Why Does Data Recovery Cost What It Does?
A common frustration with the data recovery industry is the lack of transparency. Many shops offer a "$50 diagnostic" only to hold your data hostage for thousands of dollars later. At HC Computer Security Services, our pricing is dictated by the forensic complexity of the rescue.
We do not charge by the gigabyte, and we do not charge based on how "important" your data is. We charge based on the engineering time and laboratory resources required to safely extract your files from compromised media.
The Three Tiers of Incident Recovery
Tier 1: Standard Logical Extraction
Scenario: Accidental deletion, emptied recycle bins, or standard quick-formats on healthy hard drives.
This is our most affordable tier. Because the hardware is physically healthy, we can rapidly image the drive and analyze the unallocated space to carve out your deleted files using standard forensic protocols.
Tier 2: Complex Logical & Malware Sanitization
Scenario: Lost administrative passwords, corrupted QuickBooks ledgers, or active rootkit/malware infections.
This tier requires deeper intervention. For malware, we must perform dead-box forensics to isolate and manually strip malicious code from the registry. For locked files, this tier covers the hardware-accelerated decryption required to bypass security parameters without damaging the underlying database.
Tier 3: Raw Binary Sector-Level Carving
Scenario: Failing hardware, clicking drives, degraded NAS arrays, or completely destroyed Master File Tables (MFT).
This is our most intensive engineering tier. We do not repair the broken hardware. Instead, we use write-blocking equipment to secure a single, raw binary image of the dying drive. We then spend hours virtually reconstructing your file system from the raw hexadecimal code to rescue your trapped data before the drive dies permanently.
Our 4-Step Forensic Process
- 1. Triage & Isolation: You drop off the device (or we connect remotely for logical issues). We immediately isolate the hardware to ensure no further degradation or malware execution can occur.
- 2. Write-Blocked Imaging: We never work directly on your original drive. We create a forensically sound, sector-by-sector clone to ensure your original data remains perfectly preserved.
- 3. Extraction & Remediation: We apply our GIAC-certified methodologies to the clone—whether that means carving out lost databases, breaking encryption, or neutralizing persistent trojans.
- 4. Secure Delivery: Your rescued data is transferred to a brand new, encrypted external drive for safe return to your business.