Cell Phone security is on the spotlight in today’s news, and I can’t resist the temptation to have a small rant, that needs retelling each time either a new technology or device type comes out. If device/technology stores any information, it may not be simply wiped out if broken or cleared off by user. To wipe the existence (not just the reference) of data, user must go beyond pushing buttons.

• If phone is operational, try to locate appropriate wipe-out tools available to clear everything. Some phone providers offer such tools, and if in lack there are some 3rd party solutions. I know this is a hard task for average joe, so returning phone to seller /reseller should give guarantees of necessary sensitive data removal, but as I have seen phones with previous owner data I have my doubts…
• If cell phone is broken and trashable, destroy the storage unit. Giving just few hits is not effective solution, as even partially broken disks can be mended / cloned for information. The smaller the pieces the better; and if in doubt there are always chemicals and other more powerful disposal methods
• If in doubt, give the task to professionals. In most countries there are service providers who do professional data erasing / remanence for small fee. This is highly recommendable option unless you are a do-it-yourself-geek

The main problem that favours complete destruction is use flash memory (USB flash drives, memory cards etc techniques) in mobile devices. There is no generally accepted method for wiping out sensitive data on flash memory as data tends to “burn in” the longer it is stored. Overwriting with random data may be superior to erasing, but it is by no means easy or secure. As flash memory units are so small, possibly the simplest solution is secure storage until the original data is no longer sensitive.