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220-1102 Practice Question: A technician is tasked with disposing of a server…
A technician is tasked with disposing of a server that contains multiple SAS hard drives. The company's data destruction policy mandates that drives must be rendered unreadable by any means. Which combination of methods ensures compliance?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA A+ often tests the misconception that a full format or software overwrite is sufficient for secure data destruction, but the key trap here is that the policy requires drives to be rendered unreadable by any means, which mandates physical destruction or degaussing, not just logical erasure.
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
✓
Use a degausser on each drive and then shred them.
Degaussing destroys the magnetic field on SAS hard drives, making data unrecoverable, and shredding physically destroys the platters, ensuring compliance with a policy that mandates drives be rendered unreadable by any means. This combination addresses both magnetic and physical recovery methods, which is necessary for high-security data destruction.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Perform a full format on each drive.
Why it's wrong here
Performing a full format on a drive is insufficient for secure data disposal because it primarily rebuilds the file system structure and checks for bad sectors, rather than overwriting all data blocks. While it makes data inaccessible through standard operating system functions, the underlying data remains on the platters and can be recovered using specialized data recovery software or forensic tools. This method does not meet industry standards for secure data destruction.
- ✓
Use a degausser on each drive and then shred them.
Why this is correct
Using a degausser on each drive effectively neutralizes the magnetic fields that store data on traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), rendering the data unreadable and unrecoverable. Following degaussing with physical shredding ensures complete destruction of the drive platters and components, making data recovery absolutely impossible. This two-step process provides the highest level of data security and meets stringent government and industry data destruction standards for magnetic media.
- ✗
Overwrite each drive with zeros using a software tool.
Why it's wrong here
Overwriting each drive with zeros using a software tool is a more secure method than a full format, but it has limitations, particularly with modern solid-state drives (SSDs). Due to wear-leveling algorithms and over-provisioning in SSDs, not all data blocks may be directly addressable or overwritten, potentially leaving residual data accessible. While effective for traditional HDDs if performed multiple times, it is not as universally absolute or foolproof as physical destruction for all storage media types.
- ✗
Remove the drives and store them in a locked cabinet.
Why it's wrong here
Removing the drives and storing them in a locked cabinet is a data security measure for physical access control, not a method of data destruction or disposal. The data remains intact and fully recoverable from the drives, posing a significant security risk if the cabinet is compromised or the drives are eventually lost or stolen. This action merely delays proper disposal and fails to meet any policy requiring the secure eradication of sensitive information.
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Windows Security Features
Key term
Security
Security in IT is the practice of protecting systems, networks, and data from unauthorized access, damage, or theft.
Key term
Recovery
Recovery is the process of restoring systems, data, and operations after a security incident, failure, or disaster to return to normal functioning.
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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.