Factorial IT erases managed device data using the encryption-key destruction built into each operating system. This article covers the mechanism used on each platform, the standards it meets, and the evidence available for a SOC 2, ISO 27001, or NIS2 audit.
Overview
Use this article when an auditor, a customer security review, or a GDPR erasure request asks how device data is destroyed. On Apple and Android devices — and on Windows devices with the disk encryption control active — wiping destroys the hardware-held encryption keys, making the data unrecoverable rather than merely deleted.
That qualifies as cryptographic erase under two standards:
- NIST SP 800-88 Rev. 1 — Purge
- IEEE 2883-2022 — Purge
How to use
Match the platform to its erasure mechanism:
- Apple (macOS, iOS, iPadOS). Erase All Content and Settings (EACS) destroys the per-device encryption keys held in the Secure Enclave. Apple documents EACS compliance with NIST SP 800-88 in the Apple Platform Security Guide.
- Windows. Remote wipe through the RemoteWipe CSP. With the disk encryption control enabled, this destroys the BitLocker key protectors and the disk becomes cryptographically unreadable. Without it, the wipe is a factory reset with no cryptographic erasure.
- Android. A Device Policy Controller factory reset destroys the file-based encryption keys in the hardware-backed keystore (TEE or StrongBox) on Android 10 and later.
How this maps to compliance frameworks
| Framework | Control | How it is satisfied |
| SOC 2 | CC6.5 — protections discontinued only once data can no longer be read or recovered | An audit log records each wipe command and the device's acknowledgement as evidence of execution |
| ISO/IEC 27001:2022 | A.7.14 (secure disposal or re-use of equipment) and A.8.10 (information deletion) | ISO 27002:2022 guidance for both controls accepts NIST 800-88 as a method. Supports demonstrating deletion under GDPR Article 17 |
| NIS2 | NIS2 | Article 21(2) — risk management covering asset management and disposal | Cryptographic destruction is documented in the ISMS and the asset register |
Evidence available on request:
- Wipe command audit logs, with the command issued, the device acknowledgement, and the timestamp
- Configuration baselines confirming hardware keystore requirements on Android
- The Apple Platform Security Guide reference for EACS and NIST 800-88 attestation
- For Windows, a configuration baseline confirming the disk encryption control was active
Tips and best practices
- Turn on disk encryption before you need to wipe a Windows device. It is the single difference between cryptographic erase and an ordinary factory reset, and it cannot be applied retroactively to a device you are about to wipe.
- Pull the wipe audit log at the time of the wipe, not at audit time. The log is the evidence an auditor asks for.
- Check the Android OS version when a device is enrolled. Hardware-backed key destruction requires Android 10 or later.
Troubleshooting
A Windows wipe cannot be evidenced as cryptographic erase. Check whether the disk encryption control was active on that device at the time of the wipe. If it was not, the device received a factory reset and no key destruction took place. The configuration baseline shows which applies.
An Android device predates version 10. Key destruction is not hardware-backed on those devices, so the wipe does not qualify as Purge under NIST 800-88. Record the exception in your asset register.
FAQ
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Is a wipe the same as a secure erase?
On Apple and Android devices, and on encrypted Windows devices, yes — the encryption keys are destroyed and the data cannot be recovered. On an unencrypted Windows device it is a factory reset only.
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What can we give an auditor as proof?
The wipe command audit log with the device acknowledgement and timestamp, plus the configuration baseline for the device.
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Does this satisfy a GDPR Article 17 erasure request?
It supports it. ISO 27002:2022 guidance for A.7.14 and A.8.10 accepts NIST 800-88 as a deletion method.