Efficiently sanitizing a solid state drive (SSD)
AssigneeAkamai Technologies, Inc.
InventorsBrandon J. Hopkins, Kevin A. Riggle
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A low-cost, portable, destructive sanitization method for solid state drives (SSDs) is provided. Preferably, an SSD is destroyed by disintegration within a given time period (approximately 30 minutes or less) using a blending device operating at a given peak power, e.g., greater than 450 W. A pulverizing agent may be admixed with pieces of an SSD printed circuit board prior to initiating the disintegration process to increase the number of particle collisions in a processing/blending chamber. The pulverizing agent may also contain moisture that mitigates suspension of processed SDD particles in the surrounding air (when the mixing chamber is opened). The overall process may be video-recorded for compliance purposes.
Claims19
A method to destroy a solid state drive (SSD) printed circuit board (PCB) for information security, comprising:
- admixing an SSD PCB together with a pulverizing agent to create an admixture;
- blending, for a given time period, and within a blending chamber of a blender, the admixture to form a particulate powder, wherein the blending is carried out over a given power range of the blender;
- following the given time period, placing the particulate powder in a sieve having openings of a given size, wherein particulates of the particulate powder less than the given size pass through the sieve;
- repeating at least the blending operation until such time as no particulates greater than the given size exist in the admixture;
- wherein the pulverizing agent also adds moisture content to the admixture, thereby inhibiting aerial particulate suspension and escape of the particulates upon opening of a lid of the blending chamber.
A method of disintegration of an electronic memory that stores information, comprising:
- receiving a solid state drive (SSD) device;
- separating an SSD printed circuit board (PCB) from the solid state drive device;
- cutting the SSD PCB into pieces;
- admixing the pieces of an SSD PCB together with a pulverizing agent to form an admixture;
- blending, for a given time period, and within a blending chamber, the admixture to form a particulate powder, wherein the blending is carried out over a given power range;
- following the given time period, testing the particulate powder to determine whether any particulates greater than a given size exist;
- and
- based on the testing, repeating at least the blending operation until such time as no particulates greater than the given size exist in the admixture;
- wherein the pulverizing agent also adds moisture content to the admixture, thereby inhibiting aerial particulate suspension and escape of the particulates upon opening of a lid of the blending chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.