Destruction of classified information must ensure it cannot be:

The requirement for the destruction of classified information focuses on ensuring that the data cannot be recovered or reconstructed. This is essential because classified information often contains sensitive data that, if it falls into the wrong hands, could potentially pose a national security risk. Simply making the data unreadable is not sufficient; it must be ensured that even advanced methods of recovery and reconstruction cannot retrieve the information.

This standard is implemented to safeguard against insider threats and external breaches, emphasizing the necessity of employing methods such as shredding, incineration, or degaussing—techniques that render the information permanently irretrievable. Access by unauthorized users, while important, is a consideration related to the information's security rather than its destruction. Reporting to authorities and secure storage are important aspects of overall information management but do not directly pertain to the effectiveness of destruction methods in preventing recovery of classified data.