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220-1202 Practice Question: A company's security policy requires that all…
A company's security policy requires that all laptops returned by employees be sanitized before redeployment. A technician uses a degausser on a laptop's SSD. What is the likely outcome?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to assume degaussing works on all storage devices, but CompTIA tests the distinction between magnetic media (HDDs) and solid-state media (SSDs), where degaussing physically destroys SSDs rather than erasing them.
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
✓
The SSD is physically destroyed and unusable.
A degausser generates a powerful magnetic field to erase data from magnetic media. SSDs (Solid State Drives) store data in NAND flash memory cells, which are not magnetic. The intense magnetic field from a degausser induces high currents in the SSD's internal circuitry, physically destroying the controller and memory chips, rendering the drive completely unusable.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
The SSD is completely erased and ready for reuse.
Why it's wrong here
Degaussing does not effectively erase SSDs; it may corrupt the firmware but leave data recoverable.
- ✓
The SSD is physically destroyed and unusable.
Why this is correct
Degaussing can damage the SSD's controller and make the drive inoperable, but it does not guarantee data erasure.
- ✗
The SSD is unaffected and still contains data.
Why it's wrong here
While the data may remain, the drive may be damaged; this is not a reliable outcome.
- ✗
The laptop's BIOS is reset.
Why it's wrong here
Degaussing targets storage media, not the BIOS chip; it will not reset BIOS settings.
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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.