Evidence acquisition procedures

As we covered in the last chapter, data can be stored on both fixed and removable storage media. However, data can easily be deleted or completely lost depending on a multitude of factors that must be considered if we are to ensure the preservation of data. It might even be argued that there are more threats to digital storage than paper-based storage. The following lists detail some comparisons of threats to both.

Threats to paper-based storage include the following:

• Water
• Fire and humidity bugs
• Age
• Natural disasters—floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more
• Human-error and negligence

Threats to data on storage media include the following:

• Human-error and negligence
• Magnetism and electromagnetic fields
• Water and condensation
• Heat dust
• Impact Voltage
• Static electricity
• Natural disasters—floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more

So, when exactly...