Course: CompTIA Certified A+ Training (Core 1 and Core 2) (TGS-2024048317)
Topic 07: Security — Core 2, 28% of Core 2
Exam objective: Select the correct data destruction method for a stated sensitivity and retention requirement, and handle regulated data according to its legal obligations (Core 2 objectives 2.8 and 4.6).
Data destruction is where a wrong choice creates legal liability rather than an inconvenience. You match destruction methods to data sensitivity, then work the regulated data categories and the chain-of-custody discipline that evidence handling requires.
A destruction method decision table, a regulated data handling reference and a completed chain-of-custody form.
Data destruction reference, regulatory documentation, chain-of-custody template
- Disconnect mains power and hold the power button for 15 seconds before working inside any machine.
- Wear an anti-static strap connected to an earthed point; hold boards and cards by their edges.
- Never open a power supply unit or a CRT monitor — both retain a lethal charge after being unplugged.
- Never puncture, compress or charge a swollen lithium battery; isolate it and follow hazardous disposal procedure.
- Separate the two destruction goals: physical destruction where the media will never be reused, and sanitisation where the media is to be reused or resold.
- Record the physical destruction methods: drilling through the platters, shredding into small fragments, degaussing with a strong magnetic field, and incineration.
- Record the critical exception: degaussing does not work on solid state drives, because SSDs store data in flash cells rather than magnetically. Shredding or cryptographic erase is required instead.
- Record the sanitisation methods for reuse: a standard format which only clears the file table, a low-level format, and a multi-pass overwrite wipe which is the only reliable software method on a hard disk.
- Record why a standard format is not destruction: it removes the index but leaves the data recoverable with freely available tools.
- Record cryptographic erase for self-encrypting drives: destroying the encryption key renders all data unrecoverable instantly, which is the fastest correct method for an SED or an encrypted SSD.
- Build the decision table matching data sensitivity to method: public data may simply be deleted, internal data must be wiped, confidential data must be wiped and verified, and regulated data must be physically destroyed with a certificate.
- Record the outsourcing requirements: use a certified vendor, obtain a certificate of destruction listing serial numbers, and retain that certificate for the audit period.
- Build the regulated data reference: personally identifiable information, PCI DSS for payment card data, GDPR for EU personal data, PHI under HIPAA for health data, and Singapore's PDPA.
- For each regulation record what data it covers, the core obligation it imposes and the consequence of a breach.
- Record the chain of custody: the chronological documentation of who held evidence, when, and what they did with it, and note that a gap in the chain can render evidence inadmissible.
- Complete a chain-of-custody form for a hypothetical drive removed from a compromised machine, recording every handover with date, time, person and purpose.
Your decision table gives a method for all four sensitivity levels; you correctly state that degaussing does not work on SSDs; the regulated data reference covers at least five frameworks with obligations; and the chain-of-custody form has no gaps between handovers.
| Symptom | What to check |
|---|---|
| A command returns "command not found" | Re-run the apt-get install step at the start of the lab — the playground starts with a minimal package set. |
| The Killercoda terminal has reset | The playground times out when idle. Reopen it and re-run the setup commands from step 1. |
| A browser tool will not load | Check the URL against labs/tools.md. All four tools run entirely client-side and need no login. |
| Output differs from the guide | Record what you actually observed — your environment differs from the reference, and explaining the difference is part of the exercise. |
- State the exam objective this lab maps to, in your own words.
- Which single step in this lab would you perform first on a real support call, and why?
- What evidence would you attach to a support ticket to show this work was completed correctly?
- Name one thing that would make this procedure fail, and how you would recognise it.
Complete worksheet.md as you work through this lab and keep it — the Practical Performance assessment mirrors these tasks.