It’s Halloween season, which means cities everywhere are teeming with zombies, witches, and ghosts. While the thought of groaning zombies on a quest for brains might not send chills down your spine, you should be wary of another kind of zombie: zombie data.
Zombie data refers to seemingly “dead” data within your organization that continues to exist, poised to be resurrected. If you use a computer, chances are you’ve got some of these digital zombies lurking. Simply deleting a file doesn’t guarantee its removal from a system, as highlighted by popsci.com. This data can persist even after you’ve emptied your recycle bin. Tech-savvy individuals can deploy tools to revive such data. Similarly, businesses might unknowingly harbor data zombies within their systems or online platforms. This can result from data silos holding onto redundant data, data shared with third parties, remnants on hardware, or data stashed in the cloud, which is especially adept at spawning zombie data. Data not thoroughly eradicated can unexpectedly resurface, posing potential threats to your organization.
With the introduction of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in May 2018, ensuring that the data you gather can be permanently deleted is imperative. The GDPR emphasizes the “right to be forgotten,” necessitating the complete deletion of personal data upon request. Failure to genuinely eliminate data when required can lead to hefty penalties for non-compliance. Even more concerning, if a skilled hacker manages to resurrect this dormant data, it could trigger a full-blown zombie data catastrophe.
Being aware of where your data resides, its recipients (both within and outside your organization), third-party data handling practices, the location of backups, and the deletion process is essential to ensure the finality of data removal. At datastreams.io, we’re committed to safeguarding your systems from these digital zombies. This Halloween, let’s ensure the only zombies you encounter are the ones seeking candy at your doorstep. Wishing you a spook-tacular Halloween!