What does “data carving” refer to?

Data carving refers to the process of recovering files from a storage medium without relying on the file system structure. This technique is essential in digital forensics, especially when the file system has been damaged, corrupted, or manipulated in a way that makes conventional recovery methods ineffective.

In data carving, the focus is on recognizing file signatures or patterns to reconstruct the files directly from raw data on the disk, disregarding the file system's metadata. This is particularly useful when the logical organization of the data is not intact, such as in cases of data deletion or file system corruption.

The other choices describe different data handling techniques. Compressing data for storage pertains to optimizing space rather than recovery, while recovering files using the file system structure relies on the existing metadata, which is contrary to the principles of data carving. Lastly, encrypting data for security refers to protecting data integrity and confidentiality, which is unrelated to the recovery processes that data carving involves.