What is file carving?

File carving is a technique used in digital forensics to recover files from a storage medium without relying on the filesystem metadata, which may be damaged or absent. This method involves searching for specific file signatures or patterns in raw data and reconstructing files based solely on their content.

When using file carving, forensics specialists can identify the beginnings and endings of files by matching their known header and footer signatures. This is particularly useful in situations where files have been deleted, corrupted, or where the filesystem itself has been compromised. The process allows forensic analysts to recover important data that may otherwise be irretrievable through traditional methods that depend on filesystem structures.

The other choices refer to distinct concepts. Indexing files enhances access speed but does not involve recovery of files without metadata. Organizing files entails arranging them into directories and does not specifically address the recovery process. Data encryption refers to the method of securing files by encoding their contents, which is unrelated to the act of recovering or carving files from raw data.