ITPEC IP April 2022 Question 37

CDs and DVDs are destroyed and then disposed of — physical destruction makes the data on the disc unreadable.

Information leaks from disposed media when the medium that actually holds the data is left readable. A CD or DVD cannot be reliably erased, so it is broken or cut up (a shredder that accepts discs, or scratching the recording layer) before disposal. For every medium, the rule is to make the data unrecoverable: overwrite or physically destroy storage devices, and shred or dissolve paper.

Answer (a)

Why not others:

• •(b) — the CPU stores no data; the information is on the PC's hard disk or SSD, which stays readable. Erase it with dedicated software or destroy it
• •(c) — deleting files removes only the directory entries; the data stays on the memory and can be recovered with tools. Overwrite it or destroy the device
• •(d) — a sealed envelope in general trash can still be opened and read by anyone who picks it up; confidential paper should be shredded, dissolved or incinerated

Key rule: Before disposal, destroy or overwrite the part that actually holds the data; deleting files, sealing envelopes or breaking other parts does not stop a leak.

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