Data Recovery in Computer Forensics
Data Recovery in Computer Forensics
Last year, more than 60% of internet-related businesses in the UK admitted that they have been victimised in some way or the other by computer criminals. Universities are offering data recovery as part of their forensics computer security courses.
All these facts point out a very important change coming over the attitude towards crime and computers. There are no crimes left in the world where a computer may not be used in a direct or indirect way. And, the law is waking up to this.
What is Data Recovery?
It is the process of recovering data lost either through accident or malicious intent. Data can be stored on hard discs, USB drives, CD/DVDs, digital tapes, or online. A criminal can use this data in the following ways:
1. Data that is supposed to be secure is accessed and used for illegal purposes. This is the most common form of cyber crime. Hackers first access data, then they transfer it and store it within their access range, and finally use it for whatever purpose they had in mind. An example is the theft of credit card details. When a hacker has got all the details of your card, he can make transactions in your name, or simply empty your account with a click of his mouse.
2. Data can be tampered with for sabotaging. Most corporate criminals use a virus or other methods of corrupting data, crashing a server, denying access etc. to jeopardise the working of a company. The implications can be well understood if a malware is introduced into the security network of a country.
3. A criminal may generate harmful data. All pornographic chains fall under this, as do the otherwise innocent-looking spam mails. A car loan ad may actually be a virus, and when you click on the ad, the virus gets implanted into your system. It can then move towards crashing the server, and catching you unawares when the computer goes blank suddenly.
4. Criminals in many cases are leaving behind evidence, right from plans to carry out a crime up to actually dumping evidence of the crime on the computer. This can happen with any crime; one may start a hate mail chain, or use a computer to prepare the blueprint for a murder.
The Process
When forensic investigations are to be helped by data recovery techniques, the experts follow various techniques to get to their goal. The main stages involved are:
1. Identification: To begin with, the sources of the evidence are to be identified. A data recovery expert who is into forensics knows that the source cannot be tampered if it is to be provided as evidence, just like one cannot touch the knife found sticking into a corpse if it is to be examined for fingerprints.
2. Securing and Preserving: The data that is lost or tampered with needs to be restored to its original condition, and at the same time it cannot be touched . This is where the trickiest part comes in. The data recovery expert makes an exact copy of the evidence (for example ” a hard disk), and then proceeds to work on this copy. At the same time, the original disk is carefully preserved in the way it was found for digital finger printing, dusting and other forensics investigations.
3. Analysing: The damage done, the possible source of the crime, the method used, are all analysed now from comparing the evidence and the recovered data. Once again, it is kept in mind that this would have to be produced in a court of law.
4. Documenting: A record of the evidence found, method of crime, damage done etc. is created for presenting to the law.
A Case
A Bristol school teacher was accused of running a child exploitation and pornography racket from his school premises in winter 2006. His computer did not contain any incriminating photographs, and he might have gone free. However, data recovery revealed that he had indeed taken advantage of his young students, and then tried to remove the data from his computer after floating it on the internet. He was brought to justice only because the data could be recovered. If he had been born in another time, he would have been able to continue his horrible career of blackmail and exploitation.
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information about using <a href="http://www.fieldsassociates.co.uk">Computer Forensics</a> see http://www.fieldsassociates.co.uk
Essential tips for backing up your business data Posted By : JessicaThomson
Taking back up for your data has become very simple in windows XP and 2000 as you just need to take the back up for the C: drive. Thus most of your data is stored safely without many problems. But you never know when you might need a file. Thus the best way is to take the back up of nearly all the data in your PC. Atleast one extra copy of your business related files like the tax statements, financial records, text documents, the pictures and the important emails should be taken and saved.
Are You Prepared For A Hard Drive Crash?
Its just a matter of time before you experience a hard drive problem. Are you prepared to loose your data? If your hard drive crashed right now do you have an action plan to follow?
Most people only think of backing up their data after they experience a problem. Don’t set yourself up for a data loss disaster.
Your data integrity action plan should consist of the following:
1) How often you will back up your data
2) What data you will back up
3) What back up procedure you will use
How often you back up your data can only be determined by how important you feel it is. Answer this question “If my hard drive crashed right now, I would be alright if I had the data from at least (time) ago”.
Of course you would want everything but if you could have the data from 1 month, or 6 months ago would that be sufficient? Whatever time is sufficient mark it on your calendar both a hard copy and set up a meeting on your PC to remind you.
You change your smoke detector batteries when you turn your clock back and when you turn it ahead right? Well back up your data then too.
If you don’t change your clocks then pick some holidays or special dates that happen close to the timeframe you want to back up your data so you won’t forget.
What data you back up depends on how you use your PC. Some of the key directories, if you are using Windows, are the My Documents, Favorites and Desktop directories.
Remember if you are using multiple profiles on your PC then the three directories above can be different for each profile and each one would need to be backed up.
You will also want to include your email data. Don’t forget to write down the email accounts you have. You should also write down any username and passwords so they are not lost. You should look at every directory to see if it has information that you would need.
Make a list of all the software programs you are using. If you have the physical CDs put them all together in a safe location.
Don’t forget the CDs for your peripherals like your scanner, digital camera, PDA etc: Collecting these CDs may remind you of additional data that you need to back up.
If you are running software that you installed from downloaded files, burn them to a CD-R and add it to your collection. If you use a CD-R or DVD-R you can update it as you download and install new applications.
What procedure you use to back up your data can be determined by the amount of data you want to back up. Your data might fit onto a CD or DVD in which case you just need to burn it and you’re done.
If it spans multiple DVDs then you might want to consider getting a second hard drive to copy your data onto. If you are not comfortable with adding a second internal hard drive or you are using a laptop then you can purchase an external hard drive to back up your data.
The information you have on your hard drive could disappear in a flash. If you don’t want to spend up to $3,000 to have a data recovery company retrieve what information they can from your hard drive, then take a few minutes right now and create your back up action plan.
If you ever have a data emergency your action plan will be your insurance policy. If you adhere to it, your valuable data will adhere to you!
This article provided courtesy of <a href="http://www.wifi-buyers-guide.com" target="_blank">http://www.wifi-buyers-guide.com</a>
Improving Awareness of Data Recovery as a Service
The very fact that we are saving something is enough to guarantee its preciousness to us. But while we are fully aware of the value, we have not yet been able to get used to the fact that the digital medium, just like paper and tapes, is also fallible. A hard disk can fail, a CD or DVD can be scratched exactly where you have recorded that wedding photograph, and the USB drive might get mistakenly formatted by you as you pull it out in a hurry without shutting down any of the eight open windows. Spreading Awareness ” Joint Responsibility It is easy to say that it is solely the seller s duty to hawk his or her wares, and put up the strategically placed billboards. But, in this case, there is a matter of public good involved too. If the government can take steps to let the public know about contraceptives and family planning, vaccines and health care, fresh vegetables and nutrition, it can also do the same service about data recovery. After all, the vaccine manufacturers and the pill makers are all private companies too, and they do make a profit when their goods are sold for public benefit. This may sound a bit far-fetched, but it just shows that we are really not ready, as a nation, to attach importance to our most important personal and work information. 43% of UK businesses who do not have a recovery plan in place close shop after a data disaster. Most home users are blissfully unaware of what to do if the hard drive falls into a bowl of soup (and likewise if it was an office hardware like a pen drive). It does not come as a surprise when we hear that all the major cases of corporate data thefts (and there was a good spate of them last year) were aggravated by the employee s delay in reporting. If you notice a virus in your office computer, what would you do? More than 75% of UK office-goers felt that they should do something ” but what was that? After all, 86% of the firewalls aren t even updated. And when an employee feels that a data loss may be his or her fault, more than 60% shamefacedly admitted that they would just keep mum about it, waiting for the storm to blow over, rather than lose their jobs. It had not occurred to any of these bright individuals that spending a few hundred pounds from their pockets might recover the data without too much hue and cry, and also without any damage done to innocent clients. In the case of major data losses, where recovery may run into thousands, the companies themselves have been wary about calling in data recovery people out of fear that the clients and rivals would come to know about it all. The data recovery companies need to work in precisely this area to improve their image. The first duty is to clearly establish that they have only honourable intentions and are not going to steal, divulge or sell data. Once this is established, they have to flaunt their solid recommendations built on their excellent handling of sensitive data to reassure and invite customers. Objections ” and What to Do About Them One of the major objections that customers might raise in handing over their matter to data recovery groups has already been dealt with above, along with a method to mitigate it. The other objection that may come, predominantly from the home user s section, is that of cost. It is the duty of the seller, the corporate buyers and the government to convince people that money has to be spent if it means jeopardising much more money in return. The other objection may be about the credibility of the software, that it may damage what little is left. In this case, there are only two things to be said, choose you Recovery Company carefully, and don t try DIY if you feel unsure about the handling.
James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. If you are concerned about data loss and would like more information on <a href="http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk">Data Recovery</a> see http://www.fields-data-recovery.co.uk
Recent Entries
- There be Spyware here, Captain!
- Computer Viruses: The Nasty Truth
- How Fixing Broken Windows Can Decrease Click Fraud
- Enhancing The Business consumer Relation With The Help Of Softwares
- The Key To Computer Security - Anti Virus Software
- Start up guide to become an Information security consultant
- There be Spyware here, Captain!
- Spyware Removal
- Incomplete Man Without Computer Softwares
- Start up guide to become an Information security consultant
