Topic

Volatile media sanitisation

Applicable to

Secret, Top Secret

History

Priority

must

Dec 2021

SECRET and TOP SECRET volatile media is sanitised by overwriting it at least once in its entirety with a random pattern followed by a read back for verification.

Miscellaneous changes were made to rationale and security controls throughout the publication. This included:

• A review from the Using the Information Security Manual chapter through to the Guidelines for Media chapter.

• Security controls suitable for all audiences have been identified with the ‘All’ applicability marking while additional security controls suitable for just government audiences have been identified with the O, P, S and TS applicability markings.

• Security controls suitable for specific classifications have been amended to include their classification(s) in the wording of the security controls to reduce the reliance on applicability markings to confer suitability.

• Tables in security controls have been converted into prose to allow for inclusion in the SSP annex template and the XML list of security controls.

• The use of ‘official’ and ‘highly classified’ terminology has been replaced with specific classifications to remove ambiguity.

• Security controls relating to high assurance ICT equipment have had their applicability narrowed to ‘S, TS’ reflecting that they are intended for the protection of SECRET and TOP SECRET systems and data.

2015

Agencies must sanitise volatile media by overwriting the media at least once in its entiretywith a random pattern, followed by a read back for verification, followed by removing powerfrom the media for at least 10 minutes.

2010

Agencies must sanitise volatile media by overwriting the media at least once in its entirety with anarbitrary pattern, followed by a read back for verification, followed by removing power from the mediafor at least 10 minutes.