CDPSE · Question #223
Which of the following should be the FIRST consideration when selecting a data sanitization method?
The correct answer is D. Storage type. Storage type must be identified first because it determines which sanitization methods are physically possible - you cannot degauss a solid-state drive, and overwriting techniques that work on magnetic HDDs may be ineffective on flash memory or optical media. Once you know what m
Question
Which of the following should be the FIRST consideration when selecting a data sanitization method?
Options
- ARisk tolerance
- BImplementation cost
- CIndustry standards
- DStorage type
How the community answered
(26 responses)- A8% (2)
- B4% (1)
- C15% (4)
- D73% (19)
Explanation
Storage type must be identified first because it determines which sanitization methods are physically possible - you cannot degauss a solid-state drive, and overwriting techniques that work on magnetic HDDs may be ineffective on flash memory or optical media. Once you know what methods are technically applicable to your medium, you can then layer in the other considerations. Risk tolerance (A) is important but secondary - it helps you choose how thorough to be among valid options, not which options exist. Implementation cost (B) is a practical constraint applied after feasibility is established, not before. Industry standards (C) such as NIST SP 800-88 are actually organized by storage type, reinforcing that the medium drives the decision tree.
Memory tip: Think of it as "Can I?" before "Should I?" - storage type answers can I use this method, everything else answers should I.
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