The ever increasing use and reliance upon computers in both the public and private sector has led to enormous numbers of computers being disposed of at the end of their useful life within an organisation. As the cost of computers has dropped, their use in the home has also continued to increase. In most organisations, computers have a relatively short life and are replaced on a regular basis with the result that, if not properly cleansed of data, they are released into the public domain containing data that can be relatively up to date. This problem is exacerbated by the increasing popularity and use of smart phones, which also contain significant storage capacity. From the results of the research it remains clear that the majority of organisations and private individuals that are using these computers still remain ignorant or misinformed of the potential volume and type of information that is stored on the hard disks contained within these systems. The evidence of the research is that neither organisations nor individuals have considered, or are aware of, the potential impact of the information that is contained in the disks from these systems becoming available to an unintended third party. This is the fifth study in an ongoing research programme being conducted into the levels and types of information that remain on computer hard disks that have been offered for sale on the second hand market. This ongoing research series has been Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, Vol. 5(4) 44 undertaken to gain an understanding of the level and types of information that remains on these disks, to determine the damage that could potentially be caused if the information was misused, and to determine whether there are any developing trends. The disks used have been purchased in a number of countries. The rationale for this was to determine whether there are any national or regional differences in the way that computer disks are disposed of and to compare the results for any regional or temporal trends. The disks were obtained from a wide range of sources in each of the regions in order to minimise the effect of any action by an individual source.The first study was carried out in 2005 and since then has been repeated annually with the scope being incrementally extended to include additional research partners and countries. The study in 2009 was carried out by British Telecommunications (BT) and the University of Glamorgan in the UK, Edith Cowan University in Australia, Khalifa University in the United Arab Emirates and Longwood University in the USA.The core methodology of the research has remained unaltered throughout the duration of the study. The methodology has included the acquisition of a number of second hand computer disks from a range of sources and determining whether the data contained on the disks has been effectively erased or if they still contain information relating to previous owners. If information was found on the disks from which the previous user or owner could be identified, the re...

All organisations, whether in the public or private sector, increasingly use computers and other devices that contain computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their business, their employees or their customers. Individual home users also increasingly use computers and other devices containing computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their private, personal affairs. It continues to be clear that the majority of organisations and individual home users still remain ignorant or misinformed of the volume and type of information that is stored on the hard disks that these devices contain and have not considered, or are unaware of, the potential impact of this information becoming available to their competitors or to people with criminal intent. This is the third study in an ongoing research effort that is being conducted into the volume and type of information that remains on computer hard disks offered for sale on the second hand market. The purpose of the research has been to gain an understanding of the information that remains on the disk and to determine the level of damage that could, potentially be caused, if the information fell into the wrong hands. The study examines disks that have been obtained in a number of countries to determine whether there is any detectable national or regional variance in the way that the disposal of computer disks is addressed and to compare the results for any other detectable regional or temporal trends.The first study was carried out in 2005 and was repeated in 2006 with the scope extended to include additional countries. The studies were carried out by Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law, Vol. 3(1) 6 British Telecommunications, the University of Glamorgan in the UK and Edith Cowan University in Australia. The basis of the research was to acquire a number of second hand computer disks from various sources and then determine whether they still contained information relating to a previous owner or if information had been effectively erased. If they still contained information, the research examined whether it was in a sufficient volume and of enough sensitivity to the original owner to be of value to either a competitor or a criminal. One of the results of the research was that, for a very large proportion of the disks that were examined, there was significant information present and both organisations and individuals were potentially exposed to the possibility of a compromise of sensitive information and identity theft. The report noted that where the disks had originally been owned by organisations, they had, in most cases, failed to meet their statutory, regulatory and legal obligations.In the third and latest study, conducted in 2007, the research methodology of the previous two studies conducted was repeated, but in addition to Longwood University in the USA joining the research effort, the scope was broadened geographically and the focus was extended to determine what changes had ...

The ever increasing use and reliance upon computers in both the public and private sector has led to enormous numbers of computers being disposed of at the end of their useful life within an organisation. As

Digital forensics is playing a more prominent role in law enforcement, network security, and information assurance. The field of study encompasses not just digital evidence, but also the areas of cyber law, sociology, and security to name a few. Its increasing importance is reflected in its growing role within crime investigations, civil cases and homeland security.

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