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220-1102 Practice Question: A technician is tasked with disposing of a failed…
A technician is tasked with disposing of a failed SSD that contains encrypted financial records. The SSD is non-functional and cannot be powered on. Which method should the technician use to ensure data is destroyed?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers assume a degausser works on all storage devices, but SSDs are not magnetic media and degaussing has no effect on NAND flash memory.
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
✓
Physically shred the SSD using an industrial shredder.
The SSD is non-functional and cannot be powered on, so any software-based method (secure erase, overwriting) is impossible. Physical destruction via an industrial shredder is the only reliable way to ensure the encrypted financial records are unrecoverable from a dead SSD, as it physically breaks the NAND chips beyond repair.
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 on the SSD.
Why it's wrong here
Degaussing is a data destruction method specifically designed for magnetic storage media, such as traditional hard disk drives (HDDs) and magnetic tapes, by exposing them to a powerful magnetic field. Solid State Drives (SSDs), however, store data on NAND flash memory chips, which are semiconductor-based and operate electronically, not magnetically. Consequently, applying a degausser to an SSD would have no effect on the stored data and could potentially damage the drive's electronic components without achieving any data erasure. This method is fundamentally incompatible with SSD technology.
- ✗
Perform a secure erase command via SATA interface.
Why it's wrong here
A secure erase command, often implemented as part of the ATA Secure Erase standard, is an effective method for sanitizing functional SSDs by instructing the drive's controller to internally erase all data blocks. This process typically involves writing a specific pattern to all memory cells or resetting them to an erased state. However, the question explicitly states the SSD is "failed" and non-functional, meaning it cannot be powered on or communicate via its SATA interface. Without the ability to establish communication and power the drive, the secure erase command cannot be initiated or executed.
- ✓
Physically shred the SSD using an industrial shredder.
Why this is correct
Physically shredding the SSD using an industrial shredder is the most robust and reliable method for data destruction when a drive has failed and cannot be accessed electronically. This process mechanically breaks the entire device, including all individual NAND flash memory chips, into tiny, unrecognizable fragments. By pulverizing the semiconductor dies where the data is actually stored, it becomes absolutely impossible to reconstruct the original data. This ensures complete and irreversible data sanitization regardless of the drive's operational status.
- ✗
Overwrite the SSD with a data wiping tool on another computer.
Why it's wrong here
Overwriting the SSD with a data wiping tool on another computer requires the failed drive to be functional enough to be recognized, mounted, and written to by an operating system. Data wiping tools operate by writing multiple passes of random data or specific patterns over all accessible sectors of a storage device. Since the question specifies the SSD is "failed" and non-functional, it cannot be properly connected, accessed, or written to by another computer. This renders any software-based overwriting solution impossible due to the lack of drive accessibility.
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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.