Forensic Hard Drive Imaging
You might ask, "Isn't this what my IT department is for?"
Your IT department is fantastic when you need data moved from your old computer to your new one. They can "ghost" your computer onto a new machine, so when you open up the new computer, it looks identical to the old. You open your email and it's there; all of your bookmarks, documents, spreadsheets, and even those pictures from your last vacation in Costa Rica are still on there!
But here's what your IT department is missing
Deleted data. When you delete a file on your computer, it's not really gone. The file is still on your hard drive, but the computer alters the first part of the data so that your operating system sees it as free space. This is why it's imperative that you take extra care in disposing of your hard drives when replacing them. You may feel you've deleted, cleaned or even wiped the drive clean of all of your personal information, but it's still available to anyone who finds the hard drive. When your IT department "ghosts" your computer, they're only transferring the active data, meaning all of the deleted data that's still on your computer (although unable to be seen when you look at it) isn't being transferred over and is instead staying on the old hard drive.
But what does this have to do with my case?
Everything. If you or your IT staff are simply making a "copy" of the hard drive, USB memory stick, iPod, cell phone, PDA, iPhone, CDs/DVDs, digital camera or server, not only are you missing a lot of data but you're destroying a lot of evidence. A forensic image of the hard drive must be made. Our digital forensic experts use specialized forensic software and hardware to ensure that everything is captured and no data is missed, lost, altered, or corrupt.
Call New Jersey Legal today to find out how our forensics experts can assist with the forensic imaging of your hard drives.
