"The only way to 100% prevent bad actors from acquiring sensitive data is to physically destroy it. But it's important to note that you can't just delete the files or put them in the trash can on your desktop. You literally need to obliterate the physical medium that is housing the data. This can mean smashing, melting, shredding, waving a magnet over the disk or devise, or overwriting the old data with new information. I have done this before - taken a hammer to a company's old servers. It's a great way to take out your aggression! But, most importantly, the data is then gone forever and can never get into the wrong hands."