The first products have been addressing the need to protect hard drives that are being previewed or acquired to another hard drive. The DriveLock IDE was designed to protect the IDE hard drive (PC or laptop hard drives) while the hard drive is being copied. A third party PCI adaptor enables investigators to connect the DriveLock to a PC, and analyze an external suspect’s hard drive, preventing accidental data writes.

In parallel, ICS developed a similar device for Guidance Software, a leading company in the field of Forensic Analysis (Encase). The FastBlock LE has the similar capabilities but in addition can be mounted directly to the IDE channel of the PC and, designed for Encase users, it is detected by the Encase Software, which informs the investigator that the protection device is connected and functioning.

“Intelligent Computer Solution’s strong hardware development capabilities allows us to more rapidly respond to customer market needs,” said Larry Stinson, vice president at Guidance Software. “Combining ICS hardware expertise with Guidance Software’s computer forensic software creates an alliance that can easily build on the current technology and fast-track the next generation of FastBloc computer forensic hardware.”

“Furthering the development of advanced hardware forensic acquisition tools, the Guidance Software-ICS alliance will provide best of breed computer forensic solutions,” said George Barr, director of business development at ICS.

The new USB/FireWire protection devices are ICS USB/FW DriveLock and Guidance FastBlock Field Edition. These units serve to write-protect the suspect’s or source hard drive while reviewing or seizing data from the hard drive through FireWire or USB ports of a PC or laptop.