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| Why destroy the USB flash drive and not sell it? |
A new report from the University of Abertay revealed a widespread security risk when selling used storage devices. The study by student James Conacher found that it can be easily accessed online to recover 75,000 deleted files from old purchased USB drives and SSDs.
Although 98 of 100 USB storage devices purchased appear empty, only 32 have been successfully deleted. Publicly available tools allow you to extract some files from 26 USB devices and recover all files from the remaining 42 devices.
There is very sensitive information among the recovered files including bank statements, passwords, and tax returns.
Professor Karen Reno of Abertay University said, “If the password is still valid, unscrupulous buyers can use the recovered files to access the supplier’s account, or even try to use the account. From someone else. Password, reuse of passwords is common. .
The professor continued, "People who received USB storage devices might be able to find the seller's email address from the files we found on the drive. They might try to steal money. Bank accounts or even threatening embarrassing disclosure of information blackmail the seller."
Deleting files may seem like a straightforward process, but it is more complicated. When most computers delete files, they only delete them from the visual index. Then you can easily restore it using some of the tools available.
Anyone who wants to permanently delete files can use the detailed program. This is recommended for anyone looking to sell old USB drives. However, if all you want to do is throw the disc away, it is best to use a hammer to destroy it before throwing it in the trash.
Interestingly, Abertay's research team did not find any malware in 100 USB drives, indicating that while an obsolete storage device vendor is at high risk, it could be a good buyer.