What is “Trashing” and Why Everything You Post Online Can Destroy Your Cybersecurity?

What is “Trashing” and Why Everything You Post Online Can Destroy Your Cybersecurity?

 

When it comes to the Internet, there is a big topic that everyone is talking about: data and all the information that can be found beyond what you can imagine, including your own. Anyone who has used a website, bought something online, has social networks or browsed different links has shared a large amount of personal data, often without being aware of the consequences that may result.

This is exactly the point we will be talking about today in this report and specifically about the very serious threat that surrounds us all: trashing or also known as dumpster diving.

This term, which comes from the English word trash, is a technique used by cybercriminals to obtain personal information from seemingly discarded or deleted data.

All of this is like searching through the bins near your house; it extends to the digital world, where the information you thought you deleted is still accessible to those with the right knowledge and tools - and not the best intentions.

- What is Trashing?

In short, it is a technique used by cybercriminals to obtain personal or private information from data that has been forgotten by the user or company. The name, which you already know where it comes from, makes it clear that the basic idea is to look for valuable information in what others have overlooked.

What’s even more intriguing is that this practice can occur in both the physical and digital worlds. In fact, it involves searching through trash cans or garbage cans for documents. For example, a criminal might go through an office trash can looking for printed documents containing confidential information that were not properly destroyed.

In the digital realm, this term refers to the recovery of files or data from electronic devices that have been discarded or thought to have been deleted.

For example, you could sell your used phone or give it to someone you think you can trust without completely deleting all the data. A cybercriminal could buy it and use specialized software to recover your photos, messages, or even your banking information that you thought you deleted.

Another example is accessing the Recycle Bin on a computer. Many people think that by moving a file to the Recycle Bin, it is gone forever. However, until the Recycle Bin is emptied, these files remain accessible and recoverable.

Finally, it can also happen online. For example, if you share a lot of personal information on social media and then delete it, it’s possible that someone saved it before you deleted it. This is a form of “social trashing,” where the information you deleted can be collected and used for malicious purposes.