Computer and data security are no longer afterthoughts following the aftershocks of highly publicized leaks of sensitive information. People have started to use file-based encryption and document passwords to protect data. This increases the number of file exceptions or errors on a forensic examiner’s audit report after analyzing a local or network drive.
Without the pass phrase to encrypted files or the password to locked files, a digital audit or investigation for e-discovery or another matter can be delayed and may ultimately be incomplete. Forensic examiners can run a brute-force, dictionary attacks on passwords and encrypted or locked files, but its success depends on the strength of a user’s pass phrase or word.
