Storagesanitization
Storagesanitization is the process of removing or rendering inaccessible data from storage media to prevent recovery. It is typically performed when devices are decommissioned, repurposed, or transferred to environments with lower risk requirements. The objective is to ensure that sensitive information cannot be reconstructed by unauthorized parties.
Standards describe three broad levels of sanitization: clear, purge, and destroy. Clear overwrites data with patterns
Common guidance comes from bodies such as NIST SP 800-88, which outlines methods, verification, and when to
In practice, organizations tailor storagesanitization to media type, encryption status, and applicable regulations, balancing effectiveness, cost,