Objective

The aim was to safeguard data from key personnel. The company they had worked had gone into administration and the accountancy firm appointed required the data in bit by bit image form to allow its DFU (Digital Forensic Unit) to analyse the data and check for any potential wrong doing.

The client a global accountancy firm specialising in administration, would have previously in similar cases captured the whole device hardware itself and stored securely pending investigation, where upon and image would have been attempted and analysis done.

Process

The solution was tailored specifically for the client in line with their requirement as an administrator. This included:

• Secure site collection using bespoke packaging and a dedicated vehicle.
• A full audit trail within the secure recovery lab utilising in-house systems.
• The bit by bit image was provided in .bin and the relating Hash check (MD5 and SHA1)
• 2 copies of the images were provided on encrypted external drives
• Secure transport was arranged for the return to the clients DFU

Outcome

The data-bearing drives processed were mainly in good working condition, but there were some that required a level of data recovery expertise to be able to image. Although not needed in this case LDS can provide full mechanical, component level and deleted data recovery should it be required.

The data capture service provided multiple plus points:

• The data was ready for forensic analysis straight away
• Data loss risk was reduced
• The need for secure device storage was minimised
• The IT equipment was available more quickly for asset recovery

The whole tailored process was completed safely, efficiently, and discreetly.