Whatever Is On Imran Awan’s Smashed Hard Drives Likely Can Be Recovered

[mystery-ak]

Whatever Is On Imran Awan’s Smashed Hard Drives Likely Can Be Recovered

Mark Tapscott
5:52 PM 07/31/2017

 

Somebody must have thought they were hiding something by smashing those computer hard-drives the FBI recovered from the home of Imran Awan, Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s former information technology (IT) aide.

But odds are excellent they were wrong. Federal law enforcement authorities may have already recovered and read whatever was on those hard drives.

“It depends on what happens, but even if it is hit with a hammer, it probably doesn’t damage the platters that actually hold the data, which remains recoverable,” said Tom Hakim, engineering supervisor for werecoverdata.com, a New York-based lab that specializes in difficult digital retrieval.

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http://dailycaller.com/2017/07/31/whatever-is-on-imran-awans-smashed-hard-drives-likely-can-be-recovered/

[Oceander]

Blowtorch to the platters themselves is the only way to make sure the data is not recoverable. 

[Ghost Bear]

“It depends on what happens..."

Just being pedantic, but most things depend on what happens. 

[dfwgator]

Blowtorch to the platters themselves is the only way to make sure the data is not recoverable.

[Restored]

That would depend on how hammered they were

[Oceander]

Bingo!

[Cyber Liberty]

That would depend on how hammered they were

Almost impossible to do a good job of it without opening the cases.  The platters are designed to be protected from the outside.  I'd go with @Oceander's method, because one can do an acceptable job of incinerating the platters without even opening the box.

[roamer_1]

Blowtorch to the platters themselves is the only way to make sure the data is not recoverable.

I pitch em in a coal stove... Let's see if they can get data back from a clinker...

But really, unless you happen to be in serious trouble, with someone who has a multi-million dollar recovery lab, it is highly unlikely anything is recoverable after a simple zero-write... Not even a multi-pass is necessary for normal ways and means.

[Oceander]

I pitch em in a coal stove... Let's see if they can get data back from a clinker...

But really, unless you happen to be in serious trouble, with someone who has a multi-million dollar recovery lab, it is highly unlikely anything is recoverable after a simple zero-write... Not even a multi-pass is necessary for normal ways and means.

Very true.

[Cyber Liberty]

Yup.  Anything that requires any serious rebuild will cost thousands and puts it out of the reach of somebody trying to recover vacation pictures.  The deal is, with data this important to LEOs, they'll pay it if it's recoverable at all.

[Wingnut]

That would depend on how hammered they were

If they are like my ex get em good and hammered and they'll give it up.