Recycled PCs posing data leak risk

Nearly one-third of UK business PCs still have sensitive data on them when they are discarded, according to research commissioned by Lenovo.

Many companies simply erase data or format the disk on the PC, which leaves information easy to access, the computer maker said, reporting on its survey of 300 UK businesses.

Awareness of the environmental impact of disposal of electronic equipment has been boosted by the EU's Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive, which came into force in the UK last week. The 'green' directive is meant to keep old hardware out of landfills. But the data-security risk is greater if PCs are kept going rather than destroyed, and this danger may be exacerbated by moves encouraging the recycling of technology.

There are measures companies can take. Wiping the disk or rewriting random bits over the existing data multiple times makes it impossible to retrieve the original information, according to experts, although it is worth making sure that any wiping method meets the standard Gutmann specifications.

Lenovo provides a free Secure Data Disposal tool for download on its site that can be used to wipe data on PCs before getting rid of them or passing them to different users in a company.

Chris Wells, Lenovo's vice president for UK and Ireland, said in a statement: "It is essential for organisations to consider secure data disposal when refreshing end-of-life computers in order to avoid becoming susceptible to potentially immeasurable business risk."

Peter Judge writes for ZDNet UK