A recent study has found that personal data deleted from your smartphone can be easily retrieved.
Researchers from Prague-based security software company AVAST have found that default data wipe tools to delete personal data is not sufficient before reselling or donating your old phone.
Security software maker AVAST stated that they purchased 20 used Android smartphones from eBay whose previous owners had performed a factory reset option on the devices. The researchers were able to recover over 40,000 pictures from the smartphones, 750 emails and text messages, the identities of four previous owners as well as one completed loan application.
Avast stated in its report that the company's own Android security app comes with a deletion tool that can work better that the factory reset options included in your smartphone.
"We purchased a variety of Android devices from sellers across the US and used readily available recovery software to dig up personal information that was previously on the phones," said Jude McColgan, President of Mobile at Avast. "The take-away is that even deleted data on your used phone can be recovered unless you completely overwrite it," he said.
"More than 80,000 used smartphones are for sale daily on eBay in the US. Along with their phones, consumers may not realize they are selling their memories and their identities," McColgan said. "Images, emails, and other documents deleted from phones can be exploited for identity theft, blackmail, or for even stalking purposes. Selling your used phone is a good way to make a little extra money, but it's potentially a bad way to protect your privacy," added McColgan.
Android has an in-built encryption feature that can be turned on via settings, security, and "encrypt phone." Google says that after the encryption is done users can hit the factory reset button this makes the handset secure if you plan to resale. However guidelines from the National Industrial Security Program state that no software method is able to prevent some kind of data recovery and suggests that it is better to physically destroy the device that holds your data.
Source: Arstechnica
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Silky Malhotra
Silky Malhotra loves learning about new technology, gadgets, and more. When she isn’t writing, she is usually found reading, watching Netflix, gardening, travelling, or trying out new cuisines. View Full Profile
