"Researchers Recover 75,000 'Deleted' Files From Pre-Owned USB Drives"

During a study on the risks posed by selling Universal Serial Bus (USB) drives on the internet, cybersecurity researchers from Abertay University were able to retrieve 75,000 deleted files from pre-owned USB drives purchased on a popular online auction site. Many of the files recovered from the drives are highly sensitive in that they include passwords, contracts, bank statements, tax returns, images with embedded location data, and more. A malicious buyer could easily retrieve files from used USB drives with publicly available forensic tools. They can perform harmful activities using recovered information, such as stealing money from bank accounts or extortion. This article continues to discuss the researchers' recovery of deleted files from used USB drives, how malicious actors could use the information retrieved from these drives, and the importance of permanently wiping USB devices before selling or discarding them. 

Abertay University reports "Researchers Recover 75,000 'Deleted' Files From Pre-Owned USB Drives"