Information Security Leakage: A Forensic Analysis of USB Storage Disks |
Mobile devices have become immensely popular and people are now frequently storing sensitive data on them. The cheap, handy and small USB Storage Disks are endorsed by people to carry, transfer and backup data. Unfortunately, the users of such devices are not fully aware of the importance to protect their data and how to securely wipe them prior to selling them second-hand. For this project, ten USB keys have been bought on an auction website. Then they have been forensically imaged, analysed and the amount of data has been classified according to its sensitivity. Six out of ten of the keys contained sensitive data such as names, addresses, invoices and health records. The sensitivity of the information retrieved and the potential threats they could have lead to seem to indicate that it is of importance to educate users about how to best protect their data.
Adam A, Clarke NL