County Offers “Drive-Thru Hard Drive Destruction” Oct. 24

Maui Now graphic.

In observance of October as Cyber Security Awareness Month, the County of Maui will host a free “drive-thru hard drive destruction and disposal” service in the lower parking lot behind the Kalana O Maui County building on Saturday, Oct. 24.

The disposal drop-off will be offered from 10 a.m. to noon, with access to the parking area under the County building from Kaohu Street, just below the High Street intersection.

Residents are urged to remove the hard drive from any old computers, laptops, printers or other electronic devices and bring just the hard drive to the event, where they can hand their hard drives over to members of the County’s Information Technology Services Division. IT staff will destroy the drives and make sure they are disposed of properly. An information table with cyber security materials also will be available at the event.

“This service is especially important because anyone can access your hard drive if you just throw it away,” said Jacob Verkerke, the County’s Chief Technology Officer. “Even if you delete important information like bank statements, account numbers and social security information, someone who knows what they are doing can always find a way to retrieve it if they have your hard drive.”

Besides the free hard drive destruction event next Saturday, visitors to the county building are also invited to check out educational material on cyber safety that will be displayed in the lobby through the end of October.

The IT Division encourages the public to read more about how they can protect themselves from cyber risks, including identity theft, cyber predators and cyber attacks at the workplace.

Personnel with the County of Maui IT Division offered the following cyper security tips:

• Set strong passwords and don’t share them with anyone.
• Keep your operating system, browser, and other critical software optimized by installing updates.
• Maintain an open dialogue with your family, friends, and community about Internet safety.
• Limit the amount of personal information you post online and use privacy settings to avoid sharing information widely.
• Be cautious about what you receive or read online—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

For more information about protecting yourself from cyber risks, visit the county cyber security operations center online.