Reissuing a Laptop: Which Data Handling Activities Apply?

Explain the security implications of proper hardware, software, and data asset management. Compare and contrast concepts and strategies to protect data.

A security administrator is reissuing a former employee's laptop. Which of the following is the best combination of data handling activities for the administrator to perform? (Choose two.)

Data retention
Certification Correct Answer
Destruction
Classification
Sanitization Correct Answer

Answer Correct answer: B, E — Sanitize the laptop's storage to remove all former employee data, then certify that the sanitization was completed before reissuing the device.

Community Votes

55%

45%

55% of anonymous learners picked answer BE. Votes are pick records left by other test-takers — they are not the verified answer.

Community Insight

Tests whether you know that reissuing hardware requires sanitization plus certification, not data retention or physical destruction; the trap is confusing policy-level retention with device-level handling.

Reissuing a former employee's laptop requires sanitizing the drive and certifying the sanitization so the device can be safely reused. This guide confirms the correct SY0-701 answer is BE (Sanitization and Certification), explaining why retention and destruction are not the best combination.

Many learners choose Data retention (A) and Sanitization (E), thinking you must back up employee data before wiping; however, retention is a policy action, not the device-handling step needed to reissue the laptop.

Community Discussion (32 comments)

cf83993 👍 27 Selected: BE

Bro you don't reissue something after you destroy it do you? We're talking about a laptop here not an ex ;)

Th3irdEye 👍 18 Selected: AE

Destruction would make the device not usable again. Certification might make sense here if a third party was being used to sanitize the drive but usually third parties are used to destroy drives and certification is given for destruction. I think Data retention and Sanitization makes the most sense. You want to make sure you save any critical data before you erase the drive.

Konversation 👍 3 Selected: AE

Since the question does not refer a third-party but to the "internal" administrator and following the CompTIA theoretical questions it's A & E. E. Sanitization. This is clear. A. Data retention. The CompTIA Student Guide and WBT refer to the "Data retention" in the "Secure Data Destruction" chapter. B. Certification is used by CompTIA only for third-party "Asset Disposal". But a third-party is not mentioned in the question. "certification - An asset disposal technique that relies on a third party to use sanitization or destruction methods for data remnant removal, and provides documentary evidence that the process is complete and successful." C. Destruction - CompTIA defines this as "Physical destruction methods include shredding, crushing ..." This is also not the case for this question.

adderallpm 👍 2 Selected: AE

Destruction renders the device unusable does it no? And you only need a certification after destruction from a third-party? So in reality, you would just want to back up the data and then make sure to overwrite the hard drive a couple times so that, that data can’t be recovered. 🫶🏻

d2087a6 👍 1 Selected: CE

To safely reissue the laptop, the administrator should sanitize the device to remove all data securely. If sanitization isn’t sufficient for highly sensitive data, destruction of the storage medium may be required.

dbrowndiver 👍 2 Selected: BE

Data destruction involves securely deleting sensitive information so it cannot be recovered. Before reissuing a laptop, it is critical to ensure that any residual data from the previous user is permanently removed to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information.

0ca8ee9 👍 3 Selected: BE

Sanitization - cleaning the laptop memory Certification - proving that the laptop is clean.

ProudFather 👍 3 Selected: CE

To ensure the security of the data, the administrator should: Destruction: Physically destroy any storage media that cannot be sanitized. Sanitization: Thoroughly erase or overwrite all data on the storage media to prevent data recovery. The other options are not relevant to the scenario: Data retention: This involves keeping data for a specific period. It's not applicable in this case as the data needs to be removed. Certification: This is a process of verifying that a system or process meets specific standards. It's not relevant to data handling in this context. Classification: This involves assigning security labels to data based on its sensitivity. It's not necessary in this case as the data is being removed. Enumeration: This involves identifying and cataloging assets. It's not relevant to data handling in this context.

AndyK2 👍 2 Selected: CE

C. Destruction > ensures physical media is rendered unrecoverable E. Sanitization > removes and overwrites sensitive data to prevent unauthorized access. Both used to protect data security when repurposing hardware.

MikelMiguel 👍 2

Its Destruction and Sanitation. This is because the laptop is been reissued and because they question did not say reissued to the "same employee" then we have to assume is been intended to be reissued for a new or another employee. therefore D&E is the answer

3dk1 👍 3 Selected: AE

Th3irdEye explains my thinking

Emmyrajj 👍 1 Selected: CE

C. Destruction E. Sanitization Explanation: 1. Destruction: This involves permanently destroying any sensitive data on the laptop that is no longer needed. This ensures that no residual data from the previous user remains on the device, reducing the risk of unauthorized data access. 2. Sanitization: This involves securely wiping the laptop’s storage to remove all data and ensure that it cannot be recovered. Sanitization is critical when reissuing devices to prevent accidental disclosure of sensitive information.

nillie 👍 2 Selected: CE

The best combination of data handling activities for the administrator to perform when reissuing a former employee's laptop are: C. Destruction and E. Sanitization Destruction: Ensures that any sensitive or personal data from the previous user is permanently removed and cannot be recovered. Sanitization: Refers to thoroughly cleaning the device by securely wiping the data to prevent unauthorized access. This prepares the laptop for safe reissue to a new user. These two activities are critical for preventing any sensitive data leakage from the former employee while ensuring that the device is clean and secure for the next user.

Ty13 👍 6 Selected: AE

Retention and Sanitize. Think about it. An employee leaves - you backup any pertinent company data (Retention) and reimage the computer (Sanitize). - You would not Certify it, because that's only if the drive needed to be destroyed. - You would not Destroy it because that's really only important for sensitive things, not Judy the Customer Service agent. - You would not Enumerate it (gathering info for vulnerabilities) - Classification is typically more important for data rather than devices.

ImpactTek 👍 2

The answer is C&E. Destruction here refers to destroying data not the laptop.

koala_lay 👍 3 Selected: BE

Agree to answer B E

baronvon 👍 5 Selected: AE

A and E Sanitization refers to the process of removing or cleaning data from a device to ensure that it cannot be recovered by unauthorized individuals. This typically includes methods such as wiping or formatting the storage media While decommissioning and disposal are important, organizations often have to retain data or systems as well. Retention may be required for legal purposes with set retention periods determined by law, or retention may be associated with a legal case due to a legal hold

tamdod 👍 1

What about any data that may need to be retained? Should we not retain the data then sanitized it for reuse?

Hayder81 👍 3

B, E it's being reused. So, you need to sanitize and certify

a4e15bd 👍 2

C. Destruction E. Sanitization

pedrwc7 👍 3

A. Data retention • retain data B. Certification • Audit log of either Sanitization, Disposal or Destruction C. Destruction •Destruction is goes beyond Sanitization ensures physical devices is unusable. It means you destroy it in pieces. D. Classification • Base on value and sensitivity of the data. E. Sanitization • Sanitization is thorough process to ensure the data is inaccessible and irretrievable, however, it can be reuse. F. Enumeration •

dbrowndiver 👍 4

When reissuing a laptop, it's crucial to ensure that all previous data is irretrievably removed, and the device is clean and secure for the next user. Destruction and Sanitization are two key processes involved in handling data securely in this context. Opt. C. Destruction: This process involves permanently destroying data so it cannot be recovered. It is often used when data is no longer needed and must be securely eliminated. Destruction is crucial to prevent data leakage or unauthorized access to old data. It provides peace of mind that the data is gone and cannot be retrieved. Opt.E. Sanitization: This process involves cleaning a device to remove data and make it safe for reuse. Techniques include overwriting, degaussing, and cryptographic erasure. Preparing for Reuse: Sanitization makes sure that all traces of previous data are removed, and the device is in a clean state, ready for new usage. Sanitization ensures that any residual data from the former employee is thoroughly erased, making the laptop safe and secure for the next user.

EfaChux 👍 1

If it is for recycling then it would be destruction and certification and for reuse, it will be sanitization and certification

Bimbo_12 👍 1 Selected: E

Saitization for sure as the Security Admin needs to get rid of the old data. Destruction is counterproductive as the Laptop is to be reissued. Enumeration makes sense because it needs to be noted for in some form of inventory.

cdsu 👍 1

Answer: C. Destruction E. Sanitization

drosas84 👍 2 Selected: BE

B/E it's being reused. So you need to sanitize and certify that it has been wiped clean.

e56400d 👍 2

I just did a large laptop resale at my company. In order to sell our old user's company laptops we had the wipe/sanitize the data and provide the certificate that the computer is wipe.

Shaman73 👍 2 Selected: BE

sanitize and certify

123456789User 👍 4 Selected: CE

C: Sanitize by removing all data from the laptop. E: Destroy the physical storage drive.

SHADTECH123 👍 2 Selected: BE

E. Sanitization: This involves removing or destroying sensitive information from the laptop to ensure that the data cannot be accessed by unauthorized individuals. B. Certification: After sanitizing the laptop, the administrator should certify that the sanitization process has been completed successfully.

e5c1bb5 👍 1 Selected: B

sanitize and certify

AutoroTink 👍 4 Selected: BE

You can't reissue a laptop if you've destroyed it. It does need to be sanitized, and then certified that the sanitization was complete and G2G.

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Expert Analysis

Why the Answer Is Correct

The scenario asks for the best combination of data handling activities when a laptop is being reissued, meaning the hardware must remain functional for the next user. Sanitization (E) removes all residual data from the storage media so the former employee's information cannot be recovered. Certification (B) provides documented proof that the sanitization process was completed to standard, which is essential for audit and compliance. Together, B and E ensure the laptop is both clean and verifiably safe to reissue. CompTIA's data handling doctrine pairs sanitization with certification for reuse scenarios.

Why the Other Options Are Wrong

Data retention (A) is a policy that governs how long data is kept, not a device-level action for reissuing a laptop; even if you back up data first, retention is not the handling step. Destruction (C) would physically ruin the drive or laptop, making reissue impossible. Classification (D) is about labeling data sensitivity, which is done before or during data creation, not as a reissue step. The community split between A/E and B/E shows the trap: retention feels prudent, but it does not secure the device for reuse.

Community Comment Notes

cf83993 dismissed destruction with "Bro you don't reissue something after you destroy it", highlighting the obvious conflict with the scenario. Th3irdEye argued for retention and sanitization, saying destruction would make the device unusable and you should save critical data before erasing, while noting certification often comes from third-party disposal. Konversation observed that CompTIA's student guide places data retention in the secure data destruction chapter and treats certification as a third-party asset disposal concept. AutoroTink supported B/E, stating you can't reissue after destruction and the laptop needs sanitization plus certification that the process was complete.

Official Reference

Exam Strategy

For reissuing scenarios, focus on the device's end state: it must be usable by the next employee, so physical destruction is out. The correct pair is the action that removes data (sanitization) and the verification that proves it was done (certification); policy actions like retention are distractors.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Data retention (A) wrong for reissuing a laptop?

Retention is a policy for keeping data over time, not a device-handling action; the question asks for activities on the laptop being reissued, so sanitization plus certification is the right pair.

Why is Certification (B) paired with Sanitization (E) instead of Destruction (C)?

Certification verifies that sanitization was performed correctly, and destruction would make the laptop unusable for the next employee, which contradicts reissuing.

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