Priya is redeploying a working laptop SSD to another employee. Company policy requires that the previous user's data be unrecoverable, but the drive itself must stay functional for reuse. Which method should she use?
- ADegauss the SSD using a magnetic degausser rated for the drive's capacity before reassigning it.
- BDelete the existing partitions and perform a quick format of the volume before handing it over.
- CShred the SSD in an approved media shredder and provision a brand-new drive instead.
- DRun the drive's built-in ATA Secure Erase so the flash cells are reset while the SSD stays usable. Correct
Why A is wrong: Degaussing is tempting because it works on magnetic media, but an SSD stores data in flash cells that a magnetic field cannot erase, so the data survives.
Why B is wrong: A quick format only clears the file table, so the underlying data remains and is trivially recovered with forensic tools, failing the unrecoverable requirement.
Why C is wrong: Shredding does make data unrecoverable, but it destroys the drive and defeats the stated requirement to reuse the same SSD.
Why D is correct: Secure Erase issued to the SSD controller sanitises every cell, including spare blocks, and leaves a fully working drive that can be reissued.