Data Storage Forensics--What Is Really Left after I Hit the Delete Button, and How Can I Actually Make Sure It's Gone?

The following Teaching Case is designed to expose students to three scenarios related to data stored on hard drives, techniques that could be used to retrieve deleted or corrupted data, and a method for a more thorough deletion of data from a hard drive. These issues are often overlooked in current IT curriculum and in our age of digital clutter this can be a dangerous oversight leading to potential financial loss, exposure to identity theft, and criminal liability. This case study/lab exercise can be utilized in multiple levels of a CS/IS curriculum, adjusted to meet the skill and background levels of introductory courses to specialized capstone courses in hardware or security. It provides talking points to highlight the importance of being aware of the spreading digital footprint, and provides introductory exposure to available tools and techniques for advanced data recovery. A bibliography is included.