What is a write blocker?

A write blocker is a crucial tool in digital forensics that serves to prevent any modification of data on digital storage devices during an investigation. By ensuring that the original data remains unchanged, write blockers help maintain the integrity of the evidence, which is essential for legal proceedings and forensic analysis.

When digital forensic examiners are collecting data from hard drives, USB drives, or other media, using a write blocker ensures that they can read the data without risking alterations that could occur through standard copying methods. This is critical because even minor changes to a file's metadata or content can compromise the reliability of the evidence.

The other options outline incorrect functionalities: compressing files does not pertain to data integrity preservation, modifying files runs counter to the purpose of a write blocker, and outputting data more quickly does not directly relate to preventing modifications or preserving evidence integrity. Thus, the correct characterization of a write blocker is its role in safeguarding the fidelity of data during forensic investigations.