Case Study

BitLocker Encryption - 3 TB crucial Data Recovered for Electronic Design & Manufacturing Company

Recovering critical data and restoring the operational continuity which was very essential to manufacturing processes.

Overview

A well-established player in the player in the Electronic Design & Manufacturing Services industry, operating in India & Germany, recently faced a serious data loss situation. The client was unable to access data on their HDD after running an unknown command, leading to the loss of approximately 3 TB of crucial barcode-related data.

Client Background

Established in 1990, the company operates four manufacturing locations in India, with design centers located in Gurugram & Germany. It is a leading provider of electronic manufacturing services to OEMs. The organization's expertise includes electronic design services, PCB assemblies, and box-build products.

Challenges

The client was unable to see data on their HDD after running an unknown command.
Approximately 3 TB of crucial barcode-related software data was lost.

Drive Specifications

No. of HDDs: 1 Desktop HDD with 4 TB
Drive Model: Seagate ST4000VX016
Recovery Status: 2.90 TB data recovered (100%)
File System: NTFS
Existing Data: Showing only a few MB
Partition Size: Single partition of 3.6 TB
Unique File Extensions: XML, CSV, PNG, BIN (related to barcode software)

Data Recovery Actions & Approach

Recognizing the critical nature of the client's data, we undertook our data recovery process with the utmost precision and care. The following steps highlight the meticulous approach we adopted:

Initial Inspection: Connected the drive to the system, revealing only a few MB of data, despite the client indicating a size of around 3 TB.
Data Scanning: Employed proprietary Stellar Recovery software to scan the drive but could not locate the lost data.
Sector-Level Examination: Conducted a detailed sector-level inspection and discovered data in an encrypted state. The client confirmed that they did not use any drive-level encryption.
Cloning Process: Created a clone of the drive for further inspection and re-evaluated it at the sector level.

Solution

After creating a 4 TB clone, we started searching for encryption-related information. In the process, we found some traces of BitLocker-encrypted data. So, we began searching for BitLocker information across the whole drive.
Finally, we found some BitLocker-related information. After further analysis, we discovered that it was an auto-enabled BitLocker drive. This enabled us to mount the drive successfully and re-scan the drive with our recovery tool. This time, we were able to restore the client's lost data.
Recovered Data Size: 2.90 TB (100%)

To extract data from a BitLocker encrypted drive, you will need the recovery key or password. If you've formatted a BitLocker encrypted hard drive, specialized recovery software can help retrieve your lost data.For detailed steps on how to extract data from a BitLocker encrypted drive, check out our guide on how to recover data from a formatted BitLocker encrypted hard drive.

Outcome

Following a comprehensive inspection and multiple scans, we identified traces of BitLocker encryption on the drive.
By focusing on BitLocker-related information, we discovered that the drive had auto-enabled BitLocker encryption.
We successfully mounted the drive and used a recovery tool to retrieve all the lost data.

Note:

At Stellar, we handle a wide range of BitLocker-encrypted data loss cases on different types of media. We understand that each case presents unique challenges and complexities, depending on the media involved. The possibility of successful data recovery can only be confirmed after a thorough analysis of the encrypted drive. Such analysis helps us provide accurate and customized solutions for each case.

Business Need

Recovering critical software data was vital for maintaining operational efficiency and ensuring the continuity of barcode software solutions essential to manufacturing processes.

Solution Approach

Stellar Data Recovery used a meticulous approach, starting with inspections and data scanning, followed by sector-level examinations and cloning, and ultimately addressing BitLocker encryption to recover the lost data.

Result

The recovery of 2.90 TB of essential data allowed the company to resume operations promptly, safeguarding business continuity and maintaining its competitive edge.