Many companies dread tech upgrades because of the long, tedious process, but the real nightmare is sitting in storage. Old, retired, obsolete equipment sitting idle in storage closets is one of the biggest threats to corporate cybersecurity. As Cybersecurity Awareness Month ends, enterprises still have retired IT hardware sitting in storage, leaving enterprise data vulnerable to hackers. Irresponsible disposal increases the risk of data breaches, hardware theft, and malware. Today’s blog post covers what to do with retired IT assets, why it matters, and what companies risk by not having a disposition plan.
What Your Cybersecurity Plan is Missing
A company’s cybersecurity plan is integral to enterprise infrastructure, but many are missing a vital component. Modern Cybersecurity plans cover only assets in use, leaving retired hardware vulnerable to data breaches, malware, and theft. Retired corporate devices often become an afterthought because they fall outside of most threat models, but they are the most vulnerable.
Up to 29 percent of all corporate data breaches are directly tied to misconfigured or improperly decommissioned assets. You need to address the assets in your closet, or they become a huge liability. Additionally, idle assets can’t be tracked, and untracked assets can’t be audited. Retired assets may seem unimportant, but that blind spot can lead to audit failure, data breaches, and millions in legal fees.
Poor IT Asset Disposition Increases Data Breach Risks
Decommissioned corporate hardware sitting in storage closets or warehouses is rarely wiped immediately. The problem is, decommissioned assets still hold valid digital keys, login credentials, and network access permissions. This means that every minute devices sit idle, they put the company at risk of a data breach. Decommissioned doesn’t mean wiped. Because these devices are considered offline, security teams often overlook them and leave them out of standard cybersecurity plans.
Retired devices aren’t limited to laptops, phones, and tablets. Any electronic device can hold data, including ones people don’t think twice about discarding. USB drives are a classic example of something everyone has lying around that often contains significant amounts of data such as client files, HR spreadsheets, and enterprise backups. Even smart thermostats, security cameras, and badge readers can retain Wi-Fi passwords or cloud login tokens, and casually throwing them out or leaving them in storage can put an organization at risk of a data breach.
The Malware Nightmare
Updates are essential to keep IT equipment running smoothly, but are no longer a priority once assets are retired. When devices are active, they receive regular security updates and patches. The moment devices are deactivated or decommissioned, the motivation for updates disappears. When a laptop, server, or IoT gateway is unplugged, it stops receiving updates while in storage. The longer a device sits in storage, the easier it becomes to exploit, and the more likely it is to become a time bomb of vulnerable firmware the moment it is plugged back into a network. Employees can easily pick up used equipment, think it’s safe to use, and open the door to a malware nightmare.
In-House Theft is More Common Than You Think
Companies often worry about data when assets leave the premises, but one of the biggest threats is already inside the building. Idle assets are an easy target for in-house theft. Anyone, from a disgruntled employee to a contractor or vendor, or even janitorial staff, can pick up a phone or laptop sitting in storage and plug it back in. When employees leave a company, their stored device may still hold cached information like passwords, certificates, and session cookies. If these digital identities do not expire when the device is turned off, hackers can bypass Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) and log into live corporate networks with valid credentials, creating an immediate security breach.
Idle Assets & Value Loss
Enterprises treat decommissioned assets as an afterthought because they believe they hold no value. They’re left in storage because many companies think this protects their value. If they’re in storage, they can’t be damaged, right? In reality, value drops sharply right away. Value starts to deteriorate as soon as assets are decommissioned, and plummets further every day. Used assets can be repaired and resold to extend device lifecycles and reduce demand for new devices. Even small, fast tech devices like earbuds, charging cables, and adaptors can be valuable in large volumes via materials recovery. By discarding used assets prematurely or leaving them in storage, companies miss out on potential ROI gains that can fund IT refresh cycles.
Certified Data Sanitization: A Solution That Works
Secure data erasure is one of the most prudent actions enterprise executives can take. The rise in AI use is driving demand for data centers and digital storage, making data security a top priority. In a digitally-driven landscape, a simple reset is no longer enough to keep data safe. Certified data erasure is the only secure data-destruction method that meets industry standards. Proprietary erasure with a certified ITAD vendor uses specialized software to wipe data in full compliance with all applicable regulations. Partnering with an ITAD provider for data erasure also means receiving a certificate of destruction for a clean audit trail. Certified erasure completely erases all data from a hard drive, helping prevent data breaches even after the asset is retired.
As an R2v3, RIOS, ISO 14001, and NAID-certified IT asset management and disposition provider with over 30 years of industry experience, HOBI is uniquely qualified to handle data-bearing devices throughout the end-of-life process.
Close out Cybersecurity Awareness Month with a cybersecurity plan designed to target decommissioning blind spots. Contact HOBI at 877-814-2620 or sales@hobi.com to request a cybersecurity evaluation.