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220-1102 Practice Question: Relocating and needs to dispose of 50 old desktop…
A company is relocating and needs to dispose of 50 old desktop computers with HDDs that contain sensitive client data. The policy requires data destruction to be verifiable and the drives to be physically destroyed. Which method meets these requirements?
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
✓
Send the drives to a certified e-waste recycler for shredding.
Physical destruction methods like shredding or crushing provide verifiable destruction (e.g., through a certificate of destruction) and ensure the drives cannot be reused, meeting strict security policies. Degaussing also destroys data but may not physically destroy the drive.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Use a degausser and then donate the drives to a school.
Why it's wrong here
Degaussing renders data unrecoverable by disrupting the magnetic domains on traditional hard disk drives, but the drive itself remains physically intact and potentially functional. This method, while effective for data sanitization, violates a company policy specifically requiring physical destruction of the media. Furthermore, donating drives, even after degaussing, introduces a risk if the degaussing process was incomplete or if the policy prohibits reuse/donation due to potential liability concerns, making it an unsuitable disposal method for sensitive company data.
- ✗
Overwrite each drive with three passes of random data.
Why it's wrong here
Overwriting with multiple passes of random data, such as methods outlined in the DoD 5220.22-M standard, is an effective software-based data sanitization technique. This process logically destroys the data by replacing it with new information across the entire storage surface. However, it does not physically alter or destroy the storage media itself. Since the company's policy explicitly mandates physical destruction, this method fails to meet the core requirement, leaving the physical drives intact and therefore non-compliant.
- ✓
Send the drives to a certified e-waste recycler for shredding.
Why this is correct
Sending the drives to a certified e-waste recycler for shredding ensures complete physical destruction of the storage media, rendering any data absolutely unrecoverable. This method directly satisfies a company policy requiring physical destruction and provides an auditable chain of custody, often including a certificate of destruction from the recycler. This approach also adheres to environmental regulations for electronic waste disposal, ensuring responsible and secure asset retirement.
- ✗
Reformat each drive and install a fresh OS for reuse.
Why it's wrong here
Reformatting a drive, even performing a full format, primarily reorganizes the file system and marks sectors as available for new data, but it does not securely erase the underlying data. Much of the original data can still be recovered using specialized data recovery tools. This method clearly fails to meet any secure data destruction requirement and certainly does not achieve the mandated physical destruction of the drives, making it unacceptable for sensitive company data disposal and violating policy.
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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.