By HTL 365 · · Updated
A used hard drive on Facebook Marketplace costs about $20. We bought one in Houston to see what the previous owner left behind.
We connected it to a test machine and ran a recovery scan with Disk Drill, an off-the-shelf data recovery app anyone can download.
What came back
The drive wasn’t empty. The scan recovered more than 475,000 documents and more than 250,000 images, along with personal details like names, addresses and phone numbers.
Nobody set out to leak that data. Someone deleted their files, maybe formatted the drive, and assumed that was enough.
Why “deleted” doesn’t mean gone
When you delete a file or quick-format a drive, the computer removes the index that points to the data. The data itself usually stays where it was until something new is written over it. To your operating system the drive looks empty. To recovery software, it’s an open book.
SSDs behave differently from spinning drives, but they bring their own problems. Without the right sanitize command, data can survive in areas the operating system can’t see.
What it would mean for a business
Now picture that drive coming out of an accounting firm, a law office or a property manager instead of a home computer: tax returns, client files, bank details, employee records. The cost isn’t the $20. It’s the breach notifications, the client conversations and the regulators that follow.
What to do instead
- Wipe properly or destroy. Follow NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 2: a verified clear or purge for drives you’ll reuse, physical destruction for drives you won’t.
- Track every serial number. Know which drives you have and what happened to each one.
- Keep the certificate. A certificate of destruction listing each serial number is your proof if anyone asks later.
- Don’t forget copiers and printers. Many keep scanned documents on an internal drive.
HTL 365 picks up retired computers and drives from offices across greater Houston, wipes or destroys the data, and sends you a certificate for every device.