One Person’s Trash Really is Another’s Treasure

June 15, 2020 at 9:02 pm by Flora Knolton

It is typical for companies to focus more on the security of their digital network than on physical protection of documents and data. Physical security tends to fall by the wayside even though it’s fairly easy for criminals to go dumpster diving. If the organization doesn’t end up losing all important assets in a breach, it’s common it could still suffer from irreversible brand damage. In 2007, Radio Shack dumped more than 20 boxes containing personally identifiable information (PII) for thousands of customers. A man found rummaging through the dumpster found the boxes and reported it. Shortly following, the State of Texas filed a civil lawsuit against Radio Shack for exposing its customers to identity theft. The state’s lawsuit claims the company “failed to safeguard the information by shredding, erasing, or other means, to make it unreadable or undecipherable before disposing of its business records.”  Cases like this are common, and identity theft has become a major problem worldwide.

The Recycling Myth

Many believe that recycling is a very different process from trash processing and somewhat safer in terms of data security. This understanding is far from the truth. People mostly understand that trash ends up in landfills where anyone could find sensitive material. At the same time, many people often think that recycling is safer for confidential documents since they will be destroyed and repurposed instead of being shipped to a landfill. In actuality, recycling is not transported securely. In fact, recycling trucks look like every other garbage truck, where documents and other personally identifiable information (PII) will be blowing around in the truck before being dropped off at the recycling facility. On average, recyclables sit on sorting floors from anywhere from 2-4 weeks before being destroyed. The remnants don’t sort themselves either; dozens of employees’ sort what the machines cannot and will have access to documents before they are destroyed. As opposed to destroying the documents yourself, there is absolutely no way of proving sensitive information has been destroyed when you send it to the recycler.

Protect the Customers and Employees, Protect the Business

Consumer privacy legislation has been increasing around the United States within the last few years. Recent laws such as the NY SHIELD Act and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) are giving consumers more rights relating to their access and deletion of sharing personal information that is collected by businesses. These laws give consumers a large amount of freedom over their personal information, which could open up a host of severe penalties and lawsuits for companies that fail to comply with these regulations. This trend is also being seen in other nations such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and India’s Personal Protection Bill, and it is expected to continue on this uptick everywhere in the near future. Knowing this, there is a heavier weight on organizations to protect customers’ personal and secure information or the company will be at risk for mishandling said information and could be subject to harsh monetary penalties. Employees have the same legal right to privacy as customers and expect their employer to keep their information secure as well. At the end of the day, the stakeholders will pull the most weight, and it’s important to treat their information the same as how you’d want your own sensitive information dealt with/disposed of.

Secure Your Disposal of Records

Businesses have a choice when it comes to how they want to dispose of their paper records, usually weighing the convenience, cost, and legal risks involved with complying to their industries’ standards or regulations. In U.S. government law, secure disposal is required when a record contains classified, controlled unclassified (CUI), or personally identifiable information (PII) such as address, phone number, names, emails, social security numbers, and more that can be used to identify an individual.  It’s easy to consider the cost when opting for a third-party shredding company, but can you really be certain that all the documents are being shredded? It’s impossible to tell.  Despite widespread adoption of electronic health record systems, most hospitals still use both paper and electronic documents for patient care. Healthcare cyberattacks overall are on the rise, with nearly 32 million patient records breached in 2019.  It’s crucial to find a balance between digital security and physical destruction in the workplace. Increasing communication between colleagues so they are informed of appropriate processes can help mitigate potential breaches in regard to disposing of information no longer retained by the institution.

No matter what the industry, at SEM we have many high-quality NSA Listed/CUI and unclassified paper shredders to meet any regulation. For those looking for an eco-friendly device that’s also listed on the NSA EPL for Paper Shredders, we recommend the Model 1201CC High Security Shredder. It was tested oil-free by the NSA for classified document destruction due to its specially designed cutting head that is also fully replaceable, lowering total cost of ownership. Destroying physical data in-house  may seem like a costly purchase in the short term but could send up saving a company exponentially in the long run by preventing breach. With regular maintenance, a quality shredder such as the 1201CC can last a lifetime. We’re happy to help answer any questions concerning personal or regulated shredding needs.

Security and Recycling Don’t Have to be at Odds

December 21, 2019 at 3:01 pm by SEM

When people think of information destruction they typically would not associate it with being environmentally responsible. However, this is completely untrue. In today’s society there are many alternative solutions to help become more environmentally friendly.

Paper

When shredded into a cross cut or strip cut particle, paper can be put into the recycling stream and be used to make new paper. In the past, when paper was shredded into a classified particle, the only option was a landfill. This was because paper is extremely hard to handle once it is this size and it has little, if any, recyclable value.

Today we have the option of briquetting. Briquetting is a solution that compacts the confetti like paper into small cylindrical samples which is a 9:1 volume reduction. More importantly, a briquette is something that has recyclable value. These briquettes can be used by Paper Mills as filler for cardboard boxes and manila folders. Also, a study has been performed by Penn University in which they found that a briquette sample has the burn value of soft coal, with half the carbon emission.

Hard Drives

In today’s society we are storing more and more information on hard drives and other forms of media. Because of this, there has been a large demand for hard drive shredding. After being shredded, you may think that the end particle is useless and wonder what to do with it. This shredded hard drive actually has a recyclable value in the aluminum, magnets and PC board. The market for this is always fluctuating, but you will typically see an average recyclable value of $.35-$.40 per pound.

Other Forms of Media

Optical Media – These plastics can be recycled

Floppy Disc – The metal hub and plastic outer casing has recyclable value

Blackberries/PDA’s – Once the Battery is removed, the plastics can be recycled

Computers/Printers – The CPU boards and plastics can be recycled

In the world today it is very important to become environmentally friendly and implement this any way possible. One thing I recommend is when you have something that you plan to destroy, check with a local recycling company because it may actually have a recyclable value.

Credibility Counts, Ask Around

April 9, 2019 at 3:44 pm by Paul Falcone

We’ve all had a point in our lives when we need to purchase something that we know we need but don’t know much about.

Maybe you’re in a store looking for something, with eyes frantically browsing the shelves looking at all the different items. Trying to distinguish the difference between all the various products, versions, and makes. As the choices add up, maybe you decide it’s best to ask for someone’s opinion. Someone who works at the store you’re in happens to be walking down the aisle and you signal for help. It is in this moment that you start deciding if this person has the knowledge to be able to help you or not.

Because after all, they could have just as little knowledge as you about this product.

After having a discussion you discover that it was true, the employee wasn’t as knowledgeable on the product to make you feel comfortable with a purchase. So you head home with empty hands, deciding that you’ll take your questions elsewhere. Somewhere with all the answers in the world.

The internet.

The internet can be an equally overwhelming place when trying to find accurate information about a product. In a world that is becoming more and more connected, the amount of information that is available to us is growing exponentially. How can you sort through all of this information and deduce what is accurate and honest information, especially with people out there trying to scam and get the best of you?

Sites like Amazon and Google try to combat this by showing us user review scores and comments of people who have purchased items. But even these can be manipulated. So when it seems like it’s impossible to find the information, who can you really trust?

How do you know you can trust a product?

Ask around. They say word of mouth is the best kind of marketing and real people who have used the products can give you the most honest answers. Chances are if you’re in the market for a high security destruction device, you know someone who has worked with Security Engineered Machinery, the global leader in high security information end-of-life-solutions for over 50 years.

At Security Engineered Machinery, we have the experience to answer any questions you may have concerning your sensitive to classified destruction needs. Most of our sales team has been in the industry for over 20 years. We have more experience creating destruction solutions than any other company. We were founded in 1967 and have 52 years in the destruction business, granting us an unparalleled depth of experience. Document and media destruction is our ONLY business and we are 100% focused on improvements.

When you purchase a system from SEM, you can feel confident you will receive the quality and support you’ve come to expect from us. The sales team at SEM hold integrity above financial gain and are always willing to go the extra mile. Our clients, many of whom are repeat customers, are among an elite group of security professionals in the government as well as the civilian sectors who have used our machines in various offices and locations worldwide. When moving to a new location and they need a new destruction device, they inevitably contact SEM – and that’s the best testimonial you can have.

Why do we have so many long term relationships? Value: you will get the quality you expect. Convenience: it does what we say it will do. Customer support: we will be here to help you through the life of your machine. Service: our dedicated service department is ready to assist at a moments notice.

Most importantly, SEM has the expertise and the knowledge base to meet or exceed your expectations as well as the most knowledgeable sales team in the business with the highest integrity to solve your destruction problems.

Destroying Metal Credit Cards – What’s the Difference?

March 8, 2019 at 6:40 pm by Paul Falcone

Destroying Metal Credit Cards – What’s the Difference?

Metal credit cards are becoming more and more common in today’s high tech environment. Originally reserved for the well-off, these flashy cards have become almost commonplace. Although they often offer the same functionality and benefits as their plastic counterparts, they all come with what’s called the “plunk factor”. Their heavier, sleek design and luxurious feel get you noticed when you plunk them down to pick up the check. However, this plunk factor gives the cards an added density and thickness that means they sometimes need to be destroyed differently than their plastic counterparts.

Metal-Credit-Cards

More Durable. More Information.

Increases in cybersecurity awareness and data breaches have led to a greater demand for better and more secure solutions to control credit information. The need to be able to destroy these heavier more durable cards has become more important than ever, with customers and companies alike looking for the safest and securest way to do so.

Metal cards today can be produced with brass, copper, stainless steel, and even composite mixes of metal and plastic. While data used to just be stored on the print and magnetic strip on a credit card, the push for more security has seen most major card producers add a chip that also stores sensitive information. So we have more durable cards with even more areas with sensitive data on it – data and information that can still be accessed even with the card has expired.

How to Destroy: Shred or Disintegrate?

When it comes time to dispose of metal credit cards either due to expiration or possible fraud, credit card issuers will offer to send customers a pre-paid envelope to send cards back for destruction. Once returned, the credit card company is responsible for recycling or destroying the cards. The PCI Security Standards Council guideline for destruction is to destroy credit cards by “shredding or grinding such that the resulting material cannot be reconstructed”.

One method of destruction is with a heavy duty shredder capable of accepting different types of media including paper, CDs, credit cards, staples, and paper clips. The SEM model F65 cross-cut shredder with a capacity of up to 65 sheets per pass can be used for light volume of metal credit card shredding. It can effectively shred these cards into strips similar to shredded paper strips. Once shredded, there is little chance any of the information on the card can be accessed.

Shredded-Metal-Credit-Card

Another method of destruction for metal credit cards is with a disintegrator.  These machines use rotary knife mill technology to destroy a variety of bulk material.  A disintegrator can shred larger volumes of metal cards at higher capacities and can also be customized to shred to a specific particle size.  Available with larger horsepower motors and customizable particle sizing screens, disintegrators like the SEM Model 1012 are designed to be used in multiple applications where secure destruction at higher capacities is needed.   Disintegrators offer greater assurance that the data bearing elements (magnetic strips and chips) are destroyed so that the information stored on them is no longer accessible.

Deciding between a shredder or a disintegrator can seem challenging.  The proper solution should be based on the needs of the application.  Material being destroyed, desired volume and throughput, particle size, and power requirements are all important factors to consider when selecting a destruction device. SEM has experience working with several different credit card manufacturers and various credit card types. If you would like to send us samples of the cards you need destroyed or want to visit us in person to view our capabilities, SEM is here to work with you to ensure your needs are met.