What is the primary purpose of CUI media sanitization?

• A. To ensure that media containing CUI cannot be reconstructed or retrieved.
• B. To preserve data for later use
• C. To speed up disposal
• D. To reduce cost

Answer: (A)

The main idea behind sanitizing CUI media is to make sure no data on the storage device can be reconstructed or retrieved by someone who shouldn’t have access. This means using secure erasure, degaussing, shredding, cryptographic erasure, or other methods that leave no usable remnants of CUI. The goal is absolute data destruction so that even advanced recovery techniques won’t reveal the information.

Preserving data for later use would defeat the purpose, since sanitization is about removing access to the information. Faster disposal or lower cost might be practical considerations when choosing methods, but they’re not the primary aim of sanitization.