More and more computers and laptops use Solid State Drives (SSDs) but that isn't without a risk, a SSD that doesn't receive power can lose data after a week already, warns Don Allison from security company KoreLogic. The durability of a SSD is limited and the drives require continuous access to power to not lose their data gradually.
The Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) is an organisation that drafts standards for microelectronics, including the durability of SSDs that receive no power. Consumer drives should retain data for at least a year when powered off, while for enterprise SSDs this should be at least 3 months.
The speed in which the data actually disappears depends on the temperature. A presentation of Alvin Cox of HDD manufacturer Seagate states that for each temperature increase of 5 degrees of the environment in which the data is stored, the retention period is halved.
A SSD that is stored in a temperature of 25C (77F) can retain its data for 2 years. If the temperature is increased to 30C (86F) the retention period is only 1 year. Especially for enterprises this can be an issue if e.g. SSDs contains data that has to be stored for legal or forensic reasons. Allison provides as example a SSD that he received that had been stored for 3 months, the drive was full of bad sectors. He advises organisations to make premature backups and use mechanical discs for data that has to be safe for a long time.
