Perry Mason was able to find a smoking gun with spectacular consistency – unfortunately reality doesn’t live up to Hollywood in this case. That being said, we have worked with attorneys who had clients come to them after a theft and after finding their surveillance system’s hard drive in a nearby dumpster.
Long story short – you can use data recovered from hard drives in legal proceedings. What you need is a reputable forensic data recovery service to make sure the process of recovering the data is correctly documented and that the appropriate tools and procedures are used.
Before the recovery process starts, however, it is essential to determine what you intend to use the data for once you recover it.
If the goal is not case specific and not intended to be used in a legal proceeding (but rather just to answer, ‘What’s on this hard drive?’), the process is simpler. Assuming the hard drive works and doesn’t need to be rebuilt, the process of creating a backup of the drive is fairly straightforward.
If the hard drive is physically damaged, or if there is an intention to use it in a case, the process is more labor intensive and the hard drive will need to be rebuilt in a specific way.
The Cost for Rebuilding
There is no set pricing any digital forensic specialist can offer – it’s based on a combination of complexity and recovery.
It’s also important to note that the price is set based on the process – not on what is recovered. It’s possible to recover 1 file or 100,000 files, to find random system files or the proverbial smoking gun, and the price is the same.
If you have a specific question about a particular hard drive, we’re here and more than happy to provide a more specific answer. Don’t hesitate to contact us.
