Selling used USB sticks poses a risk to information security. We may think we have completely deleted the data, but it is possible to recover files that have not been deleted properly using certain tools.
A recent investigation reveals that "old memory sticks" sold online contained sensitive Australian Government data.
The research paper, which is set to be presented at a cybersecurity conference, reveals how the researchers discovered the confidential government data.
The investigation found that the sellers did not properly delete the data contained on the memory cards. The data recovered not only contained personal information, but also data belonging to the Australian government.
The study states: “It is obvious that second-hand product websites and the media should take action to raise awareness among end users regarding the proper deletion of data.”
