The practice of destroying sensitive or classified documents dates back centuries, with historical examples of military commanders or rulers ordering the burning of documents to prevent their capture or misuse by adversaries.
Today, for paper documents that are classified or sensitive, the traditionally approved methods of disposal are shredding and burn bags. Shredding often requires either a third-party service or a large number of man-hours using standard office shredding equipment, whereas burn bags expedite the destruction process by setting disposal bags of documents ablaze. These methods aim to minimize the risk of unauthorized parties retrieving or recovering sensitive information after disposal.
With regards to digital documents, even when deleted from an application or system, a digital document may still be stored or recovered elsewhere on the device or cloud. For organizations that must ensure the deletion of sensitive information, digital burn bags serve the same purpose as its namesake, minus the fire and pollution.
In this blog, we’ll explain why burn bags are important, how digital burn bags work, and how to use digital burn bags in your organization.
What Are Burn Bags?
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The concept of "burn bags" securely dispose of physical documents has its origins in government and military security protocols, particularly into dispose of physical documents securely has its origins in government and military security protocols, particularly in the context of handling classified or sensitive information. The history of burn bags can be traced back to the early days of intelligence gathering. Still, they became more formalized and standardized during the 20th century, particularly during periods of heightened security concerns such as wartime and the Cold War.
The Cold War saw an intensification of intelligence activities and heightened concerns about espionage and information security. Government agencies, particularly those involved in intelligence gathering and national security, implemented strict procedures for handling classified information, including using burn bags to ensure the secure disposal of sensitive documents.
Just as burn bags and shred bags are used to dispose of physical documents securely, the digital burn bag is a modern analogy for the digital equivalent. Simply put, a digital burn bag is a secure, encrypted system where you can safely dispose of digital documents. Once deleted in the digital burn bag, they are effectively "burned" and rendered unrecoverable.
Today, the use of burn bags, both physical and digital, is necessitated by strict regulations and compliance standards aimed at protecting national security, safeguarding classified information, and ensuring privacy rights. Government agencies, military organizations, and other entities handling sensitive information must adhere to these regulations to prevent unauthorized disclosure or misuse of classified or sensitive data.
How Do "Digital Burn Bags" Work?
When a computer or system stores data, it’s common practice to copy or backup the data to one or more servers to ensure availability. These servers often integrate with other applications and systems that share data. Later, when a user or admin needs to dispose of the data, they must ensure that it is entirely removed from all systems that have collected, processed, stored, and handled it and from any system where it may also exist as metadata.
Digital burn bags are virtual repositories or databases with cybersecurity protocols and technologies designed to facilitate the disposal of sensitive or classified digital information. When documents or data enter the digital burn bag, it cannot be shared or stored any place else. Then, when the user decides to ‘burn’ the data, it is removed from the system, application, platform, and any place where its information may be metadata.
Here's how Inkit’s Digital Burn Bag works:
- Secure Access: Access to the digital burn bag is restricted to authorized personnel with credentials and password requirements. This is achieved through strong authentication measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), zero trust protocols, and role-based access controls.
- Secure Upload and Storage: Authorized users can upload digital files, documents, or data into the burn bag. Inkit can be configured to restrict downloads or screenshots of documents to ensure there are no existing digital copies after disposal.
- Encryption at Rest and In Transit: Digital burn bags employ robust encryption techniques to safeguard the contents of their files. Encryption ensures that even if unauthorized access is gained to the storage system, the data remains unreadable without the proper decryption keys.
- Retention Policies: Administrators set retention policies dictating how long the uploaded files will be retained within the burn bag before automatic deletion. This helps ensure that sensitive information is not stored longer than necessary.
- Monitoring and Auditing: Digital burn bags allow administrators to track user activity, including who accessed the burn bag, when the files were uploaded or deleted, and any other relevant actions. Auditing helps maintain accountability and ensures compliance with security protocols and regulations.
- Secure Deletion: When files are no longer needed or have reached the end of their retention period, they are securely deleted from the burn bag. Secure deletion methods may involve overwriting the data multiple times or using cryptographic techniques to render the files unrecoverable.
- Regulatory Compliance: Digital burn bags are designed to meet the strict security requirements and compliance standards mandated by relevant laws and regulations, such as the GDPR, CCPA, and others.
Inkit employs the aforementioned cybersecurity protocols, along with effective patching, updates, and vulnerability management strategy, to keep business documents protected and, when the time comes, securely disposed of.
Failure to comply with document requirements can have serious consequences. These can include legal fines, damage to your reputation, and disruption of your operations.
— Is your organization compliant?
Learn More about Document Requirements
Final Word
Overall, digital burn bags provide a secure and convenient solution for organizations and agencies to manage and dispose of sensitive digital information in a manner that minimizes the risk of unauthorized access or exposure.
Inkit’s secure document generation platform allows organizations to create, share, and delete documents in a way that automatically complies with security and document retention policies. Additionally, Inkit enables offices to virtually eliminate the need for paper documents, saving time and money on manual filing and storage.
To learn how you can simplify document disposal in your org, contact us with Inkit’s DocGen experts. Trusted by the Airforce, DoD, and top institutions where privacy and security matter most.
FAQs
What is a digital burn bag, and how does it differ from a traditional burn bag?
A digital burn bag is a secure, encrypted system for safely disposing of sensitive or classified digital documents, rendering them unrecoverable. Unlike traditional burn bags used for physical documents, digital burn bags utilize advanced cybersecurity measures instead of fire to ensure secure disposal.
How does a digital burn bag ensure that deleted documents are unrecoverable?
Digital burn bags use secure deletion methods, including multiple overwrites or cryptographic techniques, to render files unrecoverable. They also remove documents from all associated systems, metadata repositories, and backups to ensure complete disposal.
What security features are included in digital burn bags like Inkit’s platform?
Inkit’s digital burn bag includes robust encryption (at rest and in transit), secure access controls (MFA and zero trust protocols), role-based permissions, activity monitoring, and compliance with regulations such as GDPR and CCPA.
How do retention policies work within a digital burn bag?
Administrators can set retention policies to dictate how long sensitive files are stored in the burn bag. After this period, the files are automatically and securely deleted, ensuring they are not retained longer than necessary.
Why is regulatory compliance important for digital burn bags?
Digital burn bags must comply with regulations like GDPR and CCPA to ensure the secure handling and disposal of sensitive data. Compliance minimizes legal risks, protects privacy, and meets the strict security standards required for classified or sensitive information.
