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220-1202 Practice Question: Migrating to new laptops and needs to dispose of…
A company is migrating to new laptops and needs to dispose of 50 old hard drives securely. The drives contain proprietary software and client data. The IT manager wants a method that is both environmentally friendly and compliant with data protection laws. Which disposal method should be chosen?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often think that physical destruction (e.g., drilling) is sufficient for security, but the trap is that it must be combined with proper disposal (e.g., through a certified recycler) to be both environmentally compliant and legally defensible.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use a certified e-waste recycler that offers secure destruction and recycling.
Certified e-waste recyclers follow strict data destruction standards (e.g., NIST SP 800-88) and environmental regulations (e.g., R2 or e-Stewards certification). This ensures the drives are physically destroyed or degaussed to prevent data recovery, while responsibly recycling materials, meeting both security and compliance requirements.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Donate the drives to a local charity after wiping them with a free tool.
Why it's wrong here
Relying on a free wiping tool for corporate data is inherently risky, as these tools may not meet industry standards for secure data sanitization (e.g., NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 guidelines). Incomplete data erasure leaves sensitive company information vulnerable to recovery, posing significant compliance and data breach risks. Furthermore, donating drives, even if wiped, may not align with corporate data retention or disposal policies, and not all drives may be functional or suitable for reuse by a charity.
- ✓
Use a certified e-waste recycler that offers secure destruction and recycling.
Why this is correct
A certified e-waste recycler provides a secure and compliant solution for end-of-life data storage devices. These facilities adhere to strict industry standards, often employing physical destruction methods like shredding or degaussing, which guarantee irreversible data sanitization. This approach ensures sensitive corporate data cannot be recovered, simultaneously meeting regulatory compliance requirements and promoting environmentally responsible disposal of electronic components, thereby minimizing ecological impact.
- ✗
Physically break the drives with a drill and dispose of them in the regular trash.
Why it's wrong here
Manually drilling hard drives is an unreliable method for secure data destruction, as it may not damage all platters or flash memory chips sufficiently to prevent data recovery by sophisticated means. Furthermore, disposing of electronic waste, including drilled hard drives, in regular trash is environmentally irresponsible and often violates local, state, and federal regulations concerning e-waste disposal. This practice contributes to landfill pollution and fails to recover valuable materials.
- ✗
Perform a quick format and sell the drives online.
Why it's wrong here
A quick format only removes file system pointers, leaving the actual data blocks largely intact and easily recoverable with common data recovery software. Selling drives after only a quick format exposes the company to extreme data breach risks, as any buyer could potentially access sensitive corporate information. The minimal financial gain from selling used drives is far outweighed by the severe legal, financial, and reputational consequences of a data leak.
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JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1202 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1202 exam.