Tag: paper shredder

NSA vs NAID – What’s the Difference?

November 29, 2018 at 3:41 pm by SEM

There are many different types of paper shredders in the marketplace today. Paper shredders are designed and manufactured to produce a variety of security end-results, known as the shred type or “size”. When shopping around, types such as strip shredders, straight-cut models, or cross cut shredders will stop to pop up. Straight-cut models abs cross cut shredders, though still available, are rarely used in the for high end security destruction due to their lack of data security protection from too much bulk waste generated from strip shredding. When it comes to security, the smaller the particle size the better, which is why when protecting classified or confidential information cross-cut shredders rule the shredding world.

Most organizations oversee some responsibility of security destruction, such as the National Association for Information Destruction (NAID), which requires that materials be destroyed to a particle or cross-cut end result. Almost every data regulation in the U.S. includes a requirement that organizations have written data protection policies and put procedures in place to protect their information. These organizations require that data protection processes are identified; however, there are no regulations in place that dictate any specific particle size that they must meet.

The National Security Agency (NSA) has the highest standard and requirements for destroying classified materials. The NSA evaluates tests and compiles a listing of approved shredders that meet their security standards for destruction. Some government agencies and shredder companies refer to this as a level 6 shredder but the NSA does not. The NSA/CSS Evaluated Products Listing for Paper Shredders is the ultimate guide of which the entire DoD community is governed for the destruction of one’s classified paperwork. This is the highest level of security shredding, where the shred sizes must not exceed 0.8 x 4mm. The NSA /CSS EPL are updated on an annual basis where shredders are added and ratings modified based on evaluations of retesting. Older shredder models are not removed from NSA EPL.

When dealing with the destruction of any classified material you are mandated by your own security destruction regulations to follow the NSA guidelines in purchasing an approved shredder from the NSA/Evaluated Products List. Not using an approved shredder could result in a failed security inspection.

With NAID standards you are required to use a particle or crosscut shredder and to follow the same specific guidelines should you elect to contract with a commercial destruction service that is NAID certified and will adhere to those same standards.

Bottom line: Know what your data security destruction requirements are and follow in accordance to what is governing your information destruction program.

Shredder Training is the Key to Maximizing the Performance and Life of your Destruction Equipment

July 11, 2017 at 1:59 pm by SEM

Shredders, disintegrators, briquettors, optical media destroyers, HDD/SSD shredders, HDD crushers and degaussers are critical components of your overall information security program. Keeping these systems in good working order is extremely important, and easy to do with proper user training.

Probably the biggest factor in the longevity of any equipment is tied to proper training in the operation, daily maintenance and preventative maintenance. Depending on your equipment and site there are programs that can train your people to operate, maintain and troubleshoot so you avoid problems and keep the equipment up and running well.

Training can be done at your site with your equipment during a scheduled PM call, on a specific scheduled visit to your site, or at a training facility where factory service reps will go over all aspects of operation, daily maintenance, preventative maintenance as well as, tips and tricks to get the most of your systems and avoid the pitfalls. At the beginning of the training there will be a Q & A to help identify the issues of greatest concern to the group. During the training all participants are encouraged to ask questions and will have the opportunity to get “hands on” so they thoroughly understand the material being taught. After the training and a final Q & A each participant will be given a certificate of completion designating which equipment they were trained on. This is a great way for users to add additional value to their skill sets and company capabilities.

The training can be specialized to cover any and all the issues you may be having with your specific equipment, and discuss in detail how to fix and mitigate these in the future.

Some of the things your users will learn from attending training:

Changing knives, clearing and preventing jams, servicing dust filters, proper lubrication, testing belt tension, aligning conveyor belts, swapping out shredder heads-(depending on equipment) among many others.

The goal is maximizing machine availability for the organization and imparting the skills to help users diagnose and recognize potential issues before they become bigger problems.

And investment in a proper training program will pay dividends in equipment up time and save your organization money in the long run.

Click here for more information on SEM’s Preventative Maintenance and Service plans or call 800-225-9293.

If You Don’t Shred It, You Might Regret It!

December 10, 2013 at 3:45 pm by SEM

This kind of story has replayed thousands of time across our country,
and many people are rightly concerned about their online security.
However, many overlook securing their paperwork. Shredding is a simple, but vital step to safeguarding sensitive paperwork before it ends up in a dumpster. Dumpster diving
is still a major way that identity thieves get the information that can ruin
your life! Simply make sure it is shredded properly with a cross-cut
shredder- shred anything that has a name or an address on it-no
exceptions-even junk mail!

The story below is a classic case of what happens when your discarded
papers give access to an identity thief. This particular story was reported
by the local ABC News affiliate in Tampa, FL about a year ago.

With all the warnings these days to protect your identity when you’re online, John Champion never thought the old tried-and-true method of what police say was dumpster diving by a convicted identity thief could still cause so much trouble.

“There were 12 accounts opened in my name,” Champion recalls. It was a phone call from a detective at the St. Petersburg Police Department that tipped him off, but by that time, it was too late.

In the world of credit, Champion had a good name with an excellent
credit score. Until St. Petersburg Police say 49-year-old Brian Katacinski
found Champion’s vital information in the trash and went to town.

They claim he not only wrecked Champion’s credit, but 12 other victims by opening credit cards and bank accounts in their names. “My credit score went from 748 to 522 in five month’s time,” he says with a look of disbelief on his face.

St. Pete police say when Katacinski didn’t want to get his hands dirty, he cased home mailboxes in the city’s Old Northeast section, looking for outgoing mail stuffed with bills that he knew would be rich with checks and credit card numbers he could duplicate.

Police say Katacinski had plenty of practice. He was busted by federal postal inspectors in 2006 for the same thing. When they arrested him inside his St. Pete motel room this time, investigators say they found several credit cards and check-making materials. Then there were the multiple duplicate drivers’ licenses of his alleged victims.

“Unfortunately, our criminals have the ability to drive around all day and look for those particular signs. Whether your flag is up at a curbside mailbox or your letters are stacking up out of your mailbox,” says St. Pete Sgt. Kevin Smith.

Champion says he was able to recoup some of his lost credit. But all of this was a lesson for him. And he hopes for others. “Shred your paperwork. Don’t put anything out there that’s got your name on it,” he says. And detectives say when it comes to your bills, never put them in your outgoing mail. And better yet, pay them online.

SEM-paper-shredders
A wide variety of SEM NSA rated paper shredders

Another victim that that could have easily been prevented! John Champion would agree that a good offense is shredding your paper before anyone ever has the chance to see any of your personal data. It is far better than dealing with the ongoing effects of identity theft after it occurs.

Check out some of SEM’s cross cut paper shredders now.

Remember: Shred It; So You Won’t Regret It!

Not Sure What Your Future Destruction Needs Will Be? Consider a Mixed-Media Destruction System.

December 21, 2010 at 1:09 pm by SEM

What are your future destruction needs?

Most of us at one point or another have owned a paper shredder. In most cases it is sufficient enough for destroying most information that is contained on paper. But today, our information is not only printed on paper, it is stored on magnetic media such as hard drives, thumb drives or optical media such as CD-ROMs or DVD-ROMs. Obviously any media other than paper in most cases cannot be destroyed using a paper shredder. We need to use something else to render this information useless.

If you have other forms of media you need to destroy, you will need something larger like a disintegrator. A disintegrator is a form of an industrial paper shredder that can not only destroy paper, but it can destroy a plethora of other optical media and small e-media devices as well. A disintegrator works by using a scissor cutting action where rotating knives are spinning in a destruction chamber where it works with stationary knives to slice the material over and again until the material is small enough to fall through a security screen where it is evacuated into a waste container.

Disintegrators come in several different sizes and can be customized to fit your particular location or destruction requirement. Most disintegrators will require 3-phase power which can range anywhere from 208 volts up to 480 volts. For some, this may be too much machine either physically or financially. However there is a solution.

Perhaps the flexibility of a mixed media destruction system is what you need. A mixed media destruction system consists of a specially designed Model 200 series of office disintegrators.

standalone-disintegrator

A Model 200 disintegrator will not replace a heavy duty classified approved paper shredder or a dedicated optical media destroyer for shredding CD/DVDs. It will however give you the capability to destroy paper, CD/DVDs, thumb drives, audio tapes and key tape with just one machine. This is paramount to a SCIF or small office that needs the convenience of being able to destroy all of these different types of media with one small space saving office machine.

What are your future destruction needs? This is the question many of us ponder from time to time. The only way to answer this is to be prepared with a device that can destroy almost everything we put our important information on. Just like insurance, we never think we will need it until the time comes.

Paper Shredder Waste Sizes, What Do the Numbers Mean?

at 10:59 am by SEM

If you are contemplating the purchase of a paper shredder, one of the key choices you must make is the security level or shred size. So how do you make the choice? Here are a couple guidelines that have served us well over the years.

First, use the largest shred size that will meet the security requirement. Models with larger shred sizes are more durable and offer more capacity for less cost.

Second, there is security in volume. If your volume is heavy, you might consider a larger shred size. It is a more difficult task to reconstruct one-thousand pages than it is to reconstruct ten pages. Another helpful tool is the international destruction standard known as DIN 32 757 (Deutsche Industrial Norm). Shredder manufacturers are now listing six levels of shred sizes, but only five are actually part of the DIN Standard. The reason these are important is because they are observed by all of the major shredder manufacturers. The international standards are used in the marketing of this equipment and are now a significant part of the government procurement process. Let’s review these different levels.

Level 1

Security Level 1 and 2 are strip shred requirements. Documents are cut into strips the length of the paper. These are the lowest security levels. Level 1 is a strip shred of ½” or smaller. Level 2 is a strip shred of ¼” or less. Strip shredders have become less popular in recent years as security concerns have increased. We have stopped actively marketing this type of shredder for this reason.


 Level 4
Security Levels 3, 4, and 5 are produced by crosscut shredders. These shredders cut in two directions and produce confetti of various sizes. Security Level 3 is considered a medium security level and a fairly large crosscut particle measuring 3/16” X 3” or less. Security Level 4 is a medium-high security particle measuring 3/32” X 5/8” or less. Level 3 is adequate to meet most unclassified government applications. But if you have doubts, move up to Level 4.

Security Level 5 is a high security particle measuring 1/32” X ½” or less. This was the particle size used for classified documents until the US Intelligence Community changed the standard in 2003. If you move to a Level 5 model, you will notice a drastic reduction in capacity. It would be worth your time to take a few minutes to compare the cost and the capacity loss by going to this much smaller shred size.

Although the highest security level is now commonly being called Level 6 by manufacturers, there actually is no Level 6 DIN standard. So technically there is no such thing as a Level 6 shredder. However, if you need to shred classified documents, you are required to select a model listed on the National Security Agency’s Evaluated Products List (EPL). The 1/32” X 7/32” (1mm X 5mm) or smaller particle is the current US standard for classified documents. The latest shredder EPL (as well as other types of destruction equipment) can be found here.

Level 6

If you still have doubts what shred size to choose after reading this, contact SEM for additional information.