How to store data on Mars

Storing data in outer space is no walk in the park! There are many differences between using computers on Earth and operating them on another planet, or just space in general. Luckily, a few six-wheeled friends have been helping us understand how it all works. So buckle up and join us as we find out how to store data on Mars, by taking a journey into the life of the rovers currently on the Martian surface.

Mars rover types

Let’s start with a bit of history. So far, there have been four successful NASA Mars rover missions. As you can see in this photo, the smallest rover at the front is Sojourner (1997), the mid-sized rover on the left is the Spirit/Opportunity design (2004), and the largest rover on the right is Curiosity (2011).

Opportunity made headlines recently when NASA finally lost contact with the rover after 15 years – RIP! Its sister rover, Spirit, was stranded in the sand in March 2010.

Curiosity is the last surviving rover on Mars and is about the size of a small car. It arrived in August 2012 and as of 2019 is still operational!

 

Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Choosing the right storage media

Any computer hardware that is used in space must be robust and flight tolerant, in order to survive the ascent from Earth and travel through the vacuum of space. For the Mars rovers, it also needs to survive the descent, landing and daily operations once it gets to Mars.

Aside from making sure that data storage device can deal with the vibrations of ascent and descent, there are other important factors to consider and unique challenges with each type of storage.

For example, Hard Disk Drives (HDDs) do not work in the vacuum of space, as they require air to operate correctly (more on that in a future post). It’s possible to use pressurized, sealed containers in order to run HDDs for systems and experiments in space (like on the International Space Station or the Space Shuttles), however, this adds complexity and a higher risk of failure.

Reel-to-reel magnetic tape systems were also used on the Space Shuttles as their data storage devices for performing various computer functions. In fact, many of the early interplanetary missions used magnetic tape media in order to store data, such as the Galileo (1989) and Magellan (1989) probes, which were sent to Jupiter and Venus respectively. The problem with the tape, though, is that it takes up a lot of space; nearly 2km of magnetic tape was used on these early spacecraft to achieve a data storage capacity of just 2GB!

So, what about Solid State Drives (SSDs)? Well, there have actually been many space missions that have used SSDs before, including the Mars Global Surveyor (1996), Cassini (1997) and New Horizons (2006). SSDs are compact, robust in design and don’t have the downsides of HDDs and tape media. Plus they have better overall performance, which means SSDs stand out as the most sensible option for data storage in modern interplanetary spacecraft.

Storing data on Mars

So SSDs appear to be the storage of choice, but that is just the start! One of the main challenges of storing data on Mars is the harsh environmental conditions, both on the surface and when traveling through space to get there. Luckily, there’s no flowing water on Mars, so there’s no chance of the rovers suffering from water damage! However, temperature control is a very important area to consider.

Most modern data storage devices will have a set of optimal conditions that they are designed to be operated within. For example, your average SSD is designed to operate normally within a temperature range of between -40⁰C to +85⁰C.

This is obviously fine for your PC or laptop here on Earth, but what about on Mars? Well, the average temperature on Mars is around -63⁰C, fluctuating from about -140⁰C at night to +20⁰C during the day depending on the location, which is a huge temperature difference compared to what we experience on Earth! The journey to get to Mars is also a problem, as temperatures in space can vary from as low as -273⁰C in the coldest regions and up to 120⁰C when a spacecraft is sun side.

In order to keep everything safe on board the rovers, NASA uses a dedicated thermal control system, along with an assortment of radiators and heaters, to regulate the temperature of the rover’s internals, both while traveling to Mars and when it gets there.

Remember to apply sunscreen

However, aside from temperature, radiation is the other main danger that any Mars rover or spacecraft must overcome. In addition to using radiation-hardened CPUs, this also extends to the data storage devices themselves.

NAND flash SSDs used on the Martian rovers are radiation-tolerant, but they are not completely immune, therefore it is very important to ensure that different techniques are used to protect the SSDs from harm. Examples of this include proper shielding of the rover body where the electronics are housed, plus a sufficient amount of redundancy and error detection used with the flash memory.

In fact, the Curiosity rover’s memory allocator has its own diagnostics function, which generates a map of all memory usage and keeps track of any issues. If there are any memory leaks due to degradation, the team at NASA can address the problem. More on that later!

Computing systems comparison

Down here on Earth, we have the luxury of computer systems with many Terabytes of hard drive space and RAM. However, the systems for the Mars rovers only need to be powerful enough to carry out the commands specific to their missions, therefore they simply do not need massive amounts of storage space, nor computing power.

Given that the design process for Spirit and Opportunity rovers started as early as the year 2000, the data storage used was also limited to the technology available at the time. Let’s get technical for a moment and show a quick comparison of the computing power and data storage technologies used on NASA’s fleet of Mars rovers since 1997:

 

Rover	CPU	RAM	EEPROM	Flash memory
Sojourner – 1997	2 MHz Intel 80C85	512KB	None	176KB
Spirit/Opportunity – 2004 (Mars Exploration Rover)	20 MHz RAD6000	128MB	3MB	256MB
Curiosity – 2011 (Mars Science Laboratory)	200 Mhz RAD 750	256MB	256KB	2GB

 

Fun fact: the Curiosity rover uses the radiation-hardened RAD750 CPU chip, which cost around $200,000 each! These chips are part of the PowerPC 750 family and based on the same chips that were used in the Apple PowerBook G3, iBook and several other Macs from the mid-late ’90s.

In addition to its main computer storage, Curiosity also has a separate 8GB flash storage device for each of its two front-facing camera masts. That’s plenty of storage space for taking lots of photos and videos of the Martian landscape!

Always have a backup

Both the Curiosity and Spirit/Opportunity rovers used RAM with error detection and correction, however, Curiosity is different from the other Martian rovers, as it is the only one that has two identical computers on board. Only one computer is used to operate the rover at any given time, which leaves the second, redundant computer available as a backup in case anything should go wrong.

That’s just as well, as when you’re 140 million miles away (on average) it’s not exactly feasible to pop over to Mars with your toolbox, and Ontrack doesn’t have a data recovery lab on Mars… at least not at the time of writing!

Once the rover has left Earth, the only way of fixing problems is remotely via satellite communication, which means any physical issues with the rover are usually impossible to overcome. Engineers must, therefore, prepare for every eventuality in advance and rely simply on logical fixes to bypass any issues.

Dealing with flash memory failure

Like any type of data storage device, it’s going to fail at some point in time (and space!). For example, SSDs only have a finite number of times that they can be written to before they start to degrade. Since flash memory is used throughout the Mars rovers’ computer systems, it really is only a matter of time before their memory degrades completely, rendering the rover completely inoperable.

In 2011, Opportunity first started experiencing errors when writing to its flash memory, with the rover suffering from ‘amnesia’ events that caused data to go missing. NASA eventually managed to pinpoint the issue after it kept occurring in 2014; one of the flash memory banks had started to degrade, which meant that sometimes Opportunity could not access its non-volatile flash memory to store information. When this happened, the rover would automatically save data to the volatile RAM instead, which subsequently got erased once the rover powered down each night.

Multiple failed attempts to access the flash memory caused Opportunity to keep rebooting, which disrupted whole sequences of commands and instructions sent up by the team on Earth, making the rover very challenging to operate. Here’s what NASA had to say about the issue in 2014:

 

“With the continuing Flash memory problems on the rover, the project has chosen to operate the rover without using the non-volatile Flash storage system and instead rely on the volatile random access memory (RAM) for the temporary storage of telemetry, or rover data. Longer term, the project will implement a strategy to mask off the troubled sector of Flash and resume using the remainder of the Flash file system in normal operations.”

By remotely reformatting and reprogramming the flash memory, the team was indeed able to bypass the faulty memory bank to get the flash data storage system back up and running again, albeit with less capacity than before. Success!

More memory issues

Alas, this wouldn’t be the last time a Mars rover experienced a memory-related fault. More recently, the Curiosity rover also experienced issues with its flash memory that needed addressing. However, as we mentioned earlier, Curiosity was fitted with two identical computers, so it can continue operating in case of any issues.

This foresight proved invaluable in 2013 when the team at NASA were forced to switch to Curiosity’s redundant ‘backup’ computer, as the main computer was experiencing a fault which meant the rover could not be commanded properly and the batteries were left draining. NASA addressed the problem in a similar way to how it fixed Opportunity; the bad section of memory was identified and quarantined so that the computer could be used properly again. This does again mean that some storage capacity was lost in the process.

Then, in September 2018 a similar fault on the other, previously healthy computer meant that science and engineering data could not be stored properly. As a temporary solution, the rover was switched back again to the same computer that had issues 5 years earlier, and in the meantime, engineers are trying to diagnose what went wrong and how to fix it.

Fun fact: when data from Curiosity is downlinked back to Earth for analysis, a dump of the flash memory map is included. This is so if any issues do arise with the memory, a ‘paper trail’ has been maintained throughout. This traceability allows the root cause of memory-based faults to be found and investigated more easily by engineers.

Unfortunately, it’s only a matter of time before the rover’s flash storage will eventually fail completely. But until then, Curiosity continues to soldier on as the only operational rover currently left standing on the Martian surface, sending back awesome photos like this one:

 

Curiosity takes a ‘selfie’ on Sol 2082 (15^th June 2018). Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

Bonus section: Operating system

For the technically-minded among us; another interesting aspect of Mars rover design is the computer operating system (OS). When you’re building a Mars rover, it’s not enough to just use a Windows or Mac OS, due to the unique requirements of spacecraft operations. Instead, most of the Mars rovers use a proprietary type of embedded, real-time operating system (RTOS) called VxWorks, which is primarily used within space and defense/military applications.

An RTOS is specifically designed to prioritize performance and reliability. In simple terms, it works by performing a task in less time than it takes for another task to be started (of the same type). VxWorks is also a ‘hard’ RTOS, which means it is suitable for use with time-critical applications, where it is compulsory for a computing task to always be completed on time and without fail.

As an example, if the Mars rover was instructed to drive in a certain direction, then change course after a certain period of time (or distance), it is imperative that each action or task is completed by the computer on time, to prevent the rover from driving off its pre-defined course and possibly encountering unsafe terrain that could endanger the spacecraft.

By way of contrast, your average Windows or Mac computer or mobile device will have what is called a ‘soft’ RTOS, whereby any task you initiate by clicking/tapping will get processed, but the time taken is not a compulsory factor. As an example, when you open a document or an app, it’s not essential that it must be opened within a set time frame, and the OS on your phone or computer might allow it to take a little longer to load in order to prioritize something else.

You probably wouldn’t notice a selfie-taking a fraction of a second longer to load on your phone, but a processing delay on a rover could add up to a bigger issue and put the entire mission in jeopardy! In simple terms, by using VxWorks, Mars rovers such as Curiosity are able to run multiple tasks at once with shared memory allocation, with the confidence that all of the tasks will be completed when they are supposed to.

Mars rovers of the future

The Mars 2020 rover is the next in line for launch, and it is expected to have the same computing hardware and data storage capacity as Curiosity. Massive amounts of data storage and computing power simply aren’t required for the purposes of the current Mars missions. Instead, NASA is sticking to its tried and tested formula that it has used on Curiosity, ultimately favoring reliability over everything else.

A neat bit of information to leave you with; the Mars 2020 rover will be the first to be fitted with microphones, which will allow it to record the sounds of the Martian environment. The rover will store those audio files in its flash memory and transmit the data back to Earth, so we can hear what it sounds like to be standing on the surface of Mars. If David Bowie was still around, you can bet you’d hear a sample on one of his songs!

That concludes our analysis of the data storage technologies on the Martian rovers, and how to successfully store data on Mars. We hope you’ve gained a better understanding of how these technologies work and how they differ from our usual computing devices here on Earth. It might be some time before humans eventually set foot on Mars, but rovers like Curiosity are already expanding our knowledge about what is possible when it comes to operating technology on another planet and the endless challenges involved.

 

If you’d like to find out more about the Mars rovers, we’d recommend the following resources:

NASA: Mars Curiosity Overview

CppCon 2014: C++ on Mars: Incorporating C++ into Mars Rover Flight Software

Chaos Computer Club 2018: 35C3 – The Mars Rover On-board Computer

Scott Manley: NASA Stops Trying to Wake Mars Opportunity After It Remains Silent

 

Got a question or a comment? Tweet us @OntrackUKIE.

 

 

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Gray and White Robot

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from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2PgGT3W

Meet Senior Sales Engineer Craig Goettig

How long have you worked at Ontrack?

I am coming up on my one year anniversary at the end of April.

What makes Ontrack different from its competitors?

Ontrack has been pioneers in the data recovery business going back 34 years.  We do not use off the shelf products to perform data recovery.  Instead, we build our own tools and are able to leverage those tools to perform very complex recoveries in some other the largest and most technically advanced enterprise storage systems.

Where do you see data recovery going in the future?

 I think the biggest change for data recovery in the future will be the media itself that we will need to process.  The transition from traditional spinning hard drives to solid-state drives was huge.  In the future, I see media continuing to have large shifts to newer architectures like storage class memory.

What is your best Ontrack story?

I don’t have one single story that stands out as much as a recurring thing that happens when I go onsite with customers and partners.  I get to hear some of the best success stories from around the globe.  I was in Barcelona and ran into a guy whose stepbrother used our services and saved his company after a devastating fire.  Another customer explained a situation where his co-worker deleted a business critical virtual machine and watched the life drain from his face when he realized what had happened. Fortunately, Ontrack was able to save the day.  With 50,000 data recoveries a year at Ontrack, I get to hear some really great success stories.

Why do you think Ontrack is such a great place to work?

Easy question, the people.  I have a passion for learning new things and am given opportunities to learn advanced data recovery techniques from my highly technical colleagues.  We respect each other and have high expectations for the team and as a result, we challenge each other. That makes the team and the services we provide even better, but it definitely starts with the people.

What’s your favorite film?

This question is much harder than the previous.  I’m going to supply my short list:  Forest Gump, Saving Private Ryan, Shawshank Redemption, and Anchorman

What’s your favorite food?

Medium-Rare ribeye steak

What are your hobbies?

Anything outdoors: Hunting, Fishing/Ice fishing, Snowmobiling, cruising on the motorcycle

 

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2Diom2n

Ontrack video: Do you know the difference between waterproof and water-resistant when it comes to your mobile device?

Ever wondered what the difference is between waterproof and water-resistant phones? In this video, our expert explains the difference and why you should still be careful around water with your expensive smartphone!

 

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2IsBPZ5

How to wipe your data from your old phone? (Video)

Trading in smartphones has become much more popular over the years due to the skyrocketing prices of new models. But, before you trade in your phone you must ensure your personal data has been correctly erased.

In this video blog, we show you how to do that.

Need more information on our mobile data recovery capabilities? Click here. 

 

 

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2CVaB9I

Ontrack survey: Reduced data loss due to backups!

A global survey of more than 800 Ontrack customers and partners during World Backup Day revealed that 2018 saw more users are protecting themselves from data loss with backups. In contrast to previous years, when on average more than 30% of respondents did not use a backup at all, the proportion of these users dropped dramatically last year to 2%! With only 13% of respondents having suffered any data loss at all in 2018!

A dramatic improvement was also seen in the use of backup solutions. In 2017,  only 43% of respondents were able to recover between 75% and 100% of their data from their backup, this year that figure increased to 76%.

How often data is backed up saw no significant increase in comparison to last year. 62% of respondents made a daily backup of their data in 2018 in comparison to 58% in 2017. While a weekly backup was performed by 16% of respondents, a similar figure to that in 2017.

The same picture emerges when testing the backup solution for functionality. Last year, 4% of respondents tested whether the backup and the associated hardware functioned properly daily.  24% tested weekly and 35% once a month. In 2017, 27 percent tested the backup environment on a weekly basis and 32 percent on a monthly basis. So the picture is similar here too.

So, how is it that in 2018 the number of data losses fell sharply from 19.5% to 13%, but the backup frequency and control remained almost the same?

We think that it has to do with the backup storages used. Compared to 2017, significantly more backups were stored on the cloud and online servers last year – increasing from 20% to 38%. At the same time, there was a further sharp increase in USB storage for backup purposes from around 9% in 2017 to 18% in 2018. In addition, the share of tape backups has remained virtually unchanged from around 10% to 9%. All in all, users have shifted significantly to cloud backups and thus outsourced their risk. At the same time, many users – almost 18% – have stated that they use a separate NAS for a backup and thus – if the data recovery functions of the NAS are correctly set up and functioning – have significantly reduced the risk of data loss.

Despite this positive development, the results of this survey should not lull any computer user into a false sense of security.

We advise all computer users not only to use a backup solution but to also check it regularly.

In the event of a serious loss of data, it is better to contact a professional data rescuer such as Ontrack to prevent further serious system failures or irreparable data loss.

The Ontrack Survey was conducted in the USA, UK, Germany, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France. A total of 810 participants took part.

 

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from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2HQRv8L

Top tips to protect your company’s mobile devices from hackers

Just a couple of days ago McAfee released its latest mobile threat report for 2019. According to the findings, from one of the global leading cybersecurity firms, we will see an increased number of so-called fake apps for Android smartphones and tablets this year.

According to McAfee, there was a 650 % increase in fake-apps between June and December in 2018. Fake-apps – like the free-of-charge-version of the very successful game, Fortnite – aim to gain access to consumer phones to steal the user’s identity.

In that time period, there was a 200% increase in so-called “Financial Trojans” on smartphones. These apps contain Trojans that steal a victim’s financial institutions credentials allowing the hacker access to the user’s account. Once inside the bank account, the hacker tries to transfer as much money as possible to their own.

Even though stealing an individual’s finances may sound awful, it’s the access a hacker can gain passwords that give them access to company networks which can be much worse!

Hackers need open backdoors to get inside a system or network, and finding security holes by hacking an employee smartphone is one of the best ways to gain access into a company. Once hackers are in a network, the firm is almost completely unprotected. Now it is only a matter of minutes for a hacker to steal sensitive data (e.g. of new projects or products to sell it to the highest bidder), or place a malicious software tool like ransomware that will encrypt precious data.

Regardless of the specific criminal intention of the hacker, once a system is open, the hacker can do all sorts of activity. Therefore, it is essential that this never happens in your company. Here are some tips on how to prevent employees’ smartphones from getting hacked:

• Employees should be made aware that their mobile device is a perfect entry inside the company network. Data security training for the use of both private as well as company mobile devices should be made mandatory for the employees. The company should set rules for the use of private mobile devices in the company.
• There should be a strict division between private use and business use. Apps that are used in business environments should never be used for private purposes. It is a good idea to centrally manage all apps that are available on a company smartphone or tablet – Mobile Application Management, MAM.
• All smartphones and mobiles that are used inside a company should be managed over a centralized administration – (also known as Mobile Device Management). With such a tool, the administrator is able to implement all the necessary patches and security features via one single role out. In short, the administrator will be able to administer all devices from their desk. Smartphones or tablets that are used by guests should only be allowed to use the network inside a special secured guest area that gives access to a limited internet but is monitored in real-time so no malware can spread across the company.
• All mobile devices that are used by the company should be registered in an inventory and be kept up to date. There should also be a (short) documentation about every product and its current status –manufacturer, product type, OS, updates, patch levels installed, and telephone number. The handover of any device to an employee must always be supported by a signature.
• If a mobile device is used for both private and business purposes, special measures should be taken. There are several possibilities available to divide the usage; one is to provide a special container app. There are many on the market e.g. AirWatch Container from VMware, Sophos Mobile Control 6.0 or Container Station from QNAP NAS. Inside a container app, the software can work as it likes but is not able to connect without notice to external links. It also prevents sensitive data from being copied or transferred to private and insecure apps like WhatsApp. If such a container app is not available, apps and programs that are intended to be used by the employee should only be available by authentication. Additionally, downloads and data transfer should always be done via VPN.

Even if you take our tips into consideration, you should remember that you are never fully protected from cyber attacks. Hackers will constantly look for a new and better way to find a loophole into a company’s network system. If you are hit by an attack, inform your local authorities and if you are in need of data recovery – e.g. in a ransomware case – contact professional data recovery service provider like Ontrack Data Recovery.

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from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2YwXq8d

Kingston Video Blog: Why Arc Production relies on Kingston SSD for animations

Kingston Technology has created a series of videos on key SSD and NAND Flash technology terms specifically for business customers. This video shows why Arc Productions’ animation artists rely on fast SSDs for their work.

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Kingston Technology Inc. – All rights reserved!

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2TOlCUS

Meet Ontrack’s Chief Operating Officer Peter Böhret

How long have you worked at Ontrack?

 23 years!

What makes Ontrack different from its competitors?

Our people make us different. They care about our customers’ data and treat every case as if it was their first. We surprise our customers every day and go the extra mile to make the “impossible” happen.

Where do you see data recovery going in the future?

I believe there will be an increasing need for convenience from consumers in the future. Consumers will want self-service data recovery, where it is as easy as purchasing an item of clothing online. There will also be an ongoing need for premium data recovery for business single devices as well as larger storage systems. Finally, I believe there will be a consolidation in the DR market – as we continue to grow, smaller competitors will leave the market.

What is your best Ontrack story?

An IT-Manager of a mid-sized company came to us with a dramatic data loss on the main company server. He told us – if you can recover this data – I will do 3 things: go to church, I will hold a party in my company’s office and I will bring you a magnum of champagne! 3 weeks later he arrived at our office with that promised magnum!

Why do you think Ontrack is such a great place to work?

We help customers every day when they are in desperate need. This is the basis for great teamwork and a great culture, which makes a big difference.

What’s your favorite film?  

Gandhi

What’s your favorite food?

Venison slowly cooked served with Bohemian dumplings, red cabbage, pears, and red berries. Served with a glass of Montepulciano di Abruzzo.

What are your hobbies?

Hiking, skiing, traveling, and I am an active member of our parish.

 

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2W8Cwu6

How to protect your data on your old mobile device

With the rising costs of smartphones, many consumers are no longer prepared to pay the hefty price tag that comes with a brand new one.

With iPhone´s having passed the $1000 line, many are now considering buying used smartphones.

According to a study published last year, the worldwide sales of refurbished smartphones grew by 13% in 2017 compared to 2016. In contrast, the global sales of new smartphones grew by 3% only.

In many cases, trading in your own smartphone to get an upgrade is a good way of lowering the price tag of a new phone. When a trade-in is not possible, many people turn to eBay or other internet marketplaces to sell their old smartphone. But, before you do that, you should remember these 5 tips:

1.Backup your phone

Before selling or trading-in your phone, you should back up all data stored on your device, so that you can transfer the data easily to your new phone. If you are an iPhone user, you need to do the following:

• Head to Settings
• Click iCloud
• Click Storage and Backup (if for any reason the iCloud feature is disabled, enable it)
• Select Backup Now (this will save your data to the Cloud)

If you are an Android user, you can use a USB cable to transfer your data onto a computer. Additionally, there are many Android apps that create backups of your mobile device data.

If you need to back up from specific smartphone apps, Titanium Backup or Helium Backup are tools that are useful for saving app data. Another tool is MyPhoneExplorer. This is intended for users that want to back up their address book, calendar, SMS, files, photos, and phone lists without using Google. For those users that are happy to use Google, you can use your Google account to save all the content of your device.

1. Deactivate your accounts

After you have backed up all your data, you should deactivate or deregister your phone from your accounts. By doing so, whoever purchases your mobile device will not have any problems trying to activate it with their own personal data. This is very important with a used iPhone, as if you have not deregistered yourself from the device, the new owner may not ever be able to use the phone. If you are planning to sell or trade-in an iPhone with iOS 7 or above, you have to make sure that Activation Lock is turned off. This ties your phone with your Apple ID. These settings can be changed using iCloud under “Find My iPhone”.

iPhone users should deregister their device from both iCloud as well as iTunes after they have backed up their data. After the user has successfully deregistered themselves from iCloud and iTunes, they then must delete the entire contents of the phone.

Android users should not run into any major problems as iPhone users can. One tip is that it is a good idea to sign out of your Google Account before resetting your phone. You will find “Remove Account” under “Settings”, “Google Account.” Note that this can be different depending on your specific Android.

1. Encrypt your data

Before securely deleting your mobile device it is a good idea to encrypt the data. By doing so, you make the data unreadable to everyone without the individual unique encryption key. While data on iPhones are encrypted by default, Android data must be encrypted manually. You can find this feature under “Settings/Security” and then tap “Encrypt Device.” After encrypting your device, the data cannot be accessed by outside devices or hackers.

1. Delete your phone with a factory reset or special erasure software

The easiest way to securely delete all the data on your phone before you trade it in or sell it is to do a factory reset.

With an iPhone, all you have to do is to find “General” under “Settings”, select “Reset” and then “Erase All Content.” On an Android device select “Settings,” then “Privacy,” “Factory Data Reset,” and select “Reset Phone.”

|However, for companies, doing such a manual factory reset on hundreds or even thousands of mobile devices is simply not possible. For administrators, special software tools have been developed that can securely delete large amounts of devices for good and can provide both a detailed data erasure report as well as a certification of the process used. Ontrack Data Recovery provides not only the needed software by Blancco but also provides Hosted Erase –a  DIY solution for secure data destruction on multiple devices. Customers who do not have the time nor the expertise can use Ontrack’s Data Erasure and Erase Verification Services.

1. Remove any SIM or SD cards

This is may seem quite obvious, but many people forget to take out their SIM and their (Mini/Micro) SD cards before they sell/trade-in their device.

 

Picture copyright: Ontrack Data Recovery

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2O3xVXc

Ransomware attacks: All you need to know

Over the last few years, cybercrime has been increasing at an alarming rate. Unfortunately, the rise of technology comes hand in hand with the rise of cybercrime.

According to the Cyber Security Breaches Survey, 43% of businesses were a victim of some form of cyber-security breach in 2018. While in the previous year, the US state of California lost more than $214 million through cybercrime alone.

It was only last month that we were writing about the latest hack to hit the headlines, Collection #1. And, with it being estimated that last year alone, Cybercrime generated at least 1.5 trillion dollars, it’s no wonder this is becoming a big concern.

There are many forms of cybercrime, ranging from phishing scams, internet fraud to cyberstalking. In this blog, we are going to concentrate on ransomware.

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is a form of malicious software designed to either block access to a computer system or publishes a victim’s personal data online. The attacker demands a ransom from the victim, promising – not always truthfully – to restore access to the data upon payment.

Around since the 1980s, the last decade has seen various ransomware Trojans crop up, but the real opportunity for attackers has ramped up since the introduction of Bitcoin. This cryptocurrency allows attackers to easily collect money from their victims without going through traditional channels.

Where does ransomware come from?

Ransomware is created by highly knowledgeable scammers that are experts in computer programming. Ransomware can enter through your computer from an email attachment, via your network or through your browser if you visit a website that is infected with this type of malware.

How does ransomware work?

Phishing

The most common delivery system for ransomware is via phishing spam – attachments that arrive in a victim’s email, masquerading as a file that they can trust. According to research from a security software firm, Trend Micro, 91% of cyber attacks and the resulting data breach begin with a spear phishing email.

Once the attachment has been downloaded and opened, the malware can take over the victim’s computer, encrypting some of the user’s files. When this happens, the only way the files can be decrypted is through a mathematical key only known to by the attacker.

There have also been cases where malware will display a message claiming that the user’s ‘Windows’ is locked. The user is then encouraged to call a “Microsoft” phone number and enter a six-digit code in order to reactivate the system. The message alleges that the phone call is free, but this isn’t true. While on the phone calling the fake ‘Microsoft’, the user racks up long-distance call charges.

Doxware

Another malware is called leakware or doxware. This is where the attacker will threaten to release sensitive data on the victim’s hard drive unless a ransom is paid. Often targeting emails and word documents, there have also been cases of mobile variants where private messages, pictures and contact lists from users’ phones have been released.

Doxware is known to be more effective than ransomware – in terms of getting the money from the victim. With ransomware, you can maintain separate backups of data that is no longer accessible, but with doxware, once an attacker has information that the victim doesn’t want to be made public, there is little to be done apart from paying up.

It’s not just the ransom that is costly!

You would think that paying a ransom to gain access to your data was bad enough, but that can pale into comparison to the actual damage costs involved with an attack. This can include:

• Damage and destruction (or loss) of data
• Lost productivity
• Post-attack disruption to the normal course of business
• Forensic investigation
• Restoration and deletion of hostage data and systems
• Reputational harm
• Employee training in direct response to the attacks

When you take the above into account, it is no wonder that ransomware damages are predicted to climb to $11.5 billion this year, with an attack projected every 14 seconds by the end of this year, up from every 40 seconds last year.

To pay or not to pay

When you speak to cybercrime experts, most urge you not to pay the ransoms as funding ransomware attackers will only help create more ransomware.

Although, many organizations go against this advice weighing up the cost of the encrypted data against the ransom being asked. Last year, in the US, 45% of companies hit with ransomware paid their attackers. But why?!

While refusing to pay ransomware is suggested for the wider business community, refusing to pay may not be the best case of action for the business itself. Especially when there is a chance the business may permanently lose access to vital data, incur fines from regulators or go out of business altogether. The choice between paying a relatively modest ransom and staying in business or refusing to pay to help the wider business community is a no brainer for most.

In some ransomware cases, the ransom demanded is often set at a point that it’s worth the attacker’s while, but low enough that it is often cheaper than a victim paying to reconstruct their lost data. Discounts are also sometimes offered if the victim pays within a certain timeframe e.g. 3 days.

With that in mind, some companies are actually building up reserves of Bitcoin specifically for ransom payments. This is particularly being seen in the UK, where organizations seem more likely to pay ransoms. According to Gotham Sharma, managing director at Exeltek Consulting Group, “About a third of mid-sized British companies report having Bitcoin on hand to respond to ransomware emergencies when other options can’t be immediately exhausted.”

What to do if you’re infected by ransomware

If you find yourself infected by ransomware, first you need to find out what kind of ransomware it is. If you can’t get past a ransomware note on your screen, then you probably have been infected by screen-locking ransomware. If you can browse through your apps but can’t open your files, movies etc. you have been hit with encrypting ransomware – the worse of the two. If you can navigate your system and read all your files, then you have probably hit with a fake that is just trying to scare you into paying.

There is a great blog that goes into detail about what to do when you’re hit with both screen-locking and encrypting ransomware here.

How do you prevent ransomware?

-Ensure you have a good backup of all your files. This way if anything does happen, restoration of your files from a backup is the fastest way to regain access to your data.

-When answering emails, unsolicited phone calls, text messages or instant messages do not provide any personal information. Phishers can try and trick employees into installing malware or gain intelligence by claiming they are someone from your IT department.

-Ensure you have a reputable antivirus software and a firewall. There are many fake software’s on the market, so it’s vital your antivirus and firewall are strong to ensure you’re safe from malware threats.

– Make sure you have content scanning and filtering on your mail servers. Every inbound e-mail should be scanned for known threats, and block any attachment types that could pose a threat.

-If you are traveling for work, ensure that you inform your IT department beforehand especially if you think you may be using public wireless internet points. Make sure you have a trustworthy Virtual Private Network (VPN) when accessing any public Wi-Fi spots.

– Make sure all your computer software is up to date. This includes the operating system, browser and any toolbar plug-ins you use.

Read our previous blog about how to protect your company from cybercrime.

Ontrack and Ransomware

At Ontrack, we are constantly tracking 271 different types of Ransomware. Ransomware changes and develops all of the time, so we want to make sure we are watching and studying the latest changes and advancements. Studying ransomware and its ever-changing forms mean it’s more likely that we will be able to recover data that has been lost in result of an attack.

We currently have encryption abilities on 138 types of ransomware. Only a couple of years ago this figure was only 6, so we have come a long way!

When it comes to inaccessible data, it is always best to contact an expert. If you find yourself under attack from ransomware contact an expert like Ontrack who potentially has the capability to help you gain access to your data.

 

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2HkKpIC

Kingston Video Blog: Why is it important to encrypt your USB drives?

Kingston Technology has created a series of videos on key SSD and NAND Flash technology terms specifically for business customers. In this video, the company explains why it is important to encrypt USB sticks.

Picture copyright:

DataTraveler Locker+ G3

Kingston Technology Inc. – All rights reserved!

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2EENy4l

An interview with Ontrack President Philip Bridge

For our first issue of ‘Meet the faces behind Ontrack,’, we thought we would introduce you to the main man behind the company. With over 20 years of experience in data recovery, he has seen the data recovery industry transform and has a vision of the future. Let us introduce you to our President, Philip Bridge.

How long have you worked at Ontrack? 

22 years this month!

What makes Ontrack different from its competitors? 

Ontrack is the only truly international, 24/7/365 data recovery and data management provider, and the only one with a dedicated and significant R&D team.  This not only means that we can provide our customers with valuable services around the globe and around the clock but often when no others are technically able to assist.  Our goal is to provide a cost-effective and technically successful solution to all customers, on all devices, at all times.

How has data recovery evolved since you’ve been with Ontrack?

The technical landscape has changed massively over the last 22 years, both from a physical and logical perspective.  When I started with Ontrack, a 9Gb SCSI drive was a big deal, we regularly performed recoveries on Novell Netware systems, and ‘the cloud’ was only a fluffy white thing in the sky!  Thankfully we’ve been able to stay ahead of the technological curve, through strategic relationships, and our own engineering investment in technology solutions for the most complex data loss challenges.  We daily get to solve the impossible problems and showcase our best-in-class data recovery solutions.

Why do you think Ontrack is such a great place to work?

We have a great culture, a clear focus, and a commitment to unbeatable customer service and technological excellence.  It sounds like a cliché, but this business really is about the people – our relationships with the channels, our interdepartmental dependencies, and of course, the daily contact with our customers as we strive to solve their data management challenges with them.

What’s your favorite film? 

Jacob’s Ladder (1990), desperately avoiding the rumored recent remake…

What’s your favorite food?

Most things Italian.  Or Indian.  Or involving steak.

What are your hobbies?

Play several sports most weeks (football, squash, tennis), enjoy playing golf (badly), go to a music gig most months (usually indie/rock), but happiest at home in front of a movie with the family and a glass of wine.

 

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2GBZhmy

Cybercrime: Useful tips to protect your company

Cybercrime and cybersecurity are two topics often underestimated by both companies and individuals.

A recent study by Accenture estimates that the cost of  Cybercrime to companies over the next 5 years could be in excess of 5.2  trillion.

According to the study, the technological developments in the field of security are the main cause; the modern internet-based business models develop faster than the technology required for their cyber-security.

The most affected sector by cybercrime threats is high-tech with over $ 753 billion of possible emerging costs over the next 5 years. This is followed by life sciences with $642 billion and automotive with $505 billion.

Source: screenshot from Accenture Research – https://accntu.re/2Vds8AX -for-Trust.pdf

In the study, more than 1700 CEOs and top managers were interviewed around the world to find their Internet-related challenges and to outline imperatives for the CEO´s evolving role in technology, business architecture, and governance.

79% of respondents believe that the development of the digital economy will be compromised unless there is rapid progress in internet security.

75% say that IT security challenges will need a joint response since no organization will be able to solve the challenge on its own.

59% of respondents say that internet security is unstable and does not have a clear picture of possible actions to be taken to cope with threats.

How to protect your firm against cyber attacks?

As we see by these findings, most of the CEO´s are not only afraid of cybercrime and cyber attacks, but they see them as a severe threat to successfully doing business in the digital age.

Today, hackers and cybercriminals have a deep knowledge of every type of network, operating systems and software leaks that can be used as zero-day-exploits but also are capable of adjusting to new situations. Cyber attacks are therefore on the rise each year and getting much more elaborate.

What are the three best ways to protect from cyber attacks?

1. Consult a professional hacker. One of the best ways to protect your company from cybercrime is to consult a professional (former) hacker. They will be able to stress test your system for weaknesses and loopholes. These ethical hackers perform penetration tests which disclose the main problems in a very short time. The IT administrator can then close the gaps that have been found, preventing (hopefully) any attacks.
2. Keep your systems up to date. This might seem rather obvious, but as we have seen in the last few years, hackers like to use gaps that exist in operating systems that are already known to the public. For example, in a lot of web browsers there are many technical loopholes that have to be closed with an update, but in reality, many smaller companies don’t update their systems in time. Additionally, you should also have the latest antivirus solution and a firewall running to protect your system.
3. Keep your employees up to date. When it comes to cybercrime the main weakness is the person behind the computer screen. Even though there might be cases where hackers have developed an extraordinary malware code that can transfer itself from one device or data folder to another, it is not easy to get into an enterprise network and server system anymore. Employees must be permanently trained in the handling of data. There must be a clear guideline of what data employees can access and what not, and there must be strict guidelines regarding emails.

If an email is received and includes any of the below, then it is highly likely to be a suspicious email.

• From an unknown sender
• Has lots of mistakes
• Is written in another language
• Includes senseless information in the subject line
• Includes applications and programs
• Includes a reminder for payment of an unknown invoice
• An email which only includes the attachment but no message
• Urgent request for money transfer

Finally, employees should also be suspicious when they find that money has been debited from the company or private account. Therefore, it is wise to frequently check bank accounts for suspicious activity.

Picture copyright: Accenture Research

Ontrack Data Recovery

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2EiQ5kk

Kingston Technology Video: An explanation of Total Bytes Written

Kingston Technology has created a series of videos on key SSD technology terms specifically for business customers. In this video, hosts Louis Kaneshiro and Cameron Crandall, both senior technology managers at Kingston, explain the term “Total Bytes Written:

The Compact Flash card recovery challenge

As data recovery specialists, we have had many cases over the years where data loss has occurred on NAND Flash-based storage devices – SSDs, USB sticks, and the so-called CF (CompactFlash) cards.

In many cases, our customers are using a CF card inside their digital camera and experience data loss while trying to transfer photos/videos from their camera to a computer or NAS. In most of these cases, the internal NAND Flash controller of the CF card is defective.

This very small controller is responsible for where the data segments are distributed over the several storage chips (wear-leveling). When the controller is broken, it is not possible to recover the data with a common data recovery software, because the algorithm on how the data segments are distributed is not available.

Additionally, sometimes the error is not due to the controller, but down to the memory chips themselves. After a certain age, they can no longer be read properly and then the controller simply fails in trying to.

In many cases – but not in all – professional data recovery experts like Ontrack are still able to recover the data with specialized tools and software without the need to have an original controller. But this depends highly on the brand and specific the product.

In any case, such a data project is not an easy task and a lot of specialized knowledge is needed to recover data, which can result in an expensive bill!

Picture copyright notice: Ontrack Data Recovery

 

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2SogqGu

What is Write Amplification (WA) and how does it effect SSDs?

In a recent blog, we described Garbage Collection and the Trim command. Both are methods to mark and set data that are no longer in use and can, therefore, be overwritten in a Flash NAND based SSD.
These two methods try to solve the problem that any SSD made by Flash NAND chips have – the Write Amplification (WA) and the Write Amplification Factor (WAF).
As we have mentioned before, one of the main differences between a ‘normal’ magnetic hard disk drive (HDD) and a Solid State Drives (SSD) is how they handle data writes. While HDD’s write data on empty spaces, the SSD always erases data first before it writes new data inside the Flash storage chips. This means that except for brand new SSDS or ones that have been securely erased by the producer before its sold, the Flash storage chips have to be erased before they can be rewritten.
This would not be a problem if the deletion process was an easy task. However, this is not the case as when deleting data and writing new data on an SSD, it requires the data and metadata to be written multiple times. This is because Flash storage consists of data blocks and pages.

How does wear leveling make your SSD live longer?

In a previous blog, we looked at some of the most basic technologies that make SSDs and their Flash NAND chips work more efficiently and thus live longer. But there is one thing we have not discussed: wear leveling.

What is wear leveling

Without wear leveling, an SSD would generally never reach its optimal lifespan. Since an SSD consists of many Flash NAND cells and each of them is only capable of a certain amount of read-/write- operations, an SSD would normally fail without wear leveling much quicker than with this technology.

Collection # 1: the newest hack to hit the headlines

The subject of hacking was a top billing in the news for most of 2018, and guess what, it’s happened again!
If you aren’t sure what we are talking about, we’ll give you the lowdown!
Basically, Troy Hunt, one of the world’s most famous security experts, has reported that over 773 million emails and 21 million passwords have been hacked.
Calling it Collection #1, in his blog he explains that he was contacted by multiple people directing him to a large collection of files on a popular cloud service. The files totaled over 12,000 (more than 87GB of data) and contained lists of personal data. He was then directed to a popular hacking forum, where these lists had been published.
According to Hunt, the huge database is the result of several databanks, which have affected individuals, sites and commercial organisations.

How do I check if my email address has been compromised?

Kingston Technology Video: What is Smart Monitoring?

Kingston Technology has created a series of videos related to SSD technology terms for business users. In this video, Louis Kaneshiro and Cameron Crandall, Senior Technology Managers from Kingston explain the term “SMART” Monitoring.

 

Picture copyright: DataTraveler 100 G3 16GB

Kingston Technology Inc. – All rights reserved!

from the Data Recovery Blog by Ontrack http://bit.ly/2Mhk8vk

Key mistakes that lead to data loss

The results from a recent Ontrack study showed that many IT departments are massively overloaded, which can lead to disruptions and data loss. With 77% of the respondents in the study describing themselves as overloaded, it is no wonder that 84% of companies report that they have experienced data loss due to avoidable errors.
Below are the three most common mistakes made by companies that led to data loss:
Lack of time
Lack of time is one of the main reasons behind data loss. According to the study conducted, every second IT employee lacks the time to regularly document procedures and processes. However, this behavior can cause fatal errors in the long run. It is vital to know what data is stored where and when. This is especially important if data needs to be recovered. As if you don’t understand exactly what happened, the recovery process can become very complex and expensive.
Continue to work on an affected server after data deletion occurs
As soon as an IT employee notices that data is missing on a server, the server should be directly locked, isolated and the current database frozen. However, this is often not done because shutting a server down can mean business has to stop. If the server continues to be used, important areas on the server that are necessary for the recovery of the lost data are overwritten. This can cause irreversible data loss. Companies should therefore not shy away from the financial expense of installing sufficient manpower, replacement servers and backups.