The Dark Web Connection: What Happens When IT Assets Are Disposed of Improperly?

As per statistics, the digital transformation market exceeded $911 billion in 2024 and will likely cross $3.2 trillion by 2030. Furthermore, as businesses depend more on electronic technology, a statistical report estimates the global digital transformation spending to reach 3.9 trillion by 2027. The growth rate is impressive, but in the midst of it all, secure IT asset disposition and destruction have also become significantly important.

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Mobile phones, tablets, laptops, computers, portable hard drives, and other electronic devices remain in business use almost all day long. Employees and owners use them to communicate, work, share data, and manage access and access information. Like other electronic devices, IT assets become obsolete; with time, replacing them with new ones is the only option. However, if you plan to do the same, you must use proper disposal methods to prevent disastrous consequences. If your business does not have the necessary means, contact commercial IT disposal services for secure IT asset disposition. One such consequence is being listed on the dark web.

Dark Web And Its Connection With Improper IT Asset Disposition

The internet is divided into three layers. The top layer is the Surface Web, on which you are reading this blog. This amounts to only 5% of the total internet usage. The middle layer is the Deep Web, which accounts for about 90% of the internet.

The bottom layer is the Dark Web which also amounts to 5% of the total internet, but is only accessible via a Tor browser. The dark Web is the hidden part of the internet and is mainly used for illegal activities. It is a popular playground for cybercriminals, where they discuss illicit activities, and buy, sell, or trade different assets.

Why are we telling you this? Many of these assets, such as corporate and personal information, are sensitive. In many cases, after hackers break in and steal data, they go over to the Dark Web to sell it for millions of dollars. Also, improper ITAD can also lead to substantial data loss, which could end up on the dark web.

Here are some case studies to back up our statement:

• A network security report showed that enterprises suffered hacker attacks due to discarding routers without properly wiping them.
• In April 2024, a cybercriminal group called USDoD leaked data of nearly 3 billion people on the dark web.
• Kaspersky Digital Footprint Intelligence team reported that, on average, 1700 posts with corporate data appear on the dark web every month.
• A NordVPN study reveals that the most common items on the dark web markets are: Emails & Passwords (6%), Accounts (12%), Financial Data (39%), and Documents (43%).
• In September 2023, the Australian federal police force department was hit by a Russian ransomware group which leaked officer’s details on the dark web.
• Recently, AT&T got hit by a massive cyber attack that impacted approximately 73 million AT&T’s existing and former account holders and released data sets on the dark web.

This is the most significant risk of improper ITAD. At this point, one might ask what IT asset disposition is. It is the process of safely, responsibly, and securely destroying or removing unusable or unwanted IT equipment. Failure to do so may expose your business to 5 more harsh risks other than being listed on the dark web.

5 Harsh Risks Of Improper IT Assets Disposal

Five significant risks are associated with improper destruction or disposal of IT assets, especially when running a business.

These are as follows:

1. Data Breach

Data theft or breach is the most significant risk for businesses. A report indicated that 47% of US Firms were hit by data breaches, which led to heavy financial losses.

The chances of data breaches are even higher in the case of improper IT asset disposition. Sensitive data might get into the wrong hands if not correctly removed before replacing or disposing of devices, such as retiring old laptops or destroying hard drives.

To avoid such drastic risks, businesses must practice secure IT asset disposition and destruction. They must ensure a contract with a reliable IT asset disposition service provider if they cannot do so on the premises.

2. Operational Loss

Operational risk has a low chance of happening, but it is not entirely out of the question. The risk of downtime can occur if you try to dispose of several devices simultaneously. It can take up significant time to replace a large number of devices at once, disrupting operations as well as productivity. Not only that, you will have to handle and secure the components.

Operational loss depends mainly on the size of the project. To avoid this risk, you can destroy several devices simultaneously and proceed to the next couple. This would take a little longer but would not result in productivity loss.

3. Legal Issues

You must be careful when disposing of electronic devices, as specific laws regulate their safe destruction. Failure to abide by these rules could result in a serious lawsuit against your business.

25 US states and the District of Columbia have e-waste recycling regulations. Electronics Recycling Coordination Clearinghouse or ERCC map of states with legislation shows the states and information on respective laws. Other than this, there are different laws, including HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, and PCI DSS, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard.

Learning and understanding the e-waste laws in your respective states and educating your employees is better. Failing to comply with them or even a single one may cost your business some severe fines, penalties, or even lawsuits.

4. Environmental Dangers

In addition to the above risks, improper IT asset disposition can harm the environment in multiple ways. Some electronic components contain hazardous materials, like mercury, lead, and cadmium, which can cause serious health and environmental damage. With constant exposure, this risk can also cause lifelong diseases or even death.

In addition, it can massively contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Production and improper recycling can also waste resources.

5. Financial Problems

Financial risks are possible if the business fails to comply with state e-waste laws or govern secure IT asset disposition. Moreover, sending many devices for destruction or replacement can slow operations, resulting in financial loss. A data breach or information theft could also cause economic instability.

To prevent such risks and dangers, it is better to back up your data occasionally, sign a contract with a reliable off-site or on-site data destruction and IT asset disposition partner, and securely keep all unused devices in one place.

How To Safely Dispose Of IT Assets?

Now that you have a good idea of what improper and unsafe IT asset disposition can do to your business, it is time to learn how you can do the opposite.

Here are some efficient and effective ways to securely dispose of IT assets.

1. Data Sanitization

Data sanitization is an essential step in securely disposing of IT assets. It involves different methods of destroying all data beyond recovery.

These are as follows:

• Data Wiping: It involves using data wiping tools to overwrite data until it is unrecoverable.
• Degaussing involves using a high-intensity magnetic field to destroy data and make the device unusable.
• Physical Destruction involves using different techniques like shredding and incineration to wreck the device.

There is a great deal of difference between hard drive degaussing and shredding or physical destruction, and you must know how to avoid common mistakes. Both are used in different scenarios, so choose wisely.

2. Disposal Recordkeeping

Documenting all unusable devices and IT assets is the best way to keep track of them. Recordkeeping can help keep assets that need to be disposed of or destroyed in one place till their final fate.

Every device, handoff, and replacement must be documented to ensure a proper chain of custody. Finally, these useless assets can then be sent away securely for destruction.

3. Third-Party Disposal Services

One of the most popular and preferred IT asset disposition methods is contacting third-party disposal services. Since most businesses do not have in-house IT asset destruction resources, equipment, or even a place, the ITAD service providers are the best bet.

However, you must carefully evaluate different service providers based on their destruction techniques and compliance with laws and regulations. Filter out the least favorable options and finalize the most reliable and responsible one. Carefully check their certifications and verify their documentation methods. You are good to go if everything seems to be according to the book.

4. Educating Employees

Educating your company on Global E-waste statistics, its harmful effects, improper disposal risks for businesses, and secure disposition methods is necessary.

You can schedule training sessions that cover company policies and procedures and some techniques for secure IT asset disposition. Routine training and courses will help maintain an excellent e-waste counter-culture.

5. E-Waste Regulations Compliance

Various e-waste disposal regulations make it mandatory to dispose of business e-waste securely. ITAD regulations exist in 26 states, including the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania. Some of the essential rules include:

• General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR – governs the data protection needs of businesses working with citizens’ data.
• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act or HIPAA – makes patient information protection mandatory for healthcare organizations.
• Sarbanes-Oxley Act or SOX – Deems secure financial records necessary for US companies.
• NIST Special Publication 800-88 – information regarding media sanitization for safe data erasing.
• ISO 270001 – contains tips for secure IT asset disposition.

To ensure everyone remains compliant with the state and general regulations, you must:

• Define clear policies for IT asset disposition.
• Conduct routine audits and checks.
• Work with legal experts to stay updated with the latest e-waste guidelines.

Due to the rising concern, the authorities have also passed laws for Extended Producer Responsibility. As it turns out, EPR is the future of e-waste recycling due to several benefits.

Conclusion

Data security and business safety are paramount. However, improper IT asset disposition can cause severe damage to a business and may even cause it to close entirely.

Therefore, it is best to educate yourself on the general and state regulations governing safe e-waste disposal, avoid common mistakes, and implement company-wide SOPs. This will help protect your data, your business, and your employees’ data and may even boost your reputation.

Lastly, contacting a certified and reliable asset destruction company for safe, efficient, and effective IT asset destruction and disposal is best. You may have to look for one in your state, but they are not hard to find. Each state has one, like ITAD Pennsylvania, California, Columbia, etc.

Carefully evaluate options and go for the one that best meets your needs.