Solid state drives as briefly mentioned before.
SSDs are non-volatile storage media and use Nand flash memory in an array to hold data.
SSDs have been around for quite some time.
However, mainstream use would have been greatly hampered by the high cost of the drive.
Samsung first released a 32GB SSD with a Pata interface in 1996, followed by Sandisk's 32GB SSD but
with its Sata interface.
Although SSD drives use flash memory, the materials used are more high end than that found in flash
drives, which makes it the much preferred option for use as a hard drive but again contributes to the
very high cost.
Some advantages of SSDs come from the fact that there are no moving parts in an SSD.
No moving parts make the SSD more durable in the event of a fall or swift foot to the PC tower as there
are no platters or actuator arms to be scratched or struck.
Also, the faster reads slash write speeds and access times greatly reduce the time taken for the device
to boot or start, and even gives an enhanced experience when using resource intensive software and
games.
As far as digital forensics goes, SSDs are still a relatively new technology that will be constantly
improved upon for some time to come.
It's important to remember that you are not dealing with a mechanical drive and that data on an SSD,
much like a flash drive or memory card, can be lost or wiped within minutes or even seconds.
Although traditional tools can be used to image and recover data from SSDs, I strongly suggest researching
any SSD drive before performing any forensic activities to get a better understanding of its workings
and complexities such as chipping and wear leveling algorithms.
Take note of the pin layout interface for the SSD Connector left side, which connects to a PCI interface
on the board instead of the usual Sata connectors.
The connector in the preceding photo is an M2 non-volatile memory express Nvme SSD connector type.
But there are other types as well.
When performing forensic acquisitions on SSDs, which may require the use of a USB adapter, be sure
you know which connector you are working with.
Different SSD interface types include the following.
Sata 3.0 up to six GB s bandwidth.
Msata up to six GB slashes bandwidth found in older computers.
M2 Sata up to 32 GB slashes bandwidth.
M2 Nvme up to 32.
GB slashes Bandwidth U2 up to 32 GB slashes bandwidth but not very common.