CAS-002 · Question #582
An Information Security Officer (ISO) has asked a security team to randomly retrieve discarded computers from the warehouse dumpster. The security team was able to retrieve two older computers and a…
The correct answer is D. Update the hardware decommissioning procedures. Recoverable data was found on discarded hardware, indicating a failure in the organization's hardware disposal process. The warehouse manager must fix the decommissioning procedures to ensure data is sanitized before equipment is discarded.
Question
An Information Security Officer (ISO) has asked a security team to randomly retrieve discarded computers from the warehouse dumpster. The security team was able to retrieve two older computers and a broken MFD network printer. The security team was able to connect the hard drives from the two computers and the network printer to a computer equipped with forensic tools. The security team was able to retrieve PDF files from the network printer hard drive but the data on the two older hard drives was inaccessible. Which of the following should the Warehouse Manager do to remediate the security issue?
Options
- ARevise the hardware and software maintenance contract.
- BDegauss the printer hard drive to delete data.
- CImplement a new change control process.
- DUpdate the hardware decommissioning procedures.
How the community answered
(26 responses)- A4% (1)
- B4% (1)
- C12% (3)
- D81% (21)
Why each option
Recoverable data was found on discarded hardware, indicating a failure in the organization's hardware disposal process. The warehouse manager must fix the decommissioning procedures to ensure data is sanitized before equipment is discarded.
Revising the maintenance contract addresses vendor servicing obligations, not the internal process for securely disposing of retired hardware.
Degaussing only the printer drive is a reactive, one-time action and does not fix the underlying procedural gap that allowed unsanitized hardware to reach the dumpster.
Change control manages configuration and system changes during their lifecycle, not the end-of-life disposal and data destruction process.
The root cause is that the hardware decommissioning procedures did not include mandatory data sanitization steps such as drive wiping or physical destruction before disposal. Updating these procedures ensures all future hardware disposals follow a documented, enforced process that prevents data recovery. This addresses the systemic gap rather than reacting to a single incident.
Concept tested: Hardware decommissioning and data sanitization procedures
Source: https://csrc.nist.gov/publications/detail/sp/800-88/rev-1/final
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