AccessData
IndustryCyber Security
Founded1987
FounderEric Thompson
DefunctDecember 2020
ParentExterro

AccessData was a software development company that developed Forensic Toolkit (FTK) and FTK Imager until it was acquired by Exterro. It had over 130,000 customers in law enforcement, private companies, and government agencies.[1]

History

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AccessData was founded in 1987 by Eric Thompson.[2][3]

On 1 January 2015, AccessData split into two companies.[4] The first company retained the name and digital forensics products whilst the second company, Resolution1 Security, split to focus on cyber incident response products.[5][6] On 15 May 2015, AccessData announced that the sale of Resolution1 Security had been completed.[7]

In December 2020, AccessData was acquired by Exterro.[8] It was reported that Exterro paid over $100 million USD to purchase the company.[9]

Products

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Forensic Toolkit (FTK)

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Forensic Toolkit, or FTK, is a computer forensics software that scans a hard drive looking for various information.[10] It can, for example, potentially locate deleted emails[11] and scan a disk for text strings to use them as a password dictionary to crack encryption.[12] AccessData also created a similar tool called AD Lab.[13]

FTK Imager

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FTK Imager is a tool that saves an image of a hard disk in one file or in segments that may be later on reconstructed. It calculates MD5 and SHA1 hash values and can verify the integrity of the data imaged is consistent with the created forensic image. The forensic image can be saved in several formats, including DD/raw, E01, and AD1.[14] FTK imager can be used to create hard disk images for later use in Forensic Toolkit

References

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  1. ^ "AccessData - Cybil Portal". cybilportal.org. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  2. ^ Thompson, Eric. "Eric Thompson I Cyber Risk I Kroll". Kroll. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  3. ^ "Exterro Acquires AccessData In Nine-Figure Deal, Expanding Its Platform And Setting Stage For Possible IPO | LawSites". www.lawnext.com. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  4. ^ Robinson, Teri (2014-11-03). "AccessData to split in two, creates Resolution1". SC Media. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  5. ^ "AccessData to split into two companies - Edge Middle East". 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  6. ^ "AccessData Group to split". Intelligent CIO Middle East. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  7. ^ AccessData (2015-05-14). "AccessData Group Announces Sale of Resolution1 Security Business to Fidelis Cybersecurity". GlobeNewswire News Room. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  8. ^ "Exterro Acquires AccessData to Form the Leading Enterprise Legal GRC…". Exterro. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  9. ^ artificiallawyer (2020-12-03). "Exterro Buys AccessData in $100m-plus Deal, As Consolidation Continues". Artificial Lawyer. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  10. ^ Schneier, Bruce (2007-11-01). "Secure Passwords Keep You Safer". Wired. p. 3. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  11. ^ Dixon, Phillip D. (December 2005). "An overview of computer forensics" (PDF). IEEE Potentials. 24 (5). IEEE: 8. doi:10.1109/mp.2005.1594001. ISSN 0278-6648. S2CID 25462454. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  12. ^ Casey, Eoghan (Fall 2002). "Practical Approaches to Recovering Encrypted Digital Evidence" (PDF). International Journal of Digital Evidence. 1 (3). Utica, New York: Economic Crime Institute, Utica College: 12. ISSN 1938-0917. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-11-02. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
  13. ^ "AccessData Releases Powerful New Versions of AD Lab and FTK Digital Forensics Software Tools". Financial IT. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
  14. ^ "FTK Imager User Guide v4.3.0" (PDF). January 28, 2020. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2020-10-08.