Hard drive capacities continue to improve thanks to new technologies like heat assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) and shingled magnetic recording (SMR). But areal densities remain limited by the physics of magnetic storage — and while 120-terabyte hard drives may exist...

The terms ransomware and social engineering are sometimes used interchangeably, particularly in news articles about major ransomware attacks.  The confusion is understandable: Many bad actors use social engineering techniques to distribute malicious software. However, social engineering is an attack vector,...

The TRIM command is an operation that enables solid-state drives (SSD) to efficiently manage garbage collection. In another article, we explain in detail how the TRIM command improves performance reliability for SSDs. SSDs generally support the TRIM command. Some...

Remote monitoring and management (RMM) software plays an essential role in many IT departments. With appropriate controls, an RMM solution enables teams to proactively monitor their systems, resolve issues, and handle other tasks — but RMMs can also introduce significant...

MGM Resorts International was allegedly victimized by a ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) group on September 11, 2023, leading to the temporary shutdown of operations at numerous hotels and resorts. pic.twitter.com/nxIweGInsB — MGM Resorts (@MGMResortsIntl) September 11, 2023“MGM Resorts recently identified a...

Several standards exist for secure data/media sanitization, but the most commonly cited standards are NIST SP 800-88.  Published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), SP 800-88 defines processes for destroying data on hard disk drives (HDDs) and...

The Cuba ransomware Group, also known as Fidel, has modified their malware variant to exploit a vulnerability in Microsoft’s Windows Hardware Developer Program.  Contrary to its name, the Cuba group is believed to be based in Russia. For the past...

Hard drives are magnetic storage devices, and they’re capable of holding data for extensive periods of time without losing data.  The data retention rate of a hard drive varies by manufacturer and the precise architecture used by the device. However,...

SD (Secure Digital) is a popular data storage format developed by the SD Association, a joint partnership between several major flash manufacturers.  The SD format encompasses a number of related technologies:SDHC microSD miniSD SDIO SDXC SDUCAll SD formats...

Smoke can damage a hard drive, but only in extreme circumstances.  Hard drives have pouch filters that prevent most contaminants from reaching the platters (discs coated in a thin layer of magnetic material, which store the user’s data).  Nearly all...