Encrypted Data and Data Loss

Data security can be a challenging scheme to implement. It can also be tempting to think that securely encrypted data is invincible. But what if the data doesn't fall into enemy hands? Instead, what if the hard drive simply fails?

According to data recovery experts, the type and level of damage is what can affect the success of the recovery. If the hard drive has sustained physical media damage, such as in the case of a head crash, then a clean room data engineer can work around the physical damage to read the good areas of the drive. Whether data is encrypted or not, the goal is to retrieve all readable data that is on the drive.

When the entire drive is encrypted, a data recovery engineer works with the client in getting the password or key to decrypt the drive. On the other hand, if the keys have been lost or perhaps stolen by a disgruntled employee or a password has been forgotten, the options narrow. Given the probability that the data has been encrypted by means of one of the above advanced algorithms, having the client work directly with the company that designed the software is in the best interest of the client. However, results may be disappointing, as illustrated by the following example.

A user was implementing strong file encryption when the software stopped working during the encryption process. The file was encrypted, but because the operation did not complete, the file was unusable. When the user called the software company for help, they told him that nothing could be done. The user asked if there was a "back door" or a master password to get to the file, and the company responded that by providing such a mechanism they could not guarantee the security of the file and that would defeat the purpose of their software.

The lesson here is that it is imperative to keep the data encryption keys safe, perhaps stored in a different location. If something happens during the encryption process and the decryption key is not produced or is lost, the data that was encrypted may be completely unusable.

Corrupted data falls into a different category. This is where the hard drive is fine, but for some reason the encrypted data is not written correctly to the drive. This can happen with hardware or software encryption methods. The best way to ensure the validity of the data that you or your clients are encrypting is to have a regular backup scheme. As the old adage goes, "Garbage in, garbage out." If the original data has lost its integrity and is then encrypted, the corresponding unencrypted data will not be usable.

On the positive side, encrypted data from all types of storage media has successfully been recovered.

Keeping data from unauthorized access has become a challenge ever since the advent of electronic data; it seems that encryption has become a necessity instead of an option. You can make the right choices for your data by doing your homework on the best application for you. Don't get overwhelmed - there are many different types of encryption out there. Once you have settled on an encryption scheme, consistently back up your data and test your archived data for integrity.

See:

Data backup

File/Folder Encrypt/Decrypt

File/Folder Erase

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