What is Data Rot and how to prevent it?

05.03.2025 9,592 21

Martin Pramatarov

Imagine losing decades of crucial insights as your company’s data quietly decays. In today’s global economy, data rot can devastate operations, compromise decision-making, and incur irreparable losses.  

Let’s explore how this silent menace threatens business intelligence and why safeguarding your digital assets is absolutely paramount! By the way, if you think individuals are safe and shouldn’t care, it’s a big mistake! This issue affects everybody. Right now, that collection of dog photos you have been obsessed with for years could be rotting in your precious hard disk, too. 

What is Data Rot? 

It is the progressive corruption of computer data caused by the accumulation of different failures – some not even critical – in data storage devices. It is also known as data degradation, data decay, or bit rot. 
Storing your information in a new hard drive is a good step, but it does not guarantee that its quality will remain pristine forever. Even if it is not utilized, its quality will decline. The data decay corrupts information over time making it unusable. No matter what kind of digital storage you have, data degradation will occur. Still skeptical? Let’s move on to the evidence right now! 

Which storage devices are affected by data rot? 

Bit rot occurs in all storage devices. Here you have everything you must know! 

Tape Storage (magnetic tapes) and data decay 

Magnetic tapes store data through magnetized particles embedded in a polymer film. Over time, these particles naturally degrade, and the binder that holds them in place can chemically break down. Environmental factors, such as fluctuating temperatures, high humidity, and pollutant exposure, accelerate this process, leading to data decay.  
For large companies that use tape storage for long-term archiving, regulatory compliance, or historical records, this degradation can result in critical data corruption, making recovery expensive or even impossible.  

Hard Drives (HDD) and Bit Rot  

HDDs are prone to many problems. Mechanical drives are vulnerable to data rot due to magnetic decay, thermal fluctuations, and physical wear. They have moving parts that can get broken over time. Their head is a critical but delicate part that eventually can stop moving, scratch the magnetic disk, or get broken. As for the magnetic disk itself, if you leave it for years without electricity, it will lose the data. 
Another issue with your HDDs could be corrosion because they are made from metal. Dust can also be problematic. If dust enters the drive, this could easily be the end of it. 
Providers commonly say that in optimal conditions, HDDs can reliably store data for 3–10 years. However, based on experience, we recommend changing your HDD after 3-4 years. These devices could last a little longer, but you will be putting your business-critical information at risk. 
Read about the 10 most common causes of data loss. 

SSD Data Rot 

Solid-state drives (SSDs) rely on NAND flash memory, which, despite its robustness, is vulnerable to bit rot. After a time, electric leakage from memory cells occurs as electrons gradually escape the floating gate, leading to bit errors and eventual data corruption. In other words, the leakage happens when a NAND cell charge is emitted into its surroundings. The problem increases with the number of cell states. SLC – 2, MLC – 4, TLC – 8. To lower the number of errors, the SSDs have error correcting codes (ECC). As time passes, they will inevitably come across an unrecoverable error. 
Frequent program/erase cycles also wear out these cells, reducing data retention reliability. Check the terabytes written (TBW) on your SSDs. If an SSD is rated for 300 TBW, this value is the total capacity of written data over the drive’s lifespan. After that number is reached you can expect a fatal error. 
Environmental factors such as high temperatures and humidity, as well as prolonged periods of inactivity, can accelerate this degradation. Typically, an SSD can last for around five years without issues. It is good practice to replace your SSD right after the warranty ends. 
Read why SSD NVMe disks are better.  

Flash Drives Data Rot (USB & SD Cards) 

Flash drives, including USB drives and SD cards, use flash memory to store information, which can experience data rot due to the degradation of the NAND flash cells over time. The primary causes include charge leakage, wear from frequent read/write cycles, environmental factors (extreme temperatures, humidity, or exposure to electromagnetic radiation), and physical damage to the drive. This can lead first to bit errors and eventual data corruption.  
Flash drives are portable but not ideal for long-term storage. They may fail unpredictably, leading to potential data loss. For companies and individuals, it’s best to use flash drives for temporary data transfer and ensure that important files are backed up on more durable media regularly. 

CDs, DVDs, and Data Degradation 

Many people thought that digitalizing their old tapes was a permanent solution. Bad news! There is CD data rot! Your CDs and DVDs are not safe forever. They are damaged by oxidation, physical scratches, dust, UV light, and the adhesives they have. The sad part is that there is nothing you can do about it. They will degrade and show a critical error after some years. If you prefer optical drives, create new copies now or then.  
Collectors of rare disks who want to preserve them should keep them in a cool, dark, and dry environment. If possible – in a vacuum! 
Some manufacturers use Accelerated Life Testing to predict the lifespan of their optical drives. However, the test doesn’t consider all possible factors, so take these numbers with a pinch of salt. 
CD-R, CD-RW (unrecorded) 5-10 years 
CD-R (recorded) 50-200 years 
CD-RW (recorded) 20-100 years 
DVD-R (recorded) 30-100 years 
DVD-RW (recorded) up to 30 years 
BD-R (recorded) 30-200 years 
BD-RE (recorded) 30-200 years 
Data from CDrom2go.com 

M-Disc (Millennial Disc) and Bit Rot 

M-Disc (Millennial Disc) is marketed as a long-term storage solution, claiming a lifespan of up to 1,000 years under optimal conditions. While M-Discs are designed to be resilient against typical physical degradation (such as scratches or oxidation), they are not entirely immune to bit rot. While aging, the bonding material and the reflective layer inside the disc can degrade. How? Extreme temperatures, high humidity, and exposure to ultraviolet light may gradually damage the disc’s physical structure, causing micro-cracks or surface erosion that compromise data integrity. 
Don’t compromise valuable digital assets! If you archive critical information on M-Discs, complement that with secondary backups on a different media.  

Cloud, Decentralized Storage, and Data Decay 

Cloud and decentralized storage systems are designed with robust redundancy and error-correction mechanisms to mitigate data rot. However, issues and bit rot can still arise, even with these modern storage solutions! In cloud environments, hardware malfunctions, bit errors, and software glitches can lead to gradual data degradation if not detected and corrected promptly. Misconfigurations, accidental deletions, or failure in replication strategies may exacerbate these risks.  
In decentralized storage systems, while data is distributed across many nodes, factors such as node churn, inconsistent updates, or compromised network integrity can result in data corruption.  
Just because your personal or company’s information is stored in the cloud doesn’t mean its integrity will remain in optimal condition forever. Follow healthy practices like not relying solely on one provider and maintaining local backups. Always look for redundancy! 

What can Data Degradation Causeto my Company? 

Data degradation can severely disrupt a company’s operations by causing the loss of critical information, such as customer data, financial records, valuable analytics, or intellectual property. This data corruption or inaccessibility can badly affect processes and decision-making, leading to costly downtime, delays, opportunity loss, legal consequences, and reputation damage.  
Awareness and proactive measures are essential to protect valuable information and maintain smooth, efficient business operations. 

How to Prevent Data Rot? 

Preventing is essential for enterprises and individuals to ensure the longevity and integrity of their information. But at this point, you may wonder, “Is it really possible to prevent?”. While it’s impossible to prevent data decay completely, implementing proactive measures can significantly mitigate its impact. Check these ten best practices to reduce the risks: 

Create an efficient backup strategy 

Based on the specific needs of your business, define the most convenient number of copies to backup critical data. You need a plan to make those copies accessible and well-protected. A backup strategy involves using different systems, applications, devices, or cloud storage providers that allow data restoration in case of cyberattacks, hardware failures, data loss, or other types of damage. Then you can implement regular backups in multiple locations (off-site, cloud, etc.) to prevent data corruption and loss. You should study more about efficient backup strategies like 3-2-1 backup. 

Use reliable storage media 

We have already talked about different storage devices and solutions, so you know not all are suitable for storing and protecting critical data. Some are good only for temporary, mid, or long-term storage. The amount of information and how frequently you must access it also matters. So, analyze your real needs and invest in adequate, high-quality storage devices, such as enterprise-grade SSDs, HDDs, or a cloud solution, known for their durability and error correction capabilities.  

Implement data integrity checks 

Information won’t keep its integrity permanently just because it’s already stored. Running data integrity tests regularly is essential to detect and correct errors promptly, preventing data decay and ensuring the accuracy and reliability of critical information. Some tools perform regular data scrubbing and integrity verification to detect and correct errors before they lead to significant data loss. 
Learn about data recovery.  

Control the storage environment 

Light, temperature, and humidity levels are essential factors to consider while protecting your information. Control these factors strictly in storage areas to prevent physical degradation of storage media and reduce data decay risks. 

Regular data migration 

Periodically transferring data to new storage media mitigates the effects of media wear and decay associated with aging hardware. 

Implement redundancy measures 

Redundancy is essential and the core of a backup strategy. Replication across multiple devices or storage solutions will ensure data availability even if one device fails.  
In that sense, RAID could be a helpful solution. A redundant array of independent disks (RAID) is a data storage technology that combines multiple physical drives into a single logical unit to enhance performance, capacity, and reliability. RAID configurations—such as RAID 5 or 6—distribute data and parity information across multiple disks, allowing error detection and correction.  
However, while RAID offers protection against hardware failures and some data corruption, it is not foolproof against all forms of data degradation. Implementing file systems with built-in data integrity features, such as ZFS or Btrfs, in conjunction with RAID can provide more robust protection against data rot. 

Utilize error-correcting codes (ECC) 

Employing ECC in your storage systems detects and corrects bit errors, maintaining data accuracy and preventing corruption. 

Regular software updates 

Keeping software up to date addresses vulnerabilities and bugs that could compromise data integrity and security. 

Data classification and management 

Analyze all your information to identify its relevance and use frequency. Organizing data by importance improves storage, retrieval, and disposal. This reduces attack surfaces, storage costs, and the risks of outdated or redundant data. 

Implement comprehensive data management policies 

Establishing and enforcing policies for data handling (access controls, regular audits, etc.) ensures consistent practices across the organization, to protect data integrity, prevent data degradation, and comply with regulations. 

Conclusion 

Overlooking data decay can be devastating! In today’s data-driven world, companies rely on accurate information to make critical decisions. Understanding the topic is essential to ensure long-term data reliability, safeguard vital resources, and maintain your company’s continuity. Be aware and prevent risks! 
Remember, having your photos backed up on an expensive modern hard drive that you rarely touch doesn’t mean they will be protected and accessible forever. Right now, the dust on that drawer or shelf, its temperature, light, etc., are degrading all your precious memories.