Do you need help safely recycling a computer?
You might have considered dropping that old desktop off or mailing it away without any extra hassle. Are you sure you know all the right steps you must take to safeguard your data?
In their 2020 cybersecurity report, the National Technology Security Coalition noted that large numbers of state and local public sector agencies suffered ransomware attacks. When you consider the sophistication of some of these attacks, imagine how dangerous it would be for your old computer to fall into the wrong hands.
We’re going to show you what you need to do to make sure bad actors can’t recover any of your information from your retired PC or Mac. Read on!
Back up Data
Computer recycling is a great idea because you’re sparing your local environment from pollution. Data security is of paramount importance though, since your work or personal files are all over that hard drive in ways you’d never know.
First thing’s first – you need to back up those files.
If the new computer has arrived, consider using a built-in or third-party service to transfer the contents of the hard drive. Otherwise, you’ll want to back up all that important data using a storage device such as a USB drive or an external hard drive if there’s a lot of it.