Australian government data found on for-sale thumb drives

Various agencies, businesses and private citizens neglected to erase memory sticks before giving them away to online marketplaces, which also failed to wipe the drives.

Researchers from Perth's Edith Cowan University discovered government information amongst a treasure trove of confidential material on 140 discarded sticks they studied during the past year.

"The results show that sellers are sending memory cards with no evidence of erasure, poor attempts to erase data - or simply asking the buyer to erase the data prior to use," they conclude in a new report.

The authors are recommending sellers such as eBay issue warnings when data storage devices are being offered online.

"It is evident that actions must be taken by second hand auction sites, and the media to raise awareness and educate end-users on how to dispose of data in an appropriate manner," the study says.

ThreatWatch is a regularly updated catalog of data breaches successfully striking every sector of the globe, as reported by journalists, researchers and the victims themselves.