Tag Archives: data

Top Reasons that Data is Gone from Your iPhone and How to Get Lost Data back

While losing data affects everyone who uses an iPhone, especially for those who reply on iPhone for business. It is really an unpleasant experience. And while retrieving the erased data can be extremely difficult to deal with in some cases, preventing against data loss is very important to you.

The reason that data goes missing are varied, but seven listed below are the most common.

1. iOS software update

Some users state that their contacts were wiped when updating to the new iOS, even after restoring the rest of the device’s settings as is the norm. It’s recommended that you just hit “update” button left without any security of your content, all you have to remember is to back up your device to either iCloud or iTunes on a local computer.

2. Restore to factory settings

Restoring your iPhone to factory settings may remove all of your personal information like text messages, notes and appointments, although it retains some of its apps.

3. Jailbreak

Jailbreaking your iPhone voids the warranty, and this operation often got stuck in DFU mode. Restoring your iPhone in iTunes will erase everything including SMS, photos, videos etc.

4. Delete data due to mis-operation

Deleting information simply by touching the screen the wrong way, getting rid of unwanted contacts on your iPhone or other mis-operations will make your regret most before backup.

5. iPhone crashing

iPhone crashing like camera library, mail or contact app crashing will put your iPhone into blank screen with Apple sign in white. Then you find all your photos, contacts were gone after it came back.

6. Get your iPhone wet or have it stolen

If you have had the horrible misfortune of having your iPhone dropped in water or stolen, maybe you will see all your valuable information get lost, including contacts, photos, music, SMS, ideas, etc. in a second.

7. Replacing iPhone battery

All flash memory in the phone (except RAM) is retained without power. Replacing the battery has the same effect as resetting your iPhone, be careful with this!

We didn’t realize the seriousness of the situations such as the above until we deleted a crucial message on iPhone. But are the deleted files deleted permanently? Users should be aware that highly sensitive data can still be retrieved from either iTunes backup file or iPhone directly… some of the time. Below are the steps from recovering lost data via two means.

Restoring from a previous iTunes backup

You’re in luck if you have backed up before you deleted the contacts, just restore from iTunes backup files via iTunes.

Note: Back up your iPhone using iTunes prior to following these instructions. During the following instructions you’ll be advised to erase all data from your iPhone. If you do not back up the data that resides only on your iPhone, such as pictures or notes, that data will be permanently lost.

Step 1: Configure iTunes so that it doesn’t automatically sync with your iPhone when it is connected to your computer;

Step 2: Connect your iPhone to your computer;

Step 3: Open iTunes, right-click on your device and press “Restore from backup…”.

Recovery tool method to retrieve deleted files without backup

Due to the special technology of iPhone, it’s very hard to recover data directly from the iPhone itself, but it’s not impossible. Professional programs such as Fone Rescue, the iPhone data recovery utility (with separate versions for Windows and Mac) can help to retrieve deleted files without backup, it works with all iOS devices including newer iPads, the iPhone 5, and the iPhone 4S etc. Fone Rescue isn’t perfect, but if you’ve accidentally deleted an important photo or file, you know that some things are priceless.

Failure To Encrypt Data May Lead To Serious Data Breaches And Hefty Fines

Organizations have to undertake a serious review of the way they handle data or the level of security of their information network. A school’s ignorance of the need to encrypt mobile and portable devices has led to a breach of the Data Protection Act, after a laptop was stolen from a teacher’s car, the Information Commissioner’s Office has found.

Freehold Community School in Oldham was said to have broken data laws when the unencrypted device containing personal information on 90 pupils was stolen from the car parked at the teacher’s home. Enquiries from the ICO found the school was not aware of the need to encrypt such devices. A school policy informing staff that storage devices should not be kept in cars away from school premises was however in place.

“The fact that the school was unaware of the need to encrypt the information stored on their laptop shows that many organizations continue to process personal information without having the most basic of security measures in place,” said Sally-Anne Poole, the ICO’s acting head of enforcement
Virgin Media Limited is an example of a large organization to be held to account for a breach of the UK’s Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA). The breach seems to have occurred following the loss of a compact disc that was passed to Virgin Media by Carphone Warehouse. The disc contained personal details of various individuals’ interest in opening a Virgin Media Account in a Carphone Warehouse store.

Virgin Media was required, with immediate effect, to encrypt all portable or mobile devices that store and transmit personal information. Further, the company is to ensure that any service provider processing personal information on its behalf must also use encryption software and this requirement has to be clearly stated in all contracts.

Over the past years laptops (Marks & Spencer), DVDs (HM Revenue and Customs), and memory sticks (PA Consulting) have all gone astray, with the potential loss of thousands of records.
Recently, the Ponemon Institute surveyed 275 European organizations in its latest lost laptop report to determine the economic consequences of having a laptop lost or stolen. It was found that participating organizations lost over 72,000 laptops during a 12-month period for a total economic impact of $1.79 billion, according to the “The Billion Euro Lost Laptop Problem” report, released in April. The researchers calculated that on average, each laptop loss cost participating organizations about $6.85 million in 2010.
The European study complemented the earlier Ponemon Institute’s December study which surveyed 329 organizations in the United States about laptop loss. Respondents lost more than 86,000 laptops over the course of a year, according to “The Billion Dollar Lost Laptop Study.” The report valued the total cost at $2.1 billion at the time.
When the resulting losses from the European study are combined with the US study, the total damages ballooned to $3.9 billion across almost 160,000 lost laptops in the space of one year. Only 34 percent of lost laptops were encrypted, 26 percent were backed up regularly, and seven percent had other anti-theft features enabled, according to the European report. There were other similar trends in the European and US studies. Both reports found that roughly 30 percent of the lost laptops contained confidential data that was not encrypted.
Organizations have to pay more attention on data policies, and have a proficiently skilled IT security workforce in order to avoid cyber attacks and security breaches. IT security professionals can increase their information security knowledge and skills by embarking on advanced and highly technical training programs. EC-Council has launched the Center of Advanced Security Training (CAST), to address the deficiency of technically proficient information security professionals. CAST will provide advanced technical security training covering topics such as Advanced Penetration Testing, Digital Mobile Forensics, Advanced Application Security, Advanced Network Defense, and Cryptography, among others. These highly sought after and lab intensive information security training courses will be offered at all EC-Council hosted conferences and events, and through specially selected authorized training centers.

Storing data and documents at present

Today, data centers include massive volumes of data and documents, which are increasing at a constant pace – a phenomenon we call Big Data. Although these systems are very modern, they are now becoming insufficient and require a considerable investment with very little practical use. This case is certainly going in crescendo, and requires a rapid and easily applicable remedy.

Cutting Edge Storage Methods, Not Only a Need but an Obligation

Apart from the importance of having the ability to efficiently manage high volumes of documents and data, large businesses must also address the legal requirements to conform. Obvious examples of this are financial and health organizations around the globe that are forced to save and store all their communications with clients safely, while respecting data discretion. Health organizations must store this information even beyond the lives of the patients involved. A certain example is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which applies to all health organizations in the United States.

It is obvious that effective and efficient data and document storage models are not only necessary, due to their large volume and the related expenses, but in addition because legislation obliges companies to ensure long-term data storage.

Different data storage models

As early as the starting of 2012, programmers began to define software architectures for data and document storage, which have shaped the most recent trend in data center formats.

In reality, normal data centers depending on hardware are making way for virtualization software program – a trend which is in accordance with the large amount of new business software applications which have transformed networks, PC´s and data storage levels.

Regarding data storage, the newest trend shows that level 1 applications (ERPs, email, etc.) are leaning towards virtualization system. This lowers both costs related to server acquisitions and also the difficulties arising from standard hardware-based choices.

An example would be the popular SSD flash based technologies, following a drastic drop in rates, in recent years, of solid state drives. This sort of device comes with a higher Reading and boot-up speed than mechanical hard disks, as well as a lot more secure data and document storage.

The importance of document management software for data storage

The apparent and huge expansion of stored data and documents requires not only hardware, but additionally specialized document management software, to make certain flexible process automation, to securely store information and to retrieve data on demand.

It is precisely in the data retrieval phase where good data management software tools become vital. In fact, if an end user or company cannot access its data or documents, any storage system results in being worthless. For this reason, the key features of any document management software application should not just be dedicated to data storage, nevertheless they must also include efficient and quick data search strategies. These techniques ought to be secure, via data access privileges and restrictions. Furthermore, document management software also need to provide a variety of operations, such as email deliveries, queries, printing, etc.

Another useful and increasingly popular device when it comes to data storage are the storage hypervisors, for easily supervising virtualized data. These devices also allows to increase availability, speed and use of data centers.

It seems clear that the industry for document management software and data storage is growing. Therefore, the main challenge of document management software firms providing such systems is to enable correct data management and, most importantly, efficient recovery of those vast volumes of data.