NetworkTigers discusses how not to trash your discarded networking equipment if you want to resell.
Suppose you accidentally deleted a document, file, or PDF you need on your laptop or computer. In that case, you might be relieved that most deleted files and data are still retrievable. But when you’re ready to sell your used networking gear, you must ensure the next owner can’t unlock your data by searching through your trash folder. Conducting a proper wipe of your hardware is a quick and easy way to ensure that you can benefit from its resell potential.
Failing to resell your used gear is like throwing away a substantial part of its value. Don’t miss out on seed money for your next investment by trashing your old networking gear. Instead, you can earn money back on your used equipment, keep the hardware you’ve outgrown out of landfills, and rest easy knowing your information is safe. Learn how to wipe information correctly on your old hardware before selling it to an authorized reseller with NetworkTigers.
What is “clearing” networking equipment?
Clearing is more effective than simply deleting information and should be part of your standard wipe. The National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) defines clearing as “a level of media sanitation that does not allow information to be retrieved by data, disk, or file recovery utilities. It must resist keystroke recovery attempts from standard input devices [such as a keyboard or mouse] and data scavenging tools.” Clearing is any method to make information irretrievable from discarded or secondhand networking equipment.
Effective ways to wipe discarded networking equipment
Files are designed to be recoverable on most hard drive disks, even once deleted. This is a convenient feature for most users, but one you will need to be aware of before reselling used gear. Simply deleting information, even after emptying the trash on your computer, is not enough to put information past recovery from discarded devices. Instead, NIST 800-88 Media Sanitization Guidelines recommends some of the following techniques for effectively wiping or sanitizing your discarded networking equipment so it can be resold:
Overwriting
This clearing method is the gold standard for preventing data recovery by the next user or hackers using software. Overwriting involves replacing your previous information with random data. Overwriting is effective on all physical devices, such as hardware disk drives (HDD). Some software experts advocate for “zero-ing” after an overwrite or replacing the now-scrambled information with zeros. This second step is optional when conducting an overwrite.
Overwriting can be done multiple times on a device without harming its resale value. Historically, the Department of Defense guidelines recommended a 3 step wiping process, and computer scientist Peter Gutmann at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, went as far as to recommend 35 overwrites before a hardware disk was “clean” past any data recovery technique. However, these multi-step processes are now known to be overkill. According to NIST guidelines, ATA disk drives manufactured after 2001 can be considered sanitized after just one simple overwrite.
Purging
Purging is an additional step involving overwriting and the execution of firmware-based erasure through Secure Erase HDD commands. Purging prevents the recovery of data through hardware examination or laboratory techniques. Because hard drives store data on magnetic plates, they can retain information for long periods without electronic activation. Purging wipes the metal plates clean without degaussing, which must be done by professional media sanitation companies and renders the gear unusable in the future. Instead, a hardware purge can ensure that even the most advanced techniques cannot re-activate previously overwritten data while making it available for resale.
Unmapping
Hard disk drives can be overwritten many times without adversely affecting the technology. However, solid-state drives (SDD) are constructed differently. Each time you write a flash device, the SDD allocates a new blank page for the information. This means that technically, SDD pages can never be overwritten, and they have only a finite amount of “program/erase” (P/E) cycles before they need to be replaced. Therefore, attempting an overwrite on an SDD would reduce its resale potential.
However, many SDD drives come with an “UNMAP” command that marks the destination for pages as invalid. This allows previous data to become undiscoverable through software. Invalid pages will be erased continuously by the device, allowing you to resell an SDD safely with its functionality intact.
The takeaway for discarded networking equipment
People and businesses regularly outgrow certain kinds of technology and need to reinvest in new equipment or gear. Reselling used hardware is one of the best ways to reduce the cost of a network upgrade.
Understanding how to wipe discarded gear appropriately is an important security step for any user or company. Failing to do so leaves your network open to intrusion and impersonation attempts by threat actors. But conducting a simple overwrite or unmapping on your networking gear allows you to maximize its value and rest easy, knowing your data is safe.
About NetworkTigers
NetworkTigers is the leader in the secondary market for Grade A, seller-refurbished networking equipment. Founded in January 1996 as Andover Consulting Group, which built and re-architected data centers for Fortune 500 firms, NetworkTigers provides consulting and network equipment to global governmental agencies, Fortune 2000, and healthcare companies. www.networktigers.com
