Data Demolition: Gone In 60 Seconds

Organizations know the importance of destroying retired physical data storage units: the waste stream has the potential to be a major leak of security-relevant information, to competitors, criminal organizations and the public. Hackers have long appreciated the insights to be gleaned through trashing! But the volumes of data stored today make this process difficult to accomplish instantaneously, and data in the wrong hands is money. If you manage data that might be at risk of physical attack by criminal agents, could there be a way to ensure its physical destruction in under 60 seconds at the flip of a switch? In this research I investigate multiple paths to forensic-resistant elimination of physical media via thermal, kinetic and high voltage methods. Both magnetic and flash storage devices are investigated, requiring the development of new techniques for high explosives manufacture, delivery and encapsulation. Surprising results will be presented.