Data Recovery

Dear Readers,
Data recovery is an essential tool in digital forensics, enabling the retrieval of lost or hidden data from electronic devices. Understanding the various data recovery methods and implementing the advice provided in our articles can significantly enhance your chances of successful data recovery. In digital forensics, the collection and analysis of digital evidence are paramount, making data recovery a critical process. As our lives increasingly rely on electronic devices, the recovery of deleted or obscured data is crucial for cybercrime investigations and corporate fraud inquiries. Using forensic techniques, this procedure retrieves deleted files, emails, browsing history from the internet, and other data from digital devices that have been misplaced or hidden.
If you are keen on expanding your knowledge in this fundamental area, I strongly recommend delving into the articles featured in this issue, as they serve as excellent sources of information. The insights you gain from these resources are likely to make your work as an investigator more efficient.
Be sure to consult the Table of Contents for more articles, and visit our website to access the content online.
My sincere appreciation goes out to all those who helped with this project, including our writers, editors, proofreaders, and readers. Your support and dedication are the driving force behind my passion for this work.
Enjoy your reading!
Ewa & eForensics Team

Table of Contents

NAVIGATING DATA RECOVERY: SOLUTIONS, PROS, CONS, AND PERMANENT DELETION TIPS
by THARAKA SINGHARAGE
There are numerous solutions available for data recovery, ranging from free to paid options. Each solution has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. In this article, we will discuss various data recovery solutions and their pros and cons, as well as provide insights on how to choose the best option for your needs. Additionally, we will include a bonus section on how to permanently delete information to ensure it cannot be recovered.

THE EVOLUTION OF FORENSIC DATA RECOVERY: MODERN TECHNIQUES IN CYBER INVESTIGATIONS
by LONGINUS TIMOCHENCO
This article covers the evolution of modern forensic data recovery techniques and how they’re shaping today’s cyber investigations. Understanding these techniques highlights the ongoing need for professionals in the field to adapt, face growing threats, protect digital assets, and ensure investigations lead to effective actions against attackers while aligning with predictive trends based on business behaviour.

UNRAVELING THE COMPLEXITIES; REAL-WORLD CHALLENGES IN CLOUD FORENSICS AND DATA RECOVERY
by GEORGE ANTONIOU
This study explores the practical difficulties forensic investigators encounter when trying to retrieve and analyze data from cloud environments. We examine issues such as encryption hurdles, the sheer volume of data, the intricacies of cloud systems, and the resource limitations many investigators face. We also look at the ethical and legal considerations of using advanced tools, including AI, in forensic work. By understanding these challenges and considering practical solutions, we aim to help forensic investigators better navigate the complicated world of cloud-based digital forensics.

BOOST YOUR DFIR INVESTIGATIVE MINDSET!
by BRETT SHAVERS
With all the hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Digital Forensics and Incident Response (DFIR), you might wonder how it practically fits into your casework. In this article, we discuss how your investigative mindset and case perspectives could be enhanced using AI.

DEVELOPING MY FIRST CUSTOM GPT FOR THREAT MODELING
by MICHELLE MESQUITA
The goal of this article is to explain how I developed STRIDE-GPT, a custom GPT tailored for automating threat analysis using the STRIDE methodology. If you are involved in AppSec, information security, or are simply curious about using AI to enhance your security practices, this guide is for you.

DATA RECOVERY IN MOBILE FORENSICS: LEVERAGING OPEN-SOURCE TOOLS FOR PHYSICAL ACQUISITION AND ANALYSIS
by DR. SAPNA V M, ANKIT BORKAR, NITIN GAURAV, PRASAD B HONAVALLI
As mobile devices become an essential part of daily life, they are increasingly valuable sources of evidence in forensic investigations. Mobile forensics is dedicated to recovering data from these devices, including files that have been deleted, in a way that maintains the integrity of the evidence. This article focuses on the effectiveness of physical acquisition methods for recovering digital evidence, especially deleted data, from mobile device dumps. Using open-source forensic tools, the study demonstrates how physical acquisition can provide a more complete view of the data on a device. Through an experiment conducted on a Xiaomi device, we explore both the challenges and successes in recovering deleted and intact data. This article aims to advance mobile forensic practices by highlighting the potential of open-source tools for physical data extraction, providing valuable insights for forensic professionals and researchers.

DATA CARVING XBOX ONE USING BELKASOFT EVIDENCE CENTER X
by VIVIANE CRUZ
The question I was asked when I told them about the situation was: What would motivate a person to analyze their device? If you work with information security, you certainly already know the answer or, if you are studying and starting to understand this universe, the answer will come with some technical introductions. And if you don't know the subject, but are curious, I suggest you rethink and take some precautions on your devices after reading this article. This article, despite being technical, is an open invitation to everyone who has computing devices, including video games.

DATA RECOVERY WITH MACOS
by ISRAEL TORRES
In this article, we’ll explore the step-by-step process of recovering a deleted JPEG file from an APFS-formatted USB drive (via image) on macOS. We'll discuss how macOS’s built-in tools can help in basic recovery tasks, and when open-source recovery tools like TestDisk and PhotoRec[1] are necessary for more complex situations. For those using FileVault 2 encryption, we’ll also discuss how encryption affects data recovery and what steps are needed to unlock encrypted USB drives before attempting recovery. Finally, we’ll look at some best practices for preventing future data loss and safeguarding your important files. Additionally as we go through the scenario in the demonstration below we'll discuss some interesting expectations you may encounter, and how to document them during your examination/reports.

PORTABLE DATA RECOVERY DRIVE
by JEFF MINAKATA
Things happen, hard drives crash, people accidentally delete files, and sometimes malicious users may intentionally delete files in an attempt to hide or hinder an investigation or disrupt a business.
In all of these scenarios we, need a way to recover those deleted files. In this article we will be setting up a portable USB drive for data recovery. The great thing about this particular setup is that it also allows our USB drive to be used for a variety of other functions, however for the scope of this article we will be focusing on data recovery.

DIGITAL FORENSICS: EXPOSING HIDDEN TRUTHS IN THE VIRTUAL WORLD
by WILSON MENDES
This branch of forensic science is dedicated to identifying, preserving, analyzing and presenting electronic evidence on computing devices, mobile devices, networks and cloud services. In this article, we will explore the complexities of digital forensics, tracing its evolution, addressing methodologies, challenges and tools, and discussing its essential role in contemporary legal and corporate environments, with practical real-world examples that highlight its relevance and application.

INTERVIEW WITH JUSTIN TOLMAN, FORENSIC SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT AT EXTERRO
My name is Justin Tolman. I am the Forensic Subject Matter Expert at Exterro. I have been working in Forensics since 2010. During that time I have worked in Law Enforcement and for AccessData/Exterro using FTK that entire time. FTK has been around for a long time, and in FTK 8.0 and FTK 8.1 we have added some of the biggest enhancements in its history.

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