hardMultiple Choice
220-1102 Practice Question: A security auditor discovers that a company's…
A security auditor discovers that a company's data destruction logs show only a quick format was performed on drives before disposal. The drives contained personally identifiable information (PII). What is the primary risk?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that a quick format erases all data, when in reality it only removes the file system pointers, leaving the actual data intact and recoverable.
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 PII data is still recoverable from the drives.
A quick format only clears the file system metadata (e.g., the Master File Table on NTFS) and marks the drive's sectors as available for new data, but it does not overwrite the actual data stored in those sectors. Because the PII data remains physically on the platters or NAND cells, it can be easily recovered using file recovery tools or forensic software. This makes the data destruction process incomplete and poses a severe compliance and privacy risk.
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 drives may not boot properly after disposal.
Why it's wrong here
Bootability is irrelevant once drives leave the organisation; the exposure is that residual PII remains readable by anyone who recovers it. It tempts because disposal processes do sometimes render hardware unusable, but that concerns asset reuse, not confidentiality of the stored data.
- ✗
The drives could be reused without any issues.
Why it's wrong here
Reuse is precisely the danger: a quick format leaves prior PII recoverable, so a subsequent user could read the previous tenant's data. It tempts because quick formatting does allow the drive to function again, but that usability is the vulnerability, not a benign outcome.
- ✓
The PII data is still recoverable from the drives.
Why this is correct
A quick format rewrites file system structures but does not overwrite the underlying sectors, so the PII remains on the platters and is recoverable with forensic tools. Only overwriting, degaussing or physical destruction removes the data.
- ✗
The drives will no longer hold a magnetic charge.
Why it's wrong here
A quick format rewrites the file system structures only; the underlying sectors still hold recoverable PII, creating a data-remnant exposure. Magnetic charge decay is a long-term physical property of the media, not the compliance risk arising from inadequate sanitisation before disposal.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Linux File System Structure
Key term
32-bit File Allocation Table
32-bit File Allocation Table (FAT32) is a file system that organizes data on storage devices like hard drives and USB flash drives using a 32-bit addressing scheme to track where files are stored.
Key term
New Technology File System
New Technology File System (NTFS) is a modern file system developed by Microsoft that controls how data is stored, organized, and accessed on Windows-based hard drives and other storage devices.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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