Slicing corners: Samsung Germany has taken knowledge safety to a brand new excessive. They requested a buyer to destroy his Samsung 980 Professional by drilling or smashing it with a hammer earlier than returning it for RMA. However why?
Returning an SSD could be a delicate course of as knowledge safety could be of utmost significance — much more so in Europe the place strict knowledge safety legal guidelines have been in place for many years. Nevertheless, a consumer from Igor’s Lab found a slightly unconventional RMA coverage when returning his Samsung 980 Professional SSD. Samsung Germany requested this consumer to destroy his 980 Professional with a drill or hammer earlier than returning it for RMA.
As detailed within the report from Igor’s Lab, the RMA began in typical style with the consumer offering requisite info such because the serial quantity, proof of failure, and troubleshooting steps. A diagnostic scan on Samsung Magician revealed the drive was failing with a number of errors on the NAND flash. The following step was for the drive to be returned, however what if the client is unwilling to return the drive as is? That is the place issues received attention-grabbing.
At this stage there had additionally been some phone correspondence between Samsung and the client, and though the small print will not be recognized, we are able to solely surmise this to be an excessive case the place the client had saved extremely delicate knowledge on the dying drive.
After offering a written rationalization as to why the drive couldn’t be returned as is, the consumer found a considerably weird RMA coverage. As per the correspondence from Samsung, the client was requested to “drill holes within the SSD or smash it with a hammer”, whereas offering photograph or video proof of the act. The thought was to make it bodily not possible to entry the info, thereby making certain full knowledge safety.
Igor’s Labs fortunately obliged and took to the 980 Professional with a grinder, nullifying any risk of knowledge being recovered from the drive. They even revealed a YouTube video (proven above) of the execution. The video reveals the person NAND layers being destroyed — Samsung 980 Professional homeowners might wish to take a go on this one. For sure, all the info was destroyed, making certain peace of thoughts for the client. The drive has since been despatched again to Samsung, and the client awaits his new SSD.
Customers are inspired to make use of a wipe software equivalent to Lively@ KillDisk earlier than returning or promoting their SSDs. This type of utility will completely take away all knowledge, additionally stopping the potential of knowledge restoration. Nevertheless such a software might not reliably wipe all knowledge on a failing drive, so maintain your hammers and drills helpful!