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Compliance & Standards

Data Sanitization Standards

SecureWipe implements internationally recognized data erasure standards to ensure your decommissioned IT assets are thoroughly and verifiably sanitized.

NIST SP 800-88 Rev.1

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NIST Special Publication 800-88 is the most widely adopted data sanitization guideline in the world. Published by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology, it defines three levels of media sanitization based on the sensitivity of the data and the intended disposition of the media.

Clear

Applies logical techniques to overwrite data in all user-addressable storage locations. Protects against simple, non-invasive data recovery attempts. Suitable for media that will be reused within the organization.

Supported by SecureWipe
Purge

Applies physical or logical techniques that render data recovery infeasible using state-of-the-art laboratory techniques. Includes cryptographic erase, block erase, and overwrite methods.

Supported by SecureWipe
Destroy

Renders the media completely unusable through physical destruction methods such as disintegration, incineration, or shredding. Requires physical access to the media.

Physical — Not Software-Based

DoD 5220.22-M

U.S. Department of Defense Standard

The DoD 5220.22-M standard (also known as the "National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual") defines a multi-pass overwrite method for sanitizing magnetic media. While the DoD has since adopted NIST 800-88 as its primary reference, the 5220.22-M method remains widely recognized in the ITAD industry.

3-Pass Overwrite Process

1

Pass 1 — Binary Zeros

Overwrite all addressable locations with binary zeros (0x00).

2

Pass 2 — Binary Ones

Overwrite all addressable locations with binary ones (0xFF).

3

Pass 3 — Random Data + Verify

Overwrite with a random bit pattern, then verify the write by reading back the data.

Fully supported by SecureWipe

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