Intelligence Agencies Read Overwritten Data?
– www.nber.org/sys-admin/overwritten-data-gutmann.html
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41. Conclusion / Action Items
• Management awareness
– management must be aware of the risks
– must ensure formal sanitization processes are developed
• Develop strategies on media sanitization
• Review security procedures for adequacy,
completeness, scope and failure analysis
• Develop an information lifecycle audit program
– Follow a life cycle approach to IT risk management that
includes making an explicit decision about data destruction
• Implement sanitization process
• Ensure quality control is built into the process
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42. Thanks for attending – Q/A
Ben Rothke, CISSP, CISA
Senior Security Consultant
BT Professional Services
ben.rothke@bt.com
www.linkedin.com/in/benrothke
www.twitter.com/benrothke
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