What You Need to Know About Data Remanence

Have you ever deleted data from your search history or trashed files from your computer and wondered if traces of this information still exist somewhere? Unfortunately, traces of data often go unnoticed, and someone with the right tools can recover your deleted files. 

However, the good news is that you can take steps to permanently erase data remanence. Once you understand what data remanence is, and how online data residue occurs, you can take steps to protect yourself from cybercriminals who might target your personal information.

What is data remanence?

Also known as data persistence, data remanence refers to residual traces of data that remain on your device or online — even after you’ve deleted files, cleared your cache, and cleaned the storage on your device or in your search engine.

For a real world example, imagine you’ve written a family member a note, but then choose to tear it up and throw it away. If someone else then takes the note from the trash and tapes it back together, they can read what you wrote. Essentially, data remanence is like your torn-up note — it represents fragments of your deleted file that remain until the storage space is overwritten by new data. 

Smart device software and hardware features create challenges for complete erasure of data. Your device and online search engine tools can take care of 90% of the deletion process, but you’ll need to take further steps to remove all traces of deleted data. 

How data remanence occurs  

When you delete a file on a smart device, the operating system keeps it for a set period of time. This is to prevent accidental deletions by allowing you to recover mistakenly trashed files.  

If you regularly used a computer or phone in the pre-smart device era, you understand that this buffer against hasty deletions can be extremely helpful as it prevents a quick mistake from erasing your hard work.  

For example, if you delete a text thread but realize you need information from a dumped message, the thread is still available to open from your trash tab for 30 days. Nevertheless, your operating system doesn’t get rid of your entire deleted file, even after the file name ceases to exist. The file’s data remains in storage until new data is saved to replace it.

Before the file disappears forever, it might be stored in multiple places, including the following:

• File slack space (on your hard drive)
• Free space
• Internet cache
• Master File Table (MFT)
• Shadow copies (backup copies of your files automatically
• System directories and logs
• Temporary system storage spaces
• Unformatted hard drives

Benefits of data persistence

Data remanence may sound ominous, but it provides benefits as well. For example, if you accidentally delete a file, immediate recovery is a relatively easy process. Most operating systems include a separate “trash folder” that allows you to restore data simply by clicking on the files you’d like to recover and moving them back into storage folders.

Data remanence also allows your operating system to generate backup copies of files as you edit them. For example, if you’re working on a Word document, and accidentally delete an entire section of content, you’ll still have the pre-edited version of the document on file.

Online data residue can help your device to recognize frequently visited websites and search results, bypass blocks, and may be helpful when using generative AI.

Risks of data remanence

Unfortunately, lingering data remanence presents numerous cybersecurity risks as well.  Here are some of the consequences of data persistence — especially on an unprotected device:

• Data Breaches:  Data breaches due to data remanence can occur in many ways. Say you sell your smart device without erasing data residual, are targeted by a hacker, or have data remanence when you use an unsecure network or enter your information on an unsecured website. Cybercriminals can access and recover this information and sell it on the dark web.
• Extortion: Extortion is a potential risk for businesses that have data remanence issues. A cybercriminal can target these businesses by accessing and recovering deleted data and demanding payment before they use the data for nefarious purposes.
• Identity Theft: If you’ve deleted personal and confidential files, a hacker can recover your information and piece it back together to steal your identity.
• Legal consequences: Data remanence could have legal consequences for businesses that fail to legally comply with data erasure standards, don’t have up-to-date operating systems, and lack needed layers of cybersecurity. Federal regulations and guidelines on data need to be followed by all businesses to avoid data breaches.  
• Loss of Reputation and Brand Trust: Data breaches, leaked business data, and regulation violations can all be the consequences of data remanence. This can lead to a significant loss of a company’s customer base and can cause an enormous loss of reputation and consumer trust in a brand.

How to remove data remanence 

Thankfully, data persistence on your devices and online data residual doesn’t have to become a constant issue. There are steps you can take that will remove data remanence and add extra cyber protection for you. 

You shouldn’t have to worry about your files or caches once you’ve deleted them. Here are some of the methods you can use to make sure all evidence of your deleted data is erased.

Cryptographic erasure

Cryptographic erasure (also known as crypto erasure) is a cool-sounding method to delete your data remanence, and it works well, too. By using encryption, this method protects your device and permanently erases all data. 

However, you may want to contact an IT professional or use erasure software to take care of crypto erasure for you, as it includes sanitizing all self-encrypting drives, creating tamper-proof security certificates, and replacing your Media Encryption Key.

Data wiping software 

You can also install data wiping software to take care of data remanence. Once installation is complete, select the drive you want to wipe and then select the appropriate task to run. This process will remove any residual data, Examples of data wiping software include BitRaser File Eraser and CBL Data Shredder.

Destruction methods

If you’re ready to discard an old device and are worried it could fall into the wrong hands, you can manage its physical destruction. For example, you could melt or Incinerate your hard drive. Although it may feel gratifying to destroy an old storage device, this method to remove data remanence requires time and manual labor. 

Overwriting

Overwriting existing data on your storage device replaces it with new, meaningless data such as a series of random characters or zeros that serves as a placeholder until new data is created. You can use overwriting software like ShredIt to entirely wipe your drives, which is especially useful if you’d like to sell an old smart device.

Privacy tools

If you’re concerned about online data residual, privacy tools can help to give you peace of mind. Data privacy tools such as the personal data removal software offered by Data Seal, DeleteMe, and Incognito offer reasonably priced packages to help protect your information from online data remanence risks.

What Is My IP Address offers visitors to the website a free personal data scan tool

that scans over 80 people searches and data brokers so that you can see how much of your personal data is exposed online. This can help you make an informed decision about what cybersecurity products you need, and how data remanence can impact your Internet activity.

Google Chrome is also getting rid of third party cookie tracking capabilities, which will decrease the potential for your online data residual to fall into the wrong hands. 

Visit What Is My IP Address to access more free online privacy tools and be sure to check out our Easy Prey podcast and our blog to discover more cybersecurity tips.