With the rise of the refurbished mobile devices market, data sanitization has become one of the most important parts of working with pre-owned devices. You can't deny the impact it has, and the fact that erasing data from mobile phones before they go to the next stage in the supply chain is imperative. That’s why in this article we want to tell you why it’s so important and how it actually works.
Data sanitation: a key component of supply chain security
Disinfecting new devices from the start of a life of refurbished and repaired phones is the best way to protect your previous customer and your reputation in the market. Thus, it is quite clear that every person in the XXI century needs to erase all data from their devices before selling them. Since nobody wants personal data to be leaked, there is a law and standards for data erasing.
Secure Data Erase is a software cleaning process that removes all data from a device, leaving it intact and usable. It also provides validation and tamper-proof certificates confirming that the data has been sanitized according to certain standards.
It is common for small businesses in the used mobile phone industry to factory reset their phones as this is one of the main security features of a phone and anyone can access it. However, this can lead to reputational risks and loss of profits, which is why industry giants have been using data erasing software for a long time.
Why is data erasure necessary?
Most of the mobile devices that circulate on the refurbished mobile market initially were someone’s property and they had their own personal data stored in there.
Everything must be removed properly: videos, photos, applications, accounts, settings, etc. And this is really important because no matter what was there if it was deleted incorrectly personal data will stay on the device. This is happening because of the way in which modern data storage is working. And anyone with proper software can reach any “erased” file.
This is why it’s so important to properly erase all of the data from the mobile device before it goes to the next stage in the supply Otherwise, it can lead to scandals, unveiling of private information, and damaging the reputation of the business that this phone passed through.
Market standards
On some phones even if you factory reset the device you can still dig out personal data from the flash memory of the phone, it is a very complicated process and almost no one will go for such measures just to get someone’s data, but it is still possible.
Due to the fact that the problem is prominent, proper standardization was needed. So multiple standards were developed. The most important ones are:
- The “DoD standard” - the method for data erasure published by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).
- NIST Special Publication 800-88 - one of the most dominant standards known for its data sanitization categories of Clear, Purge and Destroy.
- ADISA - standard applies to companies that participate in IT asset recovery, leasing, logistics, repair center, and the IT Asset Disposal Standard.
All of these standards are applicable to the used mobile phones and provide certification for the successful erasure of data from a device.
How to erase data properly?
When organizations decide to invest in privacy software, it is important to know that it is best suited for the task at hand and meets all the regulatory requirements your business must meet.
Beyond that, it's also good to know that the software has been independently tested and certified by third parties around the world to deliver on its promises. These accreditations can provide you and your security team with peace of mind.
NSYS Data Erasure
We care about our customers who deal with pre-owned mobile devices and make sure that their phones should be wiped safely and securely.
NSYS Data Erasure is made to support the high standards and follow NIST SP 800-88, use Clear and Purge methods to ensure safety and quality.
Our solution also has passed a testing attack using the ADISA Product Claims Test Method and received ADISA certification confirming that our software can be used to sanitize data against ADISA risk levels 1 and 2. And it works for both Android and iPhone devices.
Nowadays proper data erasure procedure is a must-have for any business which deals with pre-owned devices. And to make sure that everything is wiped safely you must use a specified software that passed every necessary test and has a certification to prove that.
