Have you ever experienced the panic of losing critical files?

Losing important files due to accidental deletion, cyberattacks, hardware failure, computer viruses, or system crashes can be a nightmare for individuals and businesses.

The fear of permanently losing valuable data can cause stress and frustration, especially if no backup is available. However, data recovery is a ray of hope that can help retrieve those precious files and bring peace of mind.

Eclipse Forensics is a team of cyber forensic experts led by Jim Stafford. We recover pictures and files for forensic purposes. Law enforcement agencies, as well as all levels of government, as well as private solicitors and citizens, can take advantage of our digital forensic services, as we can retrieve all forms of files.

Let’s enter the world of data recovery and discuss some tips for retrieving lost files.

What Are The Tips For Retrieving Lost Files?

Put Down That Device

The first tip for retrieving lost files is to stop using the device. It is imperative to promptly halt using the gadget or storage medium where the data was saved upon realizing that files have been lost or erased. If you continue using the system after deletion, the lost files may become impossible to restore.

Look In The Recycle Bin

Another common tip for retrieving lost files is to look in the Recycle Bin first if you think you may have deleted some important files by accident. You can quickly recover lost data from these temporary storage areas.

If you find your deleted data in the recycle bin, use the “Restore” option from the context menu to retrieve it. The file will go back to its original location.

Make Use Of Data Recovery Software

When it comes to retrieving deleted files, file recovery software can be a godsend. If you’ve lost or erased data, these programs can help you regain it.

Talk To A Reputable Data Recovery Company

It’s best to hire a data recovery service when the data is extremely important, or the storage device has been physically damaged.

Data recovery professionals use specialized equipment and methods to retrieve files from destroyed or inaccessible media.

Eclipse Forensics Is Your Reputable Data Recovery Agency

Eclipse Forensics are digital forensic experts with all the expertise to recover pictures and other files for forensics. However, if you have lost a file for other reasons, we can still help you. We have been providing expert services since 2005 and have worked on numerous cases.

Get in touch with us now, and we’ll handle your lost data issues.

The importance of investigating cybercrimes inside cloud computing systems grows as more organizations and individuals move their data and apps to the cloud.

Digital evidence saved in the cloud is the focus of cloud forensics, a subfield of computer forensics dedicated to its retrieval, preservation, and analysis.

At Eclipse Forensics, we offer digital forensic services in Florida. We have a team of experienced cyber forensic experts who have worked on numerous cases since 2005.

So, let’s discuss how cloud forensics work.

What is Cloud Computing?

The term “cloud computing” describes the practice of providing customers with on-demand access to a shared pool of remotely hosted computing resources and services. It makes it possible to manage data and run applications with greater scalability, flexibility, and efficiency than with local servers.

What is Cloud Forensics?

Cloud forensics refers to investigating and analyzing digital proof in cloud settings. Information on potential or occurred cybercrimes or safety breaches can be uncovered by collecting and analyzing data preserved in cloud-based services.

What Are The Challenges of Cloud Forensics?

Data Fragmentation:

The difficulty in understanding an incident grows when data is spread across numerous servers or geographical areas.

Multi-tenancy nature:

In cloud environments, a large number of users share the same resources. This causes issues of security, access control, and information contamination.

Jurisdictional issues:

Data may be stored in locations with wildly different legal requirements.

How Does Cloud Forensics Conduct an Investigation?

The investigation is conducted in 4 steps;

Step#1: Identification

The initial step in cloud forensics is to locate the cloud service providers (CSPs) involved in the investigation and extract the data from their systems. They evaluate whether the issue is within the cloud environment.

Step#2: Collection And Preservation

The integrity of cloud-based evidence must be preserved at all costs. Investigators are responsible for overseeing the forensically-sound gathering and preservation of evidence.

Evidence collection from cloud settings can be done in several ways, including through information extraction and forensic photography.

Step#3: Analyze

Once the evidence is gathered, it is analyzed using forensic methods in the cloud. Some examples of this kind of analysis are metadata dissection, correlation of information, and event reconstruction. Data analysis and information extraction are made easier with the help of cloud forensics tools and technology.

Step #4: Presentation

A full forensic report details the findings of the inquiry. The investigation methodology, evidence gathered, analysis performed, and findings are all documented in this report.

Get Professional Cloud Forensic Services From Eclipse Forensics

Eclipse Forensics are forensic computer analysts in Florida, working on various cases since 2005. Led by Jim Stafford, our cloud forensics services are available to government agencies, individual lawyers, and the general public.

Contact us now, and let us take care of your cloud cybersecurity.

In the realm of digital investigations, an integrated approach to digital forensics and incident response (DFIR) is becoming increasingly popular. This approach requires a combination of dynamic yet novel thinking. The combination of incident response expertise and digital investigative services is important for handling the complexities of modern cybersecurity situations.

What is DFIR?

Digital forensics incident response is a combination of the following.

Digital Forensics

Digital forensics is an investigative branch of forensic science that gathers, analyzes and presents digital evidence like system data and user activity. Digital forensics is used to figure out what happened on a digital device and it is most commonly employed in litigations, regulatory investigations and the internal investigations in a company. It is also used to uncover criminal activities and similar digital investigations.

Incident Response

Incident response is similar to digital forensics as it is used to collect and analyze data to investigate computer systems. This happens during the process of responding to a security incident. Therefore, while investigation is important, other steps like recovery and containment are compared against each other.

Challenges in DFIR

Digital Forensics

Scattered Evidence

With time, handling digital evidence has become difficult. The reason is that evidence is no longer dependent on a single host. Instead, it comes from a variety of sources, and therefore, it is scattered in various locations. As a result, digital forensics needs more time and tools to gather evidence and analyze threats.

Rampant Technological Advancements

It seems counterintuitive but it’s true. With an evolution of digital devices, operating systems and computer programs, things are changing at a rapid pace. As a result, it has become challenging for digital forensic experts to manage large amounts of data across different formats and devices.

Incident Response

Growing Data

With time, companies have become more vulnerable to digital threats. However, they cannot find the right cybersecurity talent to address big information volumes, as well as threat data. As a result, companies are turning to DFIR experts to bridge the skills gap, while retaining important threat support.

Extra Attack Surface

The attack surface of today is vast. Also, today’s software and computing systems are making it difficult to get one’s hands on an accurate network overview, which increases the risk of use errors.

DFIR: Best Practices

Digital Forensics

The success of the integration of digital forensics and incident response depends on how quick and thorough the response is. It is very important for digital forensic teams to be experienced and to possess the right DFIR tools and processes to provide a prompt and effective response to a situation.

Digital forensics expertise is beneficial for various reasons like increased capability to discover the root cause behind an incident, and identifying the scope and impact as accurately as possible. The employment of correct investigative tools ensures quick discovery of vulnerabilities that often result in unintentional exposure and attacks.

Incident Response

Incident response services exist for the real time management of an incident. The incident response best practices include planning, preparation, prompt and accurate response for reducing reputational harm, business downtime and financial loss.

When combined together, the DFIR best practices include determining the cause of an issue, the correct identification and location of all available evidence, while providing ongoing support to make sure your company’s security posture is bolstered for upcoming challenges.

Final Word

To know more about the efficacy of DFIR, head over to Eclipse Forensics’ website, or call (904) 797-1866. We offer the best digital services like audio/video forensics and data redaction. If you are new to digital forensic services, you can educate yourself by visiting and reading our scholarly written blogs.

Digital forensics has made it easier to solve digital crime cases in the most innovative fashion possible. Digital forensic experts deploy a host of tools and approaches to solve cases. Two of these approaches are computer and network forensics. Often, they are mistaken for one another, but are they really the same? Not quite.

What Is Computer Forensics?

Computer forensics is the investigation and analysis carried out for gathering and preserving evidence from a computing device so it is presentable in the court of law. It is a structured investigation that maintains a chain of evidence to figure out what happened and who was behind it. However, it has legal compliance guidelines that make pieces of information admissible in legal activities.

How Does It Work?

Data Collection: Digital forensic experts isolate a device to prevent any tampering. Then, a digital copy, AKA forensic image, is made. The device is locked away, so it cannot be accessed by malicious hands.

Analysis: Next, the investigators analyze the forensic image within a sterile environment. For hard drive investigations, tools like Autopsy and Wireshark are used.

Presentation: The final step is the presentation of evidence in the court. It is then used by the judges to reach a conclusion in a legal proceeding.

Computer Forensic Techniques

Reverse Steganography:

Steganography is the process of hiding important information in a digital file or a data stream. Reverse steganography is a technique used by digital forensic experts to find out whether or not the image is recovered in its original form after the extraction of data. Hashing is used to figure out similarities and differences between the original file and the copy.

Cross-Drive Analysis

In cross-drive analysis, cross-referencing and correlation are used for information found across various devices to search, analyze and preserve information that is crucial for a digital investigation.

Live Analysis

Live analysis is the process in which a device is analyzed from within the operating system while it is functioning. This analysis used volatile data, which is stored on cache or RAM.

Deleted File Recovery

This approach searches a computer system and its memory for file fragments that were once deleted but leave their traces in other places on the same machine. It is also known as file carving or data carving.

What Is Network Forensics?

Interestingly, network forensics is an offshoot of computer forensics. However, it focuses on the retrieval of information surrounding a cybercrime. Some common forensic activities include the capturing, recording, and analysis of events that have occurred on a network to establish a source of attacks. To understand the pattern of attacks, investigators must understand network protocols, email protocols, file transfer protocols, and web protocols.

Methods

• Catch Me If You Can: This method involves the capturing of all network traffic. It also guarantees that no omission of important network events takes place. It is a time-consumingprocess, and the storage efficiency tends to drop with an increase in storage volume.
• Stop, Look,and Listen: The administrators keep an eye on each data packet moving through the network, but they will only capture the ones that are suspicious. This method doesn’t need ample space, but it does need processing power.

Primary Sources

Log Files: Such files exist on active directory servers, proxy servers, web servers, intrusion detection systems, firewalls, DNS, and dynamic host control protocols. It is worth noting that logs don’t take up too much space.

Full Packet Data Capture: Full packet data capture is the direct product of the “catch it if you can” method. Bigger enterprises have bigger networks, and it can be harmful for them to keep full packet data capture for long periods.

Tools Used in Network Forensics

Email Tracker Pro:

Shows the location of the device from which the emails are sent.

Wireshark:

Captures and analyzes network traffic between different devices.

Web Historian:

Shows a record of uploaded and downloaded files on visited web pages.

Final Word

At Eclipse Forensics, we offer some of the best digital forensic services like data redaction, forensic audio/video services, and file extraction. To benefit from our services, visit our website today or call (904) 797-1866.

Most criminals become very good at covering up their tracks and deleting all incriminating data from their devices. However, a digital forensic expert acting as a computer forensics expert witness can recover that data given a chance using the following techniques.

Disk Imaging

This is a process where a bit-by-bit copy of the entire disk being studied becomes copied onto another disk where it can be analyzed and altered without touching the original piece of evidence, keeping the original device intact.

File Carving

The process of extracting deleted or incomplete files from the image of a device through the identification of a file header, footer, or any other signature. This method is used to extract information that may seem lost forever integral to an investigation. This process can be used in situations in which deleted data fragments or files without proper metadata are extracted from the image of a device using any other signatures or patterns possible to detect them.

Unallocated Space Analysis

Unallocated space on a drive is the space where deleted files and data can be stored. Analyzing this space can help us detect, decipher, and analyze deleted files and data fragments to be able to collect any evidence necessary, such as incriminating emails, media, or more.

Data Reconstruction

In this process, pieces of data or several fragments are drawn together to make a cohesive picture and bring the data back to its original state before being deleted or corrupted. This is a criminal’s worse nightmare.

Hexadecimal Analysis

Experts in the field have a discerning eye. They can tell when something is wrong with a digital device from a mile away. That’s where hexadecimal analysis comes in. In this process, experts break down the data into the rawest form and analyze the hexadecimal codes for any patterns or signs of being tampered with. It is also used to detect metadata to make file recovery easier.

Error Checking and Repair Tools

Experts in the field also rely on the latest developed tools to detect and repair errors in corrupted files. Sometimes, we are successful in finding the lost files, but they are corrupted beyond reproach, or at least that is what we think. There is software that can repair the corruption and get most, if not all, of your data back before it could have been exploited.

Log Analysis

The system and all applications within it leave detailed logs of every action. These logs can be located and studied extensively for any lost evidence or proof needed. You can find information on events like timestamps and more that can serve as evidence in court. It is also highly useful information for extracting lost files.

Live Memory Analysis

This technique examines the volatile or live memory within the RAM to extract information such as passwords or encryption keys.

A volatile memory dump is used for offline analysis of live memory. The raw memory dump has a wealth of information often overlooked.

Conclusion

A digital forensic engineer utilizes many techniques and tools while on the job. These range from simple data recovery processes to highly sophisticated analyses to find and reconstruct data fragments. Contact us for data forensic expert and more!

As the internet, technology, and digital forensics expand, it is more important than ever for the concerned professionals to deploy the best practices to preserve digital evidence. Besides preservation techniques, it is also important to understand the various steps of digital evidence preservation and the issues that may present themselves during this process.

Critical Steps in Digital Evidence Preservation

• Make sure to keep the current state of your device the same. If the device is turned on, keep it on; if it is off, it must be kept off. Before moving forth, contact a digital forensics expert.
• Don’t charge a cell phone or a laptop if it is running low on battery. Charging the device at this crucial stage could result in data wiping or overwriting because of automatic booting.
• Never leave the device in an unsecured place. Ensure the device carrying the digital evidence isn’t left out in the open. Always document details like where the device is, who has access to it, and when it is moved from its location.
• Keep any external storage media away from the device, and do not plug it in unnecessary places. Common external storage media examples include USBs, thumb drives, and memory cards.
• Never copy anything to and from the device carrying digital evidence. You might modify the memory’s slack space by copying anything to and from the device.
• Take pictures of the device from all sides. Photograph a mobile phone or a laptop from every side to prevent tampering until the forensic experts arrive. The slightest tampering with the device could affect the evidence.
• Don’t access any pictures, files, or applications on the device. Accessing files, apps, and images on the device may overwrite the memory or lose the data completely.
• You must remember the PIN/password of the device. You will have to share the login/credentials with the forensic team for them to do their job flawlessly.
• Don’t let anyone without forensic training near the device. Only a person with formal training in digital forensics should be allowed to access the device and its information. Exposing the device to an untrained person could result in information corruption and data deletion.
• Don’t shut down the computer. Because data can be extracted from volatile memory and disk drives, it is better to put the device in hibernation mode. Until the system reboots, the device’s contents will be preserved through the hibernation mode.

How to Expedite the Process of Preserving Digital Evidence

There are two ways forensic experts acquire digital evidence. The device is seized, or a copy is made at the crime scene. Here are some points you must remember to expedite the preservation of digital evidence.

• Share passwords, authentication codes, and screen patterns.
• Share the cables, manuals, and chargers of the device.
• Forensic experts can also analyze the interactions of your device with the internet to create a comprehensive picture of the overall activity.
• You must have ownership of the device. If you don’t have the authority to share or submit the device non-voluntarily, the police will exercise their lawful power to seize it.
• Instead of giving away your gadget to forensic experts each time, it is better to share the external storage. Therefore, make sure to have the external memory storage of your phone or laptop configured.
• Make sure to back up the device regularlyand always have backup copies for future use. It will help you store important information on a different device if needed.

How to Preserve Digital Evidence

Here are three ways forensic experts preserve evidence before analyzing it.

Drive Imaging

Before analyzing a piece of evidence, forensic experts must create an image. Drive imaging is a forensic process in which the experts create an accurate bit-by-bit duplicate image of the evidence. When analyzing this image, forensic experts must remember the following things.

• Some evidence-wiped drives may contain recoverable data for forensic experts to identify.
• All the deleted files can be recovered using forensic techniques.
• Never make the mistake of performing analysis on the original file. Always use the duplicated image when analyzing evidence.

Any hardware or software that facilitates a legal image’s legal defensibility is a write blocker, which forensic experts can use to create a duplicate image of the evidence for further analysis.

Chain of Custody

When forensic experts gather media from the client, they must document each step conducted during the transfer process on the chain of custody (CoC). Chain of custody paperwork is important for the following reasons.

• CoC is evidence that the image has been in known custody since it was created.
• The slightest lapse in the CoC will nullify the legal significance of the image and the analysis.
• The gaps in procession records, like any instance where the evidence was left out in the open or an unsecured space,can create major problems.

Hash Values

When forensic experts create a copy of the evidence for analysis, cryptographic hash values like SHA1 and MD5 are generated. Hash values are important for the following reasons.

• They help verify the integrity and the authenticity of the image and help ensure that it is a replica of the original file.
• When using the replica in court, the hash values are critical. The slightest change to the evidence will create new hash values.
• When you perform any alterations, like creating or editing a new file on your computer, a new hash value will appear for that file.
• Hash values and other metadata cannot be viewed using regular file explorers. Instead, they need special software.

If the hash values on the original evidence and the image don’t match, it could raise concerns in the court. Moreover, it is a sign that the evidence has been tampered with.

Issues in Preserving Digital Evidence

Let’s look at some of the problems forensic experts encounter when preserving digital evidence.

• Legal admissibility is the biggest problem faced while preserving digital evidence. If the evidence is available in any form of digital media, it must be quarantined and placed in the CoC. The investigators can create images later.
• Evidence destruction is another major issue faced while preserving digital evidence. If the threat actors have installed an app on the server, the future analysis will depend on whether the application is still available or deleted from the system.
• Sometimes,the media is in service. If this is the case, the likelihood of evidence destruction remains high with the time that has elapsed since the incident happened.

Best Forensic Data Recovery Software

Guidance Software

This flexible tool allows forensic excerpts to gather data from devices like smartphones, tablets, and GPS. It also helps its users to generate comprehensive reports while maintaining the integrity and credibility of the evidence.

Key Features

• Integrated investigative workflows.
• Customizable and powerful processing.
• Flexible reporting options.
• Automated external review.
• Computer and mobile acquisition.

AccessData

If you work for a law agency or the government, this evidence recovery tool should be your first choice. It offers E-discovery, computer devices, and mobile forensics. AccessData helps recover deleted data much more efficiently than any other recovery tool on this list.

Key Features

• Provides tailor-made services.
• Unifies all products on a single database.
• Quicker searching
• Database driven
• Matchless stability and speed.

Magnet Forensics

This tool allows you to recover evidence pieces from smartphones, IoT devices, cloud services, and computers.

Key Features

• Advanced Mac support.
• Visualization of connections between files, users, and devices.
• Generation of automated proof points.
• Review capabilities and intuitive interface.
• Helps find key evidence quickly.

X-Ways

Besides retrieving and recovering deleted files, this tool also offers data cloning. It also allows users to communicate with other people using the same software, thus minimizing the likelihood of error, which is why experts in digital forensics recommend it.

Key Features

• Can analyze remote devices.
• Detects NTFS and ADS.
• Supports bookmarks and automation.
• Provides templates for reviewing and editing binary data.

Wondershare Recoverit

With over 1000 file formats and audio/video and document recovery features, this evidence recovery tool is the first choice of forensic experts. This tool can recover trash data from external storage media, recycle bins, laptops, and crashed computer systems. With a customer base of over five million people worldwide, you can rely on this tool for all your data recovery needs.

Key Features

• Secure virus-free guarantee.
• Over 1000 file formats.
• Supported by Mac and Windows.
• Recovers audio, video, photos, documents, and more.

Cellebrite

The digital intelligence solutions of Cellebrite are made keeping your data recovery needs in mind. The two major components of this recovery tool are Cellebrite Digital Collector and BlackLight, which enhance recovery capabilities on Windows and Mac.

Key Features

• Provides access to various devices.
• Improves data collection flow.
• Helps you use unsurpassed recovery techniques.
• Provides access to over 40 apps on Android.

Final Word

At Eclipse Forensics, we always search for the best tools and techniques to protect and preserve data and information. We offer services like audio forensic services FL, data redaction, and digital forensics. To benefit from our services, visit our website today or call (904) 797-1866.