Many people sell or discard old electronic devices daily, such as smartphones, laptops, external storage media, and desktop computers. Unfortunately, they usually do not properly remove their data from the hard drives of those devices before getting rid of them. That makes the devices vulnerable to potential data theft from any malicious person who gets their hands on them.
Think about all the business documents, financial records, and personal photos you may have stored on your electronic devices. Dragging these files to the recycling bin and emptying the bin is insufficient to delete such sensitive data. With the right data recovery software, someone could restore those files and gain access to your sensitive data that you thought was erased.
When you normally delete a file on your computer, the data for it is not erased from your hard drive. What really happens is that your computer designates space on your hard drive for new data. Deleting a file only erases the metadata that directs you to the file in the hard drive’s file system, but it does not erase the file itself. The original data remains within that freed-up space on the hard drive until new data fills that space to replace the old data.
Real-Life Examples of Data Theft from Discarded Devices
It is not just ordinary people who have had their data stolen from discarded devices. Even corporations and government agencies have also experienced data theft from their discarded devices.
Here are some real-life examples of this:
1) Bank Data Theft Scandal
In 2008, a large United Kingdom-based bank discarded over 1,000 hard drives and storage devices containing private customer information, such as bank account details, names, addresses, and other sensitive data. People bought these storage devices from third-party sellers on eBay, only to discover that many still contained customer bank data on them. The bank faced a fine of over £3 million.
2) Stolen Medical Laptop with Patient Data
In 2012, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center reportedly informed approximately 30,000 patients about a data breach regarding a stolen unencrypted laptop from the home of one of the faculty members who worked there. The laptop contained protected patient health information, such as social security numbers, insurance information, and medical histories. It is against federal law for anyone to access this information without the patient’s consent.
3) Military Computers with Sensitive Data Sold
In a recent 2025 story, the owner of a Jefferson County information technology disposition company purchased two used computers from the federal government at an online surplus auction. When the owner received the computers, he quickly discovered that sensitive military data still existed on the hard drives of the computers. It was a breach of national security and forced the U.S. military to create new data disposal policies to prevent this from happening again.
The Lesson Learned
All these incidences could have been avoided if the previous owners had used file erasure software to permanently wipe the data from the hard drives. Even though most of those computers did not end up in the wrong hands, they could have very well been used for criminal purposes if a data thief wanted to use someone’s sensitive data to commit identity theft.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, over one million people complained about their identities being stolen in 2023. The complaints were about acts of credit card fraud, lease fraud, loan fraud, bank fraud, government benefits fraud, and employment fraud in their names. Unless computer data is wiped clean from hard drives, your chances of suffering such fraud are dramatically high.
File Erasure Software: The Best Way to Delete Data Permanently
File erasure software is the fastest and most efficient way to delete data from your electronic devices permanently. This type of software goes beyond the standard metadata deletion process by overwriting the datasets on your hard drive multiple times to ensure none of the old data remains. That way, if someone tries to use a data recovery software tool to retrieve lost files and folders, it will not work because they were overwritten with new data. That makes it permanently gone.
Stellar File Eraser is a secure and trusted file deletion tool designed to permanently erase folders, files, system traces, partitions, and all traces of internet and computer activity from the hard drives of Windows laptops and desktop computers. It is compatible with hard disc drives, solid-state drives, USB external hard drives, and USB flash drives.
Here is an overview of the file erasure capabilities of Steller File Eraser:
Erases All Traces of Online Activity
Steller can erase every trace of data regarding your past internet activities, including your temporary files, cookies, passwords, login details, and favorites. If you want to ensure your internet usage history remains anonymous forever, Steller is the best file erasure software to do the job. It works well with popular browsers like Internet Explorer, Google Chrome, Safari, Mozilla, and Microsoft Edge.
Erases All Deleted Files and Folders
Steller erases all the current and hidden files, folders, pictures, and other data on your hard drives and partitions. Anything you deleted in your recycling bin will now be permanently deleted with no chance of recovery.
Erases All Application Data
Uninstalling software applications on your computer will still leave behind activity logs and other sensitive data related to using those applications. Steller will wipe away all traces of your application data and activity logs so that no one can find out which software programs you used.
Erases All System Traces
System traces are temporary files that record device activity. If too many exist on your computer, they can slow down the performance and consume more storage space. Steller will erase all system traces to speed up your computer’s performance and available storage space.
Get Your Premium File Erasure Software Today!
Stellar File Eraser Software is one of the most trusted and advanced file-erasing software tools in the market. One small investment in this software will allow you to permanently remove sensitive information from all your Windows computers and storage devices so that you can protect your privacy and prevent identity theft.
Visit the website for more information: https://www.stellarinfo.com/data-erasure/file-eraser.php
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