Ask Question

Ask Question

Corporate Training

Cyber Security

I was wondering how to dispose of old phone?

Asked by Al German Mar 29, 2022 398 views 1 answer

About this question

How to dispose of a smartphone (it's an iPhone 5) at home? I was reading through this SE site and found this one which hardly applies here. Besides, I'd want to do it so that:

It's not damaging the ecology (at least not too much)

I don't have to do it with work tools (I don't have a hammer and surely don't want to set anything on fire in my apartment)

The device is currently in use for all sorts of things - 2factor auth, custom authenticators, personal data, banks eTAN etc etc.

After the disposal, the data from the device must be impossible to restore and the device should be impossible to use as anything but decoration.

Your answer

1 Answer

Best Answer · By JanBask Cyber Security Expert

Answered on Mar 29, 2022

How to dispose of old phone can be answered as - Under the assumption you do not trade state secrets I would: Wipe the phone/do a factory reset (assuming the phone is still working) Remove the SD Card (keep it for later use) (does not apply to the iPhone5, since it has none) Open the phone Locate the motherboard (the largest piece of printed circuit board) Unseat or destroy the following chips as possible (See this iPhone5 Teardown Guide on iFixit for details):

Hynix H2JTDG2MBR 128 Gb (16 GB) NAND flash (on Step 15)
The A6 processor (on Step 16/18)

Dispose the parts at different times/different locations of an electronics recycling shop (Availability depends on country) With this, a reassembly and successful extraction of data would be expensive and very unlikely. Note: According to the iPhone Wiki, the A6 does not have a Secure Enclave, so nothing to do about that

Was this helpful?

More Cyber Security discussions

Why am I receiving emails from mailer-daemon@googlemail.com? 7 answers · 64.0K views There was a text message sent from my phone that I didn't send - How is this possible? 4 answers · 51.7K views How to uncover blacked out text? 3 answers · 23.6K views How does emkei fake mailer work? 3 answers · 21.4K views What is a ga$$pass combolist? 3 answers · 21.4K views Can you track a visa gift card? 3 answers · 19.7K views

Learn with experts

Cyber Security Training

Live, mentor-led classes with real projects and job assistance.

4.9/5 · 15.0K+ learners
Next batch: October 16
Free demo class available

Book a Free Demo →

⚡ 10-question challenge

How well do you know Cyber Security?

Take the free Cyber Security quiz and get your score instantly.

10 questions~5 min100% free Start the Cyber Security quiz →

Have a different question?

Ask the community and get answers from industry experts — free.

Ask a Question →

Learn & Explore

Free tutorials and interview questions from industry experts — learn the skill, then get ready to prove it.

Cyber Security Tutorials

Step-by-step Cyber Security guides from industry experts

Browse all tutorials →

Cyber Security Interview Q&A

Common Cyber Security interview questions, answered

Browse all interview Q&A →

Latest Cyber Security Blogs

Guides, tips and career advice on Cyber Security from JanBask experts.

Cyber Security Ethical Hacker Roles and Responsibilities: What Do Ethical Hackers Actually Do? What does an ethical hacker actually do? See the five-phase process, daily tasks, required skills, and where ethical hackers work. Oct 9, 2026 · 36 reads Read more →

Cyber Security Penetration Tester Roles and Responsibilities: What Does a Pen Tester Do? Learn what a penetration tester does, including key roles, responsibilities, daily tasks, tools, skills, reporting, and… Oct 9, 2026 · 40 reads Read more →

Cyber Security GRC Analyst Roles and Responsibilities: What Does a GRC Analyst Do? What does a GRC analyst actually do? See the core responsibilities, how they grow by experience level, a daily routine, tools,… Oct 9, 2026 · 44 reads Read more →

Cyber Security SOC Analyst Roles and Responsibilities: What Does a SOC Analyst Do? What does a SOC analyst actually do? Explore core responsibilities, the Tier 1–3 structure, daily tasks, tools, and skills in… Oct 7, 2026 · 45 reads Read more →

View all Cyber Security blogs →