220-1102 Security Practice Question
A technician is asked to dispose of several old company laptops that contain sensitive customer data. The company wants to ensure the data cannot be recovered while still allowing the laptops to be donated. Which of the following should the technician perform?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is treating formatting or deleting partitions as sufficient data destruction, when those methods leave the original data 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
✓
Perform a secure erase or overwrite the drives.
Secure erase or overwriting renders the original data unrecoverable while keeping the drive usable, so the laptops can be donated. Physical destruction prevents donation, and formatting or repartitioning leaves recoverable data. The technician should choose a sanitization method that meets both the security and reuse goals.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Run a standard format on the drives.
Why it's wrong here
A standard format removes file system structures but does not securely erase the underlying data; recovery tools can still retrieve files. This fails the requirement that data cannot be recovered. A more thorough sanitization method such as overwriting or cryptographic erase is required.
- ✗
Delete all partitions and create a new one.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting partitions and creating a new one only removes references to the data; the actual file contents remain on the disk and can be recovered with forensic tools. This does not meet the requirement that data cannot be recovered. Proper sanitization such as overwriting or secure erase is necessary.
- ✓
Perform a secure erase or overwrite the drives.
Why this is correct
Secure erase or overwriting writes patterns across the entire drive, making the original data unrecoverable while leaving the drive functional for donation. This satisfies both the security and reuse requirements. It is the appropriate sanitization method when the hardware will remain in service elsewhere.
- ✗
Physically destroy the hard drives.
Why it's wrong here
Physical destruction ensures data cannot be recovered, but it prevents the laptops from being donated because the drives would be unusable. The requirement is to allow donation, so destruction is too extreme. A sanitization method that preserves the drive is needed instead.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
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