Forensic Data Recovery for Digital Forensics
Direct answer
HD Doctor operates as a forensic data recovery laboratory for civil/federal police, prosecutors, judicial experts, law firms and companies in cases requiring procedural validity. Documented chain of custody with cryptographic hash at each stage, technical report signed by responsible engineer with legal validity, and process compliant with ABNT and international standards (NIST SP 800-86, ISO 27037). With 24+ years and 1,200+ forensic cases solved.
Critical: on media destined for forensics, do NOT power on, do NOT copy, do NOT alter the original state. Every intervention must be logged to preserve chain of custody.
How forensic recovery works
Forensic recovery differs from conventional recovery by the need to preserve evidence for procedural use. Each step is documented with SHA-256 hash of original disk and copy, seal photographs, time records and identification of who handled it. Final report describes methodology, tools used, results and conclusions in technical language accessible to the court. HD Doctor follows ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 27037 (identification, collection, acquisition and preservation of digital evidence).
Common forensic recovery scenarios
- Media seized in criminal investigation with deleted or encrypted data
- Evidence in civil, labor or business proceedings
- Internal corporate investigation (fraud, leak, conduct)
- Data recovery for law firm with procedural deadline
- Media analysis in labor forensics (e-discovery)
- Evidence reconstruction in criminal action (homicide, fraud, child exploitation)
- Email, app backups and log recovery in compliance
- Service to judicial experts and technical assistants
Forensic demand types
| Cause | % | Recoverable? |
|---|---|---|
| Deleted file recovery (criminal forensics) | 30% | ✅ Yes, file carving + technical extraction |
| Chain of custody for civil/labor process | 22% | ✅ Yes, fully documented process |
| Internal corporate investigation | 18% | ✅ Yes, NDA + LGPD |
| E-discovery | 12% | ✅ Yes, indexing and technical search |
| Physically damaged media analysis | 10% | ✅ Yes, cleanroom + chain of custody |
| Encrypted media decryption | 5% | 🟡 Partial, depends on encryption type |
| Other (media preservation in seizure) | 3% | ✅ Yes |
Source: HD Doctor internal stats on 1,200 forensic cases between 2022 and 2025.
What NOT to do with forensic media
- 1.Do not power on the seized device. Each power-on alters metadata and timestamps that may be questioned in court.
- 2.Do not copy files before forensic image. Direct copy without hash invalidates chain of custody.
- 3.Do not use forensically-unvalidated tools. Consumer recovery software has no procedural acceptance. Use validated tools (FTK, EnCase, X-Ways) or specialized lab.
- 4.Do not handle without logging. Every handover must be logged with name, time and purpose.
- 5.Do not run antivirus or cleanup tools. Erases traces that may be evidence.
- 6.Do not send without prior documentation. Seal photo, seizure point identification and documented chain before shipping.
HD Doctor forensic process
Each forensic case follows 9 documented steps with hash, photography and time records, in compliance with ISO 27037.
- 1
Intake with chain of custody
Photographed seal, sender identification, time and responsible. Receipt term signed.
- 2
Initial SHA-256/MD5 hash
Cryptographic hash calculation of original media before any read.
- 3
Diagnosis in isolated environment
Technical analysis of media state, identification of locks, encryption and physical damage.
- 4
Forensic image acquisition (write-blocker)
Bit-by-bit copy using hardware write-blocker (Tableau, WiebeTech) preventing any write to original. Image hash compared to original.
- 5
Cleanroom physical repair when needed
For physically damaged media, repair in Class 100 cleanroom with photographic documentation of each intervention.
- 6
Technical analysis and file carving
Recovery of deleted files, metadata extraction, usage timeline reconstruction.
- 7
Cross-validation of results
Findings confirmation with independent tool (FTK, EnCase, Autopsy).
- 8
Technical report generation
Letterhead report in language accessible to court, with methodology, tools, hashes, results and conclusions. Signed by responsible engineer with CREA.
- 9
Delivery with return term
Original media returned with intact seal (when possible), forensic copy on new media with checksum, letterhead report and updated chain of custody term.
Turnaround and SLA
| Scenario | Turnaround |
|---|---|
| Standard forensic case (1 media) | 10–18 business days |
| Chain of custody + physical repair | 15–25 business days |
| Corporate e-discovery (multiple media) | 20–35 business days |
| Case with emergency procedural deadline | Express priority |
- Express available for police, prosecutor, forensics or judicial process deadlines.
- No Data, No Charge policy: if we can't recover the critical files you flagged, you don't pay for the service. Diagnosis is free in 92% of cases.
Compliance and tools
We operate compliant with ABNT NBR ISO/IEC 27037 (digital evidence preservation), NIST SP 800-86 (forensic guide), LGPD and Brazilian Internet Civil Framework. Tools: FTK Forensic Toolkit, EnCase Forensic, X-Ways Forensics, Autopsy, Tableau and WiebeTech write-blockers, PC-3000, Atola, DDI. Engineers with active CREA registration for legally valid technical reports.
Why HD Doctor for forensic work
- 🏛️24+ years focused exclusively on data recovery, with 1,200+ forensic cases
- 📋Documented chain of custody with SHA-256 hash at all stages
- ⚖️Letterhead technical report signed by CREA-registered engineer, legally valid
- 🔬Class 100 cleanroom + write-blockers + validated tools (FTK, EnCase, X-Ways)
- 🛡️Compliance with ABNT ISO 27037, NIST SP 800-86, LGPD
- 🤝Service to police, prosecutors, judicial experts, law firms
Forensic FAQ
Do you issue legally valid technical reports?
Yes. Letterhead report signed by engineer with active CREA, compliant with ISO 27037 and in language accessible to court. Accepted in criminal, civil, labor and administrative cases.
Do you serve police, prosecutors and official forensics?
Yes. We serve federal/civil police, prosecutors, official experts, judicial experts and technical assistants. Documented chain of custody and ABNT-compliant process.
How does chain of custody work?
We document each stage: intake with photographed seal, SHA-256 hash of original, acquisition with write-blocker, image hash compared to original, time records and handler identification. Chain of custody term delivered with report.
Do you serve internal corporate investigations?
Yes, with full secrecy. Fraud investigation, data leaks, employee conduct, e-discovery in labor process. Specific NDA available.
Do you recover emails and app backups for forensics?
Yes. We recover emails (Outlook PST, Thunderbird, Gmail backup), WhatsApp/Telegram backups stored on desktop, browsing history, application logs and other evidence from storage media (HDD, SSD, NAS, server). We do not perform direct extraction from mobile devices.
How does the quote work?
Diagnosis is free. After technical assessment within 24h we send a detailed quote with scope, turnaround and cost. We accept government purchase orders and corporate invoicing.