A data recovery clean room.

Data can often be recovered from a self-encrypting drive (SED), but the can be complex. Successful recovery rarely involves “breaking” the encryption, which is — by design — virtually impossible. 

Instead, engineers must repair the underlying issue that is preventing the drive from decrypting its own data. In this article, we’ll explain how SED encryption works and how it impacts data recovery.

Datarecovery.com provides professional resources for hard drive and solid-state drive data recovery. With risk-free evaluations, industry-leading success rates, and a comprehensive no data, no charge guarantee, we provide our clients with peace of mind. To get started, call 1-800-237-4200 or open a ticket online.

Hardware Encryption on an SED: An Overview

As the name implies, the encryption on an SED is handled directly by the drive’s hardware. Every piece of data written to the drive is automatically and transparently encrypted by a dedicated chip on the drive’s controller board.

Here’s a simplified breakdown of the components involved:

• Data Encryption Key (DEK): This is the key that directly encrypts and decrypts your data. The DEK is generated and stored securely within the drive itself and never leaves the hardware.
• Key Encryption Key (KEK): This is the key that locks and unlocks the DEK. Your password or authentication method is used to create or grant access to the KEK.
• The Encryption Engine: A physical processor built into the drive’s controller that performs the real-time encryption and decryption of data as it is written and read from the NAND memory chips.

When you power on your computer and enter your password, you are providing the KEK. The drive’s controller uses the KEK to unlock the DEK. Once the DEK is unlocked, the encryption engine can decrypt data on the fly as you access it. 

The whole process is seamless (and extremely fast), which is why SEDs are common in both consumer-grade and enterprise-level solid-state drives (SSDs).

All the data on the platters or NAND chips is permanently encrypted by default. Without a functional controller, a healthy encryption engine, and the correct key, the raw data is completely unintelligible — and from a data recovery perspective, that matters.

Data Recovery and Hardware Encryption

Hardware encryption introduces a point of failure that can lead to permanent data loss. If you’ve got a drive that uses SED, you need a good data backup strategy (though that’s always the case, regardless of the technologies you’re using to store your files).

Recovery is often impossible without the original, intact encryption key because the algorithms used are mathematically unbreakable by any current public or commercial technology. The only way to decrypt the data is to use the exact key that was used to encrypt it.

Data can become permanently inaccessible in a few key scenarios:

• Key Corruption: If the area of the drive where the DEK is stored becomes corrupted or is electronically damaged, the key is lost forever.
• Controller Damage: If the encryption engine on the controller chip fails, the drive loses its ability to perform the decryption, even if the key is technically intact.
• Forgotten Password: If you lose the password (or whatever other authentication method you’re using), you lose the KEK and the ability to unlock the DEK. There are no backdoors to this process — otherwise, SED would be a much less useful technology.

For encrypted drives, a successful recovery is one where we can get the drive’s own internal systems working again. While we provide services that attempt to get around certain types of encryption, that’s not really feasible for most SEDs — our goal is to restore the hardware and firmware that manages that encryption.

Data Recovery Techniques for SED Recovery

Here’s an overview of our action plan for recovery:

Electronics and Firmware Analysis

We use specialized hardware tools to communicate directly with the drive’s controller at a low level. This allows us to bypass the standard computer interface and assess the health of the drive’s internal components. 

Most SED failures are caused by:

• Firmware Corruption: The drive’s internal operating software has become corrupted, preventing it from booting up properly and loading the encryption keys.
• Electronic Failure: A component on the printed circuit board (PCB) has failed, cutting power to the controller or other critical systems.

In an ideal case, the drive’s controller will have issues but the SED components will be intact. In those scenarios, the prognosis for a full data recovery is excellent.

Targeted Repairs and Workarounds

If the issue is firmware-related, our engineers use proprietary tools to load a correct version of the firmware into the drive’s RAM or to patch the corrupted modules on the service area of the drive. 

It’s important to note that SSD firmware is complex, even for consumer models: Two drives with the exact same model number may have key differences in their firmware, so some degree of reverse-engineering is almost always necessary. 

If the issue is electronic, we perform micro-soldering to replace failed components on the PCB. Once power and data lines are restored, the drive can often power on and function normally.

What About Chip-Off Recovery? 

For traditional, non-encrypted drives, a last-resort technique is a chip-off recovery, where we physically remove the NAND memory chips and read them with a special device. 

This isn’t always practical for SED drives, since the unique encryption key and decryption engine from the original controller are essential. Successful recovery depends on repairing the original controller, not bypassing it.

Data Recovery Solutions for SED Drives

All data recovery cases start with an evaluation for a simple reason: Until our engineers assess your case, they can’t effectively determine which components are functional.

A drive that appears completely dead to your computer may have a simple electronic fault. Firmware issues that lock you out of your data can frequently be resolved with appropriate tools and expertise.

Datarecovery.com utilizes purpose-built systems and decades of experience to diagnose failures in a non-destructive manner. If you’ve lost access to data on a self-encrypting drive, contact our experts for a free consultation.

Contact Datarecovery.com at 1-800-237-4200 or submit a case online to start your risk-free evaluation.

The post Self-Encrypting Drives (SEDs) and Data Recovery appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

With that said, cryptocurrencies markets have surged in recent weeks. In mid-April, Bitcoin edged above $30,000 for the first time since June 2022, before falling just under that threshold on April 17th. Ethereum’s price rose by about 56% over the past six months, though it’s still 30% lower year-over-year. 

Will the summer bring a sustained crypto rally, or are the sudden surges a sign of long-term price instability?  

The Case for a 2023 Crypto Rally

For optimists, there are some positive signals: The Federal Reserve is reportedly considering a digital dollar, which would likely be accompanied by an accommodative approach to cryptocurrencies as a whole. 

Historically, cryptocurrency values have followed the stock market, but major catalysts — such as a change in Federal Reserve policy — could push cryptos higher relative to major stock indexes. 

And those indexes could also facilitate widespread crypto adoption among retail investors. Nasdaq, Inc. plans on launching custody services for digital assets in the second quarter, potentially expanding demand for major cryptocurrencies and tokens. 

Related: Bitcoin Is Rallying: What Crypto Traders Should Know

The Case Against a 2023 Crypto Rally

Of course, while the positive signals are positive, they rely quite a bit on external catalysts. It’s worth noting that the crypto markets have seen enormous negative catalysts over the past 12 months.

The collapse of FTX, Celsius, Blockfi, and other crypto startups left investors shaken (and in some cases, without access to their assets). That effect is still visible in cryptocurrency values: While relatively “stable” coins like Bitcoin and Ethereum have gradually recovered, the values of smaller coins have been much less predictable.

“The sentiment here doesn’t seem like the last few weeks mean that we can pretend that the last 10 months never happened,” Oliver Linch, chief executive officer of crypto trading platform Bittrex Global, told Yahoo! Finance. “But there is certainly a feeling that maybe this signals that a line can be drawn under those scandals and we can get back to assessing – and valuing – crypto without all the noise from the rumors and wrongdoing.”

In the crypto community, the current sentiment is that cryptocurrencies have risen in value for legitimate reasons — but many analysts believe that while values may continue to gradually increase, an unrestrained rally in summer 2023 is unlikely. 

Related: Cryptocurrency Prices Fall Following Silvergate Liquidation

Wild Growth in Crypto Values Is Unsustainable

For cryptocurrency purists, a record-setting rally might actually be bad news. To be useful as currencies, cryptos need to be a reliable store of value; an asset that rises and falls in price by 800% week-over-week is not a reliable store of value. 

As cryptocurrencies and tokens become actively useful, price swings should become less dramatic. That’s by design — and for long-term investors, it’s good news. 

Related: Are Crypto Wallets Safer Than Crypto Exchanges?

Datarecovery.com provides crypto recovery services for all types of cryptocurrency and tokens.

If you’ve lost access to your wallet because of a lost password, a damaged hard drive, or a malware infection, we’re here to help. 

Our services are based on the value of the recovered crypto, and all cases are supported by our no data, no charge guarantee: If we can’t recover your assets, you don’t pay for the attempt. To get started, call us at 1-800-237-4200 or submit a case online.

The post Will Crypto Rally in Summer 2023?  appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

So, how can you tell if your hard drive is broken? We’ve got a few tips, but first, a quick caveat: This isn’t a comprehensive list of hard drive failure symptoms. We recommend taking all unusual performance issues seriously. While these are the most common signs of a damaged HDD, failure scenarios vary greatly.

If you believe that your storage media is failing and you don’t have a backup of your important files, we’re ready to help. Schedule a free estimate here or read on for more information.

Common Signs of a Broken Hard Drive

1. Your hard drive makes unusual noises.

Modern hard drives are designed to operate nearly silently. Noises can indicate failure of mechanical components including the spindle and actuator assembly.

Our customers often describe these types of sounds:

• Clicking
• Whirring
• Grinding
• Whining
• Buzzing
• Beeping
• No sound at all (the hard drive fails to “spin up” when powered on)

It’s impossible to diagnose a hard drive failure by sound alone. For instance, buzzing sounds may indicate an actuator head assembly failure, but certain electronic issues can also cause this symptom for specific models.

Clicking sounds are the most common symptom associated with physical hard drive failure. While the noise is sometimes described as the “click of death,” that’s not accurate: Most failed clicking hard drives are fully recoverable by a professional. Nevertheless, it’s important to disconnect your hard drive’s power source if it displays any signs of physical damage — and unusual noises are a serious symptom.

2. Your computer doesn’t recognize your hard drive.

Your computer may fail to recognize your hard drive for a number of reasons, some of which are fairly easy to treat. For instance, your computer’s power supply may be on its way out, or your motherboard may fail to relay information to your storage media.

However, if you’re reasonably certain that your computer’s components are functioning properly — or if you’ve tested the hard drive in another machine — one or more HDD components have likely failed. Boot failures are commonly associated with failure of the hard drive’s electronics board, but with certain models, other component failures can cause this symptom.

3. Your operating system won’t boot.

Operating system failures such as the dreaded “operating system not found” error may occur if key files become corrupt or if the hard drive has suffered a failure. Whether the problem is physical or logical (in this context, “logical” just means “not related to a physical component failure”), you’ll need to take immediate action if the hard drive contains important data.

You may attempt to access the drive with a computer that has a functional operating system, but the safest course of action is to disconnect the hard drive’s power source.

4. Attempting to open files results in “file corrupted” or “file not found” errors.

File corruption occurs when fragments of a file are “missing,” which makes the file unopenable or inaccessible. Dozens of failure scenarios can cause corruption, including:

• Your computer shuts down unexpectedly.
• An application encounters an error when writing a file.
• The hard drive’s actuator heads are beginning to fail.
• The magnetic material on some portion of the hard drive’s platter(s) no longer performs.
• A malware (malicious software) infection intentionally targets certain files.

Once again, we generally recommend a cautious approach: Power off the hard drive as soon as possible and schedule an evaluation with a professional data recovery company. For more information about file corruption, read our article: Can Data Recovery Software Fix a Corrupted Hard Drive?

5. You notice speed issues when attempting to access files.

Speed issues can occur if a hard drive runs low on capacity or if another part of your computer encounters issues. Most speed issues are easy to address — but if the issue only occurs when your computer is accessing data, the problem may be more severe.

Some performance problems occur as a hard drive’s mechanical components encounter errors. If you notice some of your files have become corrupted and the contents are affected, they do not open, or show errors such as CRC (cyclical redundancy check) — the safest course of action is to seek professional help. That’s true even if the hard drive boots properly: The device might be nearing failure, and a reputable data recovery firm can transfer the data safely without putting your files at risk.

Finding Professional Data Recovery Services for a Broken Hard Drive

If your hard drive is broken — or if you’ve encountered any unusual symptoms — look for a professional data recovery company with an established reputation. Never attempt to repair your own storage media. Modern hard drives are extraordinarily precise instruments, and data recovery requires advanced tools like firmware repair equipment and certified cleanrooms.

Datarecovery.com offers free hard drive evaluations through our full-service laboratories. We also support our services with a no data, no charge guarantee: If we’re not able to recover your requested data, we’ll ship your hard drive back at no cost. To get started, call us at 1-800-237-4200 or click here to start a case.

The post How Can I Tell If My Hard Drive is Broken? appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

Not all hope is lost, though — Thanks to the way tape backups are made and the proficiency of data recovery experts, it’s possible to recover or restore your most essential data even after the backup has failed.

What Are Tape Drives?

Tape drives consist of a strip of magnetic tape — think a VHS or a cassette tape — with four unique layers: There’s backing, the binder, the actual magnetic material itself, and then a coating.

The backing is the part that gives the tape the much-needed flexibility and strength that these drives are known for, allowing the magnetic material to wind in and out and around the rolls. Backing also gives the tape a level of security, forbidding signals in one section of the tape from interfering with the signals in another part during storage. The binder holds the magnetic material to the backing. The magnetic material is where the data is actually stored and read, thanks to tiny magnetized metal oxides that are smooth to the touch but rough on a microscopic level. The coating is what protects that magnetic material and keeps it durable for long periods of time, preventing and prolonging the wear and tear that would happen without it.

Believe it or not, tape drives have been trusted to store data since at least the 1950s. To put it frankly, they initially came about because they were cheap, especially in comparison to the cost of those early drives. As time went on, tape continued to be the cheaper alternative to things like floppy discs and hard disk drives. As modern storage methods like flash drives and the digital cloud became more readily (and cheaply) available, tape drives took the backseat. But, that doesn’t mean they became obsolete. As you know, they’re still used today in a variety of capacities.

Types of Tape Backups

Tape backups are also a big part of data storage well into the 21st century because of the wide variety of options to choose from. Here are just a few examples of the most-used varieties:

• AIT, or Advanced Intelligent Tape, which is a high-speed and high-capacity tape
• DDS, or Digital Data Storage, which is an offshoot of the DAT drive
• DAT, or Digital Audio Tape, which utilizes a smaller and more compact tape
• LTO, or Linear Tape-Open, which originated as an open standards alternative
• DLT/SDLT, or Digital Linear Tape/Super Digital Linear Tape
• NDMP, or Network Data Management Protocol
• Various IBM formats

How Do Tape Backups Fail?

While tape backups are dependable in more ways than one, there’s also more than one way for them to fail. One of the most common and logical tape drive failures occurs when one single tape is used more than it should be. If a person continues to reuse the same tape over and over without switching or alternating the tape drive, then it’s likely going to wear out and eventually fail. The same thing can happen if a tape backup is stored in an environment that isn’t suited for it, like a room that is too humid or a room that is too dry to safely store the drives.

Another possible way for a tape backup to fail occurs when the tape drive is inserted or used incorrectly. Whether the device is unprepared or completely unfamiliar with the tape deck being inserted, this act of improper insertion can result in a tape backup failing.

Then, naturally, there is the possibility that corrupt or improper data can be stored on a tape drive, making it seem like the drive itself has failed when in fact it’s the data itself to blame. Still, this phenomenon gives the impression that the tape backup has failed, and still needs to be resolved promptly in order to recover and restore that data.

Why Use Tape Backups?

While the technology might sound ancient or outdated to the average joe, the truth is that tape drives are still depended on by plenty of people both professionally and personally. Simply put, these drives were built to last when they were first conceived and they’re still the same today. See, unlike a digital drive, these magnetic tapes that make up tape drives are physically storing the data on the tapes themselves. They’re not in the cloud, but actually written onto the magnetic tapes so that they can be stored and archived offline.

Beyond this, tape backups are also favored because of their cost-effectiveness. From Google to NASA, tape backups offer a huge amount of storage for a fraction of the cost of cloud storage or hard drive storage.

How Do I Restore or Recover My Tape Backups?

If you find yourself in a situation where you believe your tape backup has failed, you should contact the experts at DataRecovery.com as soon as possible. Not only do these specialists have the knowledge and the ability to bring back damaged or lost data from any of the tape backups listed above, they are also well-versed in a few different methods listed below.

Tape Restoration

Data Recovery’s tape restoration quickly and efficiently restores data from the tapes to a hard drive or other storage device capable of reading/writing data.

Tape Duplication

Data Recovery also offers tape duplication, which involves creating an exact copy of any number of tape drives. This can be on a separate tape drive, or on a completely different storage method entirely.

Tape Data Recovery

Additionally, Data Recovery is capable of recovering data from a failed or otherwise inaccessible tape drive. Whether the tape drive has a problem magnetically, physically, or even logically, Data Recovery is known for bringing that data back in just a matter of days.

What Happens if I Need to Recover or Restore My Tape Backup?

If you’re in need of tape backup restoration or recovery, you should contact the experts at Data Recovery as soon as possible. Our professional engineers have the skills and the know-how to handle any kind of restoration or recovery, regardless of if you have one tape backup or hundreds. We pride ourselves on our ability to save your most important files through disaster recovery and our exceptional customer service, regardless of how difficult or complex it might seem to you. No matter if you’re a large company with a wide network, a small business with just a few devices, or simply an individual with a personal computer, you can get in touch today to receive a free quote.

The post Tape Data Restoration and Recovery: What to Do if a Tape Backup Fails appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

Bitcoin first surpassed its previous record of $23,000 — set in December of 2017 — exactly three years later in December of 2020, then passed the $30,000 mark in the early morning hours of January 2nd, 2021, then topped $34,000 just after midnight on January 3rd, less than 24 hours later. Alas, none of this means anything if you lost the password to your Bitcoin wallet and can’t access your cryptocurrency. Thankfully, there is such a thing as password recovery.

Does a Bulging Bitcoin Wallet Plus No Password Equal No Bitcoin?

There’s really nothing like a forgotten password to send you into a full-on panic. What does this mean? Did I get hacked? Am I going to be locked out of my account forever? These are the questions that swirl around in your head as you fly through your long list of possible passwords in an attempt to regain access to your account. It’s bad enough when you can’t get into your email account or your social media profile, but what about when you can’t access your Bitcoin wallet when prices are higher than ever?

Think of it this way: Losing your password and being unable to get into your Bitcoin wallet is only a testament to the safety and security they offer. Bitcoin Core and other crypto wallets put the ownership of the cryptocurrency in your hand, unlike popular stock apps like Robinhood that do not actually give you complete and total ownership of the currency you’re investing in. For this reason, you don’t want them to be as simple and easy to get into as your email or your Facebook account.

Still, understanding and appreciating why your Bitcoin wallet needs to be extra secure doesn’t make losing your password any easier. The first thing you need to know is that, no, your Bitcoin isn’t going to disappear on you while you’re locked out of your crypto wallet. You and you alone are in charge of what happens to your Bitcoin and where it goes, regardless if you can log in or not. No crypto wallet will pawn off your currency when you’re out of your account, and that’s a fact. The second most important thing you need to know is that password recovery is possible.

How Do I Recover the Password to My Bitcoin Wallet?

Before you get too panicked, try these password recovery solutions first. Right off the bat, if you haven’t done so already, run through your mental (or physical, or digital) list of your most frequently used passwords. It might sound obvious, but it bears repeating: Make sure you’re paying extra attention to any capitalizations or punctuation marks, because case sensitivity can be a real stickler. If you’ve done these things and you still can’t get in, it’s time to turn to a password recovery service. Fortunately, Datarecovery.com is here to help — no matter what the root cause of the problem is.

Forgot Wallet Password

If you’ve forgotten your password, Data Recovery’s engineers can utilize an arsenal of techniques and technologies — including over 20 servers and 100 high-powered Nvidia Tesla GPUs — to recover or break your password and get you back into your Bitcoin wallet in record time.

Accidentally Deleted Bitcoin Wallet

If you’ve accidentally deleted your Bitcoin wallet, fear not: As one of the most common causes of data loss, an accidental deletion of your Bitcoin wallet is no problem for Data Recovery’s engineers. While Data Recovery has a massive success rate, a “No Data, No Charge Guarantee” exists — this promises that, in the rare instance that Data Recovery cannot recover the wallet, the customer pays nothing.

Hardware Failure Lost Wallet

If hardware failure is to blame for the loss of your Bitcoin wallet, Data Recovery is still the place to turn to for help. After recovering nearly 2.5 million dollars in cryptocurrency from failed hardware, it seems safe to say that Datarecovery.com has the skills and the tools necessary to get you back up and running — wallet and all.

Corrupt Bitcoin Wallet 

From time to time, some users experience Bitcoin wallet corruption. This is not necessarily a failure of the wallet itself, but rather a failing on the part of the software or hardware the wallet is stored on. Regardless of the cause, Data Recovery can typically restore corrupted files in just a handful of hours.

The Bottom Line: Turn to Datarecovery.com for Bitcoin Wallet Password Recovery

Not only is Datarecovery.com home to some of the highest success rates in the industry, but the overwhelmingly positive reviews from consumers, businesses, and even government agencies truly speak for themselves. If you have run into any sort of trouble whatsoever when trying to access your Bitcoin wallet, odds are that Datarecovery.com can solve it. The same goes for dozens of other cryptocurrency wallets, as well. Contact Data Recovery today to get a free quote.

The post Bitcoin Price Is Higher Than Ever : Here’s What to Do If You’ve Lost Your Bitcoin Wallet Password appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

These causes of data loss and RAID failure are often connected, with one event leading to the next.

Controller Malfunction

Controller malfunctions are among the most common types of data loss and are often caused by a power surge, which is why it’s so important to choose the right surge protection options.

Missing Partition

You may employ partitioning to reduce speed loss on your RAID. However, RAID failure can occur when the system cannot find a partition it expects. This may happen if you’ve recently modified partitions or if RAID striping has failed and corrupted the partition, causing drive failure. Furthermore, if the system cannot find a partition even though it exists, RAID failure or data loss can result.

Power Surge

Much like a power surge can damage a personal computer, it can also hard drive in a RAID array, leading to data loss. In fact, a power surge could also cause the controller to malfunction.

Data Deletion

While you probably don’t intend to delete necessary data, it sometimes occurs. Commonly, a reformat can delete data without you intended to do so. We’ve all heard the adage that it’s better to be safe than sorry, so backup data before you reformat any machines.

Malware

Whether due to a virus or another type of malware, RAID failure isn’t fun. Protect your hardware and data by employing robust antivirus software and firewalls. Use redundant backups so that ransomware doesn’t cause you to lose valuable data.

Multiple Disk Failure

If multiple hard drive disks fail simultaneously, you can pretty much count on a total RAID failure. Software configuration, hardware incompatibility, and power surge can all lead multiple drives to fail.

Wrong Replacement Drive

Choosing the wrong replacement for your RAID array can have disastrous results. Similarly, using a drive that is improperly formatted in your setup may have negative consequences that you’d prefer to avoid. Even if your replacement should be compatible, rebuild errors could cause drive failure and data loss.

Application Upgrade

Upgrading software can occasionally lead to data loss, especially if upgrading the application revokes access to the RAID disk for whatever reason.

System Setting or Registry Error

The fact that you can experience RAID failure due to a system setting or registry error shows how important software can be to hardware function. Make sure to double-check any settings before confirming them. You’ll want to avoid accidentally re-configuring your setup, which can happen when upgrading software.

How to Prevent RAID Data Loss

If you understand the types of RAID failures that can happen, you probably also understand the times when those failures are more likely. For example, you might experience a failure after installing new hardware or making software configuration change, so you can double-check hardware compatibility and software changes before making any adjustments. Failures due to power surges can happen after a storm or other electrical event. This risk can be minimized by using a datacenter that has enterprise-level battery and generator backup.. And because no drive lasts forever, it may be more common for them to fail after years of continuous operation or during times of particularly heavy stress or high temperature.

Because you cannot know exactly when RAID failure will happen, you should make backups. Redundant backups offer even more protection, whether you use on-site physical storage, the cloud, or both. You might also consider replacing older drives before they fail if you can afford it. You may prefer to purchase and install a new disk to minimize the risk of lost data and productivity, which can be more costly than buying a drive itself.

Can You Recover Data From a Failed Raid Disk?

Still, there are times when you may need to recover your data from a RAID or individual drive. You might be tempted to recover data yourself, which may be possible in some instances. There is software specifically for RAID recovery, some of which are free, that create images of the disk for you to work with. However, the recovery process differs depending on the RAID layout that has failed, and without experience there is a huge learning curve.

• RAID 0 failure can occur when either one or several disks have failed or when there is a failure not related to disks. This layout is non-redundant and has no fault tolerance, so you cannot recover data from a failed disk. Raid DATA recovery may be possible from the other drives.
• RAID 5 failure happens when one or several hard disks fail or because of operator or controller failures. Because RAID 5 is redundant, you can recover data from a single failed disk but not multiple failed disks. It may be possible to access data from the remaining disks, however.
• RAID 1E failures may allow you to replace a disk and rebuild the array or even replace multiple disks as long as the failed disks were not adjacent, but this array layout is less common.

Doing it yourself may risk complete data loss, especially if you’re new to RAID data recovery layouts, ultimately making the problem worse. You might also prefer to remove corrupted drives and have someone else focus on server data recovery while you focus on rebuilding your RAID and getting your system up and running once more. In these cases, outsourcing your data recovery needs is often the best option.

Get Help With Server Data Recovery

Whether you need to recover data on a single drive or  your RAID array, services offered by DataRecovery.com can help. Contact us today for more information.

The post RAID: The Most Common Causes Failure and Data Loss appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

In the past few weeks, nothing has received more buzz than the words GameStop and AMC. Just a month ago, these three investment options weren’t even considered legitimate options among serious and amateur traders alike — If you would’ve told someone they could potentially make hundreds, if not thousands, on the trio, they would’ve looked at you like the most irresponsible person in the game. But now, in the wake of the sudden and remarkable organization of retail traders on Reddit against Wall Street hedge funds, GameStop and AMC are some of the hottest commodities around. 

Of course, as with any major online movement, investing in these options comes with risk. Not just financial risk, either — Because most of the trading is being done on retail trading apps like Robinhood, Webull, Coinbase, and Cash App, there’s always the risk of running into security breaches. Thankfully, there are ways to avoid a breach in security. You just have to know how to safely use retail trading apps.

How Do Retail Trading Apps Work?

Before we get into how to keep yourself safe on retail trading apps, it’s important to discuss how exactly these apps work.

While they’ve boomed in the past few weeks, the truth is that apps like Robinhood have been around for nearly a decade now. Offering users the unique ability to trade stocks, ETFs, and cryptocurrency at little to no cost whatsoever, these retail trading apps effectively bridge the divide between Wall Street and Main Street, allowing everyday people who have never invested a dime throw their hats into the ring with investors who have made a living off of the stock market. 

In order to do this, retail trading apps have to go to great lengths to protect themselves against massive losses. With no minimum amount required to trade and no fees to buy or sell, there’s a lot of money coming and going through these apps. For this reason, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has to provide some financial safety measures. This gives users of retail trading apps like Robinhood have protection up to $500,000 for securities and up to $250,000 for cash claims.

On the other end, the people running retail trading apps also need to protect themselves in order to ensure they get paid, too. Some offer fees for premium versions of the app, but the real moneymaker for retail trading app employees is interest. Just as a bank collects interest on deposits, these apps make money off of customer cash and stocks. Another big pull comes from high-frequency trading and payment for order flow, allowing retail trading apps to profit off of processing trades in the back end through the actual investments themselves. 

How Can You Keep Your Information Safe on Retail Trading Apps?

If you’re making big money on retail trading apps with stocks like GameStop or AMC, you need to make sure you’re taking the steps to protect that money. Simply logging out of the app each time you finish your activity isn’t enough — there’s a lot more to it than just that. 

Never Disclose Your Username or Password to Anyone

For starters, the obvious needs to be stated: Don’t ever share your retail trading app login information with anyone. This isn’t like your social media account or your email password — retail trading apps have your bank account info and your assets on full display upon login. If someone were to breach this security and make it into your account, they’d have access to all of that and could hypothetically do whatever they wanted with it. For this reason, keep your login to yourself. 

Don’t Reuse Passwords from Other Accounts or Sites

Retail trading apps are not as casual or carefree as they might seem to you. After all, your finances are at stake here. You can’t just recycle your usual login and risk someone cracking your password. It’s best to have a unique and hard-to-crack password for each retail trading app you use, and it’s even better to store these passwords somewhere impenetrable like a safe or a lockbox so that no one can get to them. It might sound like a lot of effort, but it’s worth it to keep your investments and your finances protected.

Be Careful Not to Risk It All, No Matter How Tempting

Last but not least, it’s necessary to keep a level head and always keep the big picture in perspective — especially with trendy investment options like GameStop and AMC where record highs and abysmal lows can come one after the other. Set aside how tempting it might seem to go all in on an investment that’s trending upward and stay focused on what’s at stake: If the value were to drop in an instant, would you be okay? It’s one thing to have someone else sabotage your finances through a security breach, but it’s something else entirely for it to happen at your own hands. 

The Bottom Line: Use Extreme Caution with Retail Trading Apps

Once the heat of the moment passes and the stock market returns to whatever “normal” looks like in the world of investing, it’ll be easier to gain a better perspective on all that’s gone on with GameStop and AMC in recent weeks. Until then, it’s essential for you to follow these steps and keep your financial information as safe as possible. 

The post How to Keep Your Financial Information Safe on Retail Trading Apps appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

Many Surface Pro users utilizing BitLocker to encrypt the computer’s data have found themselves going into a panic when they suddenly can’t get access to their data and are virtually locked out of their computers as a result.  However, it’s not just Surface Pros who run into trouble with BitLocker — Any device running Windows 10 Pro will have BitLocker pre-installed, which means that any device running Windows 10 Pro is susceptible to this problem. Here’s what you can do to fix it.

What Is BitLocker?

BitLocker is Microsoft’s go-to encryption feature for their latest devices. It keeps your private information safe by scrambling your data and making it unreadable to any prying eyes. On paper, it sounds great: Once you enable BitLocker, it’s supposed to operate quietly and discreetly in the background. Ideally, you might even forget it’s running.

BitLocker, when used correctly, is not something that should scare or concern you. It’s a good tool and a dependable way to secure your device. (BitLocker isn’t always automatically turned on, so some users may have to opt in to this feature when setting up their computer.) Because your computer and BitLocker are working together in unison, the feature simply uses your Microsoft login, making it unnecessary for you to keep track of any additional pins or password. 

The problem with BitLocker lies in the lack of user friendliness whenever your device fails and BitLocker asks for a recovery key — also known as a passphrase — you might not even remember. 

Where Did My Data Go?

If your device has failed, has entered Safe Mode, and is asking for your BitLocker recovery key, the good news is that your data might not have actually gone anywhere — it’s quite possible that it’s just locked behind this encryption feature. The bad news is that this doesn’t mean you’ll be able to get to it easily. This is where your BitLocker recovery key comes in. If you have your key written down, then you simply need to enter it when prompted to gain access to your data once more. If you don’t remember your key, don’t lose hope: There are ways to recover the data even if you’ve forgotten the passphrase. 

How Can I Recover My Data?

If BitLocker has locked you out of your data and you can’t remember your recovery key, there are a few different methods you can use to try and get back in. 

Log Into Your Microsoft Account on Another Device

Thankfully, if you’re using BitLocker on a Windows 10 device, odds are the recovery key can be located in your Microsoft account information. To find the key, log into your Microsoft account on another device and it should be accessible there. If it’s not there, then it’s possible the Microsoft account of someone else who uses the device is the keyholder. If you’re still not able to find the key, fear not: there are still some other recovery methods you can try. 

Look for a Physical Copy of Your Key

Sometimes, users will print out their recovery key on a piece of paper and file it away with their important documents. Other times, users will save the key as a .txt file to a USB flash drive or other external drive. If you remember doing something like this, try to locate the paper or the drive that holds your key. If you didn’t do this or can’t seem to locate the physical copy of your key, then you should move onto the next method below. 

Get in Touch With a System Administrator

If your Microsoft device — whether it’s a laptop or a desktop — is linked to a network through your work or school, then it’s possible that the system administrator is the one who holds your recovery key. If this is the case, simply get in touch with them and ask if they can input the proper key. If this still doesn’t do the trick, there’s one more option: contacting Data Recovery. Read on to learn more.  

What Happens if I Still Can’t Recover My Data?

If you’re still having a hard time recovering your data from MS BitLocker, you should contact the experts at Datarecovery.com as soon as possible. Our expert engineers have the skills and the know-how to get around this problem with BitLocker, regardless of if you have your recovery key or not. We pride ourselves on our ability to save your most important files through disaster recovery and our exceptional customer service, regardless of how difficult or complex it might seem to you. No matter if you’re a large company with a wide network, a small business with just a few devices, or simply an individual with a personal computer, you can get in touch today to receive a free quote. 

The post What to Do if BitLocker Loses Your Data appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash

When you spend well over $1,000 on an Apple computer, you expect it to work perfectly. Unfortunately, that doesn’t always happen. Some people have even discovered that macOS may be corrupting their external hard drives. For some macOS users, that means losing stored music and movies. For others, it means losing precious data that they need to make their businesses successful.

When Did Mac External Hard Drives Start Getting Corrupted?

User forums show that a small number of macOS users have had problems with their external hard drives for at least five years. Granted, some of the problems probably came from user error. One person in 2015 complained that his 750GB external hard drive wouldn’t mount anymore after he ejected the drive without following the computer’s safety instructions.

Such a small error wouldn’t usually damage a hard drive. Despite his best efforts, he could not get the hard drive to work again. His computer offered to reformat the drive, but that would mean losing all of his files. Mac data recovery didn’t seem possible for this user.

Why Does macOS Corrupt External Hard Drives?

No one seems to know the precise reason that macOS can corrupt external hard drives. At least one person goes into a deep explanation of how he tried to deal with his iMac’s dead SSD. The user received several error messages indicating a malfunction with his SSD. He says that he learned a few things while trying to solve his Apple data recovery problem:

• Target Disk Mode only works well for occasional troubleshooting, so don’t expect it to fix Mac external hard drives.
• Old Mac computers can experience performance issues when you add newer peripherals, such as more recently made external hard drives.
• You should check your archived installers often instead of assuming that they work.
• Don’t ignore macOS upgrades for very long or you will increase the risk of encountering problems.

He never discovered the underlying cause behind the failure. Several people who left comments on his post said that they had experienced similar issues. While the failures involved internal SSDs, there may be a connection between this story and corrupt Mac external hard drives.

Can You Fix Corrupt Max External Hard Drives?

Unless you have a lot of technical experience, you probably cannot revive your corrupt Max external hard drives. That’s not something you want to hear, but it’s almost certainly the truth.

It isn’t all bad news, though. With the right tools, you may find Apple data recovery possible.

Several tools might help you locate the files on your drive. Some options include:

• Mac File Recovery
• Disk Drill
• Recoverit Data Recovery for Mac

Keep in mind that some of these tools cost close to $100, and you do not get a guarantee that they will save your data or hard drive.

Tips While Attempting Apple Data Recovery

Mac data recovery doesn’t always go as planned. One mistake could erase the data that you want to save. Do your best to keep your files protected by moving visible files on your external hard drive to a folder on your computer (otherwise, you could overwrite the files on Mac external hard drives).

You might be able to repair your external drive with macOS’s Disk Utility. Follow these instructions:

1. Restart your computer and hold the Command and R keys.
2. Choose Disk Utility > Continue > View > Show All Devices.
3. Choose your hard drive (assuming that it appears in the sidebar).
4. Choose First Aid > Run
5. Hope for the best.

Your computer’s terminal could also help solve your problem. You don’t have to restart your Mac during this process. Just:

1. Open Applications > Utilities > Terminal
2. In the command line, type “cd /Volumes” and “ls.”
3. Press Return, which should show you a list of your hard drives.
4. Enter “diskutil repairvolume /Volumes/xxx [name of the hard drive]”.
5. Press Return.
6. Hope for the Best.

What If Your Max External Hard Drives Still Don’t Work?

First, take this as an opportunity to learn the importance of saving your files to the cloud. Your Mac shouldn’t require this, but you need to protect yourself from loss.

Second, bring your Mac device and corrupt Mac external hard drives to an Apple data recovery professional. At Datarecovery.com, we use several methods to recover data and diagnose the problem that caused your data loss. Our technicians can often retrieve your data and return it to you. No one can make any promises, though. A thoroughly damaged external hard drive may not have any hope.

If you have critical data that you want to retrieve, contact our office to learn more about your options. We’ll do what we can to help. With a lot of expertise and a little luck, we might recover your lost files.

The post macOS External Drives Prone to Corruption appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

Regardless of how confident you are in your computer’s security, you should be well aware that there’s always a possibility for that security to be breached. No matter if it’s a hacker, a coder, or some other cybercriminal, there are people out there who make it their personal goal to bypass your computer’s extensive protection software and gain access to your most private and personal information. Because of this very real threat, you need take a comprehensive approach to your computer’s security and make yourself aware of the latest (and most dangerous) computer security threats in addition to the security software you should already have in place.

This is especially true as we continue to face off against the COVID-19 pandemic, prepare for the upcoming U.S. presidential election, and get accustomed to working from home and school — believe it or not, all of these things make you more vulnerable to security threats. That’s why it’s all too important to be aware of the most pertinent cybersecurity threats currently out there. From malware to spyware and everything in between, these are the top 10 computer security threats for October 2020.

BazarLoader Ransomware

Ryuk ransomware has been targeting big businesses since 2018, but that doesn’t mean that they’re only interested in taking on the people at the top. Believed to be operated by a Russian criminal group known as Wizard Spider, Ryuk has been linked to a series of new threats across North America, South America, and much of Europe. Known as BazarLoader, this ransomware has been attacking upwards of 20 different companies a week via phishing emails in an attempt to fully compromise their entire network (when successful, they’ve been known to get the job done in less than 30 hours). Millions of dollars in bitcoin have been funnelled to Ryuk in recent months, which means they’ll only become a greater threat as the days and weeks go on.

Emotet “Enable Editing” Malspam

Fake Windows updates have been a cybersecurity problem for years now, but a recent take on this Windows trend completely abandons the fake updates in exchange for malicious Word documents. Linked to the Emotet botnet — one of today’s largest distributors of malspam — these Word documents arrive in victims’ inboxes, prompt them to click “Enable Editing” on the document, and then wreak havoc. Because they’re constantly changing the subject line, the body, and the file attachment type in their emails, these Emotet malspam documents have been able to evade Spam and Junk labels across the top email servers.

Android Ransomware

Thanks to the novel coronavirus pandemic, cell phone use has boomed exponentially in 2020. Because of this, cybercriminals have made it their mission to focus on ransomware that targets our smartphones. From cameras to documents to text messages, Android users have seen their phones (and all their important data) subjected to these ransomware attacks far more than iPhone users. Typically disguised as games, apps, and videos, Android ransomware can come in many shapes and sizes. Regardless of how they arrive on your phone, keep one rule in mind to keep your information safe: Don’t tap on anything unless you’re absolutely certain it’s coming from somewhere legitimate.

Smart TV Data Theft

These days, it seems no device is truly 100% safe from cybersecurity threats. Lately, even televisions have found themselves falling victim to hacking. Filed under what’s known as an Internet of Things (IoT) attack, cybercriminals can gain access to your larger networks through weaker, less secure devices (like Smart TVs) that connect to your Wi-Fi network. As such, Smart TV data theft has been on the rise. Once an attacker breaches the Smart TV’s security, they gain access to vital information through the apps the user is signed into. This allows them to steal things like contacts, passwords, access tokens, messages and more. To compensate for weak security on IoT devices, make sure your other devices (like your phone and your computer) are extra secure.

Lemon Duck Cryptocurrency Mining

Bitcoin might not be booming like it was a few years ago, but it’s absolutely still a thing for countless cryptocurrency afficionados all over the world. Because of this, cybercriminals are still deploying cryptocurrency mining campaigns. One of the most relevant cyrptocurrency mining threats is known as Lemon Duck. This threat infiltrates computers via phishing emails, spreads throughout the network, and harvests the victim’s cryptocurrency. It’s like a virtual bank robbery.

VPN Vulnerabilities

While virtual private networks (or VPN) are hailed as the best way to use the internet safely and securely without fear of prying eyes, the truth is that many VPNs have small loopholes that make them subject to vulnerabilities. Most recently, nearly one million VPNs were exposed to a bug that allowed cybercriminals to gain access to any user’s network as long as they knew their IP address. These sorts of vulnerabilities ans bugs are almost constantly being found, so the best way to stay safe when using a VPN is to regularly check for updates and install them promptly.

Fitbit Spyware

Smart watches and fitness bands are all the rage right now, which (naturally) means that it wouldn’t be long until hackers and cybercriminals figured out a way to infiltrate and exploit them. This is exactly what was seen in recent weeks. Through malicious watch faces and fake fitness apps, cybercriminals were able to gain access to users’ phones and, as a result, steal a massive amount of important data. To combat these kinds of attacks, you should make a point to only download accessories that come from legitimate publishers.

Ransomware Disguised as Schoolwork

As COVID-19 continues to change the way we work and go to school, teachers and students alike need to be aware of the recent trend of ransomware disguised as schoolwork that’s targeting people enrolled in online schooling. These ransomware campaigns send out emails disguised as elerts relating to schoolwork, using subject lines such as “Assignment failed to upload” with an attached file disguised as said assignment in an attempt to get victims to click the file and unleash the ransomware onto their device.

Malicious QR Codes

Odds are, you’ve probably seen a QR code somewhere or another in recent years. Intended to be scanned using special smartphone apps that then take users to a link, these unique little coded squares have recently been hijacked by cybercriminals in yet another malicious hacking attempt. These fake QR codes are littered around the internet (and even in public) in hopes of an unknowing victim scanning them and being exposed to malware. To keep this from happening, try to avoid scanning each and every QR code you encounter — limit your QR scanning to the codes you actually care about in secure locations like a restaurant or a store.

Malware Disguised as Political Ads

With a big presidential election on the horizon in the United States, there has been a resurgence of malware disguised as political ads. These phishing attempts come back every election cycle, hoping to bait voters into clicking a link made to look like a legitimate political campaign ad so that the malware can then be released onto the device. This is especially prevalent as elections draw closer, and the 2020 presidential election has been no exception. Whether it’s in email or ad form, exercise caution before clicking on a political ad and make sure that any potential campaign donations are done through the candidate’s site.

What Happens If My Computer Security Is Breached?

If you find yourself being subjected to one of these many computer virus or malware attacks, contact the experts at Data Recovery. We pride ourselves on our ability to recover your data and our exceptional customer service, no matter if you’re a large company or a small business or simply an individual. Get in touch today to receive a free quote.

The post The Top 10 Computer Security Threats for October 17, 2020 appeared first on Datarecovery.com.