Deleted Files Paper
Macayla Cox
Liberty University
The accidental deleting of files is a fairly common problem and can happen very easily,
even by accident. As a result of this frequent occurrence, there are many hardware and software
options available for reversing this. At Liberty Corporation, the issue is simply that an employee
deleted files so it is not a matter of trying to discover unknown files, but only recovering known
files that were lost. This makes the situation more manageable.
As recovering deleted files is very prevalent in computer forensics, the lab at the Liberty
Corporation would have the best technology for recovery available. Part of this software would
be the Stellar Phoenix Windows Data Recovery – Professional. This system has the ability to
recover all types of files and is able to recover files from even extremely corrupted drives
(Stellar Data Recovery). This program alone should be enough to recover the files. The backup
software should also be updated and a separate backup contained on a different hard drive so that
important files could no longer be deleted that easily by mistake.
With the mention of hard drives, it is important to realize that, while people make
mistakes, there should have been backups of these files if they were so crucial to the Liberty
Corporation. There should always be at least one digital and one hard copy of all important files
to prevent even the temporary loss of information. While there are many programs for recovering
files, there will be days when technology fails and that is why it is vital to always have a hard
copy filed away. The lab would also contain separate hard drives that would contain either a
current or recent back up of every file. Even if something does not seem important at the time, it
may prove to be necessary in a later investigation. Nelson, Phillips, and Steuart state “Remember
the difference between data recovery and digital forensics. In data recovery, typically, the
customer or your company just wants the data back. The other key difference is that in data
recovery, you usually know what you’re trying to retrieve. In digital forensics, you might have
an
idea of what you’re searching for, but not necessarily (2016). So, while in this case it is a simple
data recovery, the Liberty Corporation lab needs to be prepared for either situation.
With a mistake like this it is important to take the employee aside and ask them to give a
detailed explanation of the situation. Since humans are not perfect mistakes will happen
occasionally, but with the importance of these files and the accidental deletion of them there is a
need to reevaluate this employee’s position. The first question to ask is what was that employee
trying to do when the files were deleted? By learning the answer to this the company can begin
to understand how this mistake happened. It can also help determine whether or not this was
because of human error or a technological mishap. Another question would be why was there
not a backup made before work on these files began? When working in digital forensics, a
missing file can determine whether or not a case gets solved. Because of this, it is crucial that
there are at least digital copies of all files on a separate hard drive. This would prevent any
information from being permanently lost. The last question I would ask is does the employee
feel comfortable and capable of recovering the files using the software available in the lab? This
question would not only give the employee a chance to redeem themselves, but also reaffirm
that it was a simple mistake and not an issue with needing to be trained again. There are many
more questions that could be asked, but these three would build a solid foundation on learning
the full extent of the problem.
When considering the problem that occurred at the Liberty Corporation lab, it is
important to go back and examine all parts of the problem. This includes making sure that the
lab’s hardware and software are up to date and making sure the situation is fully understood so
that the employee can either be given more training or the technology can be examined for any
corruption. Thankfully, with the programs now available this problem is not as difficult to fix as
it once would have been, but it still does result in a loss of time which in some cases could be
vital. Therefore, the Liberty Corporation must make sure to have backups of each of their files
and get to the root of the problem as quickly as possible. With a highly technologically based
lab, there can be little room for error and these suggestions would help improve the Liberty
Corporation as a whole.
References
Nelson, B., Phillips, A., & Steuart, C. (2016). Guide to computer forensics and investigations:
Processing digital evidence (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
Recovery, S. D. (n.d.). World's Most Reliable Software to Recover Lost Data and Deleted Files.
