Which method is a hydraulic device used to destroy physical media?

• A. Hydraulic Crusher
• B. Degaussing
• C. Overwriting
• D. File Shredding

Answer: (A)

When you’re disposing of physical media, you need to prevent data from being recoverable either by software or hardware means. A hydraulic crusher fits that goal by applying intense hydraulic pressure to the drive, crushing and fragmenting the platters and components. This physical destruction makes data unrecoverable and the hardware unusable, which is why it’s the correct option here.

Degaussing erases data by demagnetizing the storage surface, but it doesn’t physically destroy the drive and isn’t a hydraulic device. Overwriting and file shredding are software-based sanitization methods that rewrite data or securely delete files, leaving the hardware intact; they don’t physically destroy the media.