A client recently experienced a remote ransomware attack that resulted in Ontrack engineers being presented with one of their most extraordinary data recovery efforts to date: restoring 120 damaged HDDs within an IBM SVC Storwize v7000 system…with no backup to rely on. 

After noting the critical nature of the project, Ontrack’s data recovery experts proceeded with a comprehensive process to potentially restore the deleted data:

1. Consultation
   The Ontrack team was able to join the client’s team and scope the data loss event and the storage systems impacted. Based on the scope set forth, Ontrack was able to determine a project plan, set timing expectations and determine costs for data recovery.

    

2. Diagnosis
   Data recovery engineers used Ontrack’s proprietary tools to analyze the disks, determine the likely array configuration as well as detect indications of Windows storage space and VMware storage virtual machines.
   
   
3. R&D Simulation and Software Programming
   After the initial diagnosis, engineers analyzed a minimal hardware setup of the IBM SVC Storwize v7000 as a means of detecting the layout of on-disk structures used to map Raid Arrays, including managed disks, SVC pools, virtual disks, and physical disks (=LUN).

   
   Ontrack then began to work closely with the client’s IT department to get the hardware running on a new setup of the IBM SVC Storwize v7000 system.
   

   Simulations were performed to see if the client’s environment could be recreated on the live hardware and if any structure could be found to possibly reconstruct the deleted data. All findings regarding the simulated structures were compared to the structures on the original hard drives.
   

   A positive prediction was formed based on the comparison of the structures, and Ontrack was able to move forward with the creation and modification of proprietary tools to extract functional storage systems and proceed with successful SAN system data recovery.
   

4. Data Recovery

With an enormous challenge ahead of them, Ontrack’s data recovery experts performed extensive research on IBM’s proprietary software which resulted in engineers modifying their recovery tools to allow for the virtual rebuild of the DRAID that was in use on the IBM system.

Figuring out the distribution patterns for DRAID proved to be the most intricate part of the recovery process, given that all of the data sitting on the DRAID6 MDisk was combined with a number of other MDisks and dynamically allocated multiple levels of both VDisks and Dynamic Disks.

Once the array was virtually rebuilt, the Ontrack team was able to virtually rebuild the volumes, transforming them into 1,152 devices in order to display the overall layout of available data contained within to generate reports for the client and complete the IBM Storwize data recovery.

A multinational client had fallen victim to the disappearance of crucial financial data and office files, with no backup data plan in place. After realizing the urgency of the data loss situation, they immediately contacted  Ontrack’s expert engineers to help with recovery. 

Given the importance of the lost data, the client expedited all media over the weekend via courier to an Ontrack engineer who happened to be on call. Per client request, Ontrack provided project updates every 15 minutes as a data recovery plan was being prepared.

A customer contacted Ontrack’s experts in need of help with Mac data recovery for a laptop that had been dropped and accidentally run over by a truck, causing its battery to combust. 

Ontrack’s recovery experts surveyed the Mac device damage and implemented a 3-step recovery process for data extraction which included:

• Decontamination – A thorough process in which all contaminants that adversely affected the damaged Mac laptop’s operability were removed.
• Micro-Soldering – A small soldering tool was used to replace a pool of damaged capacitors and resistors which were located near the burned battery.
• Diagnostics – The MacBook was placed in a special diagnostic mode where both Apple-provided OEM tools and Ontrack’s own proprietary tools were used to mount the internal storage device as a volume onto lab machines and process the copy out.

Once the process was complete, Ontrack was able to successfully extract and verify all data.

A client inadvertently ran a command that deleted critical files on a Dell/EMC Isilon storage array containing 270 disks totaling 2 petabytes (PB). 

After having the drives in question flown in, Ontrack’s recovery engineers began an in-depth evaluation and determined that the JIT development team would be needed to assist in data recovery from this version of Isilon. Within eight weeks of working nights, weekends, and holidays to develop a proper solution, an initial set of data was delivered to the client.

While the client was ecstatic to receive the recovered files, they also requested that subsequent tasks be done to prove that no stone was left unturned in their recovery efforts, per regulatory requirements. Ontrack’s JIT development team complied by combing through the 270 drives in search of files that matched regulatory requirements and implementing a process that would search, copy, and deduplicate specific files that were found across each disk.

After months of conducting a thorough secondary search, more than 300 million files and 13 terabytes (TB) of PDF and JPG files were produced. 

The end-customer needed to have access to data on a large number of 3592 and 3592/JA tapes for a period of five years, in order to comply with data retention and governance regulations. The backup tapes had been created using Tivoli Storage Manager, however the end customer did not want to incur the costs of maintaining this environment for a five year period for infrequent backup tape restore requests.

The client encountered a product liability issue which led to an internal investigation involving product managers as well as other management staff. The internal legal department, together with the internal investigators, needed email files to be restored from a total of 65 LTO 3 and 4 tapes to an external storage device. A catalog was also required with searchable listings of items on the recovered tapes.

A ransomware attack of a company server encrypted the Microsoft Dynamics 365 data and demanded payment. Recent backups of the server were stored on multiple LTO-6 backup tapes, which had been erased by the malware. 

After assessing the extent of the ransomware attack, Ontrack representatives identified the company’s backup tapes as the best option for data recovery—even though the malware had erased them. 23 LTO-6 backup tapes from the backup library were sent to the Ontrack office in Böblingen, Germany. Working in conjunction with the R&D department in the United Kingdom, Ontrack developed a custom solution to recover the data from the erased backup tapes.

The attacked volume was originally also used to back up data to LTO8 tapes at regular intervals. Most of these backup tapes were also in the tape library at the time of the incident and were quickly formatted by the attackers. However, the customer was able to save an original unformatted tape with a fairly old backup date, which was then completely restored to the now empty Windows volume with a total of 6 TB. Only then was Ontrack commissioned to examine data recovery options. The HP server DL380 with the 55 3TB hard disks were transported to Ontrack in Böblingen Germany.

During the diagnosis, a large number of the searched VEEAM vbk files were successfully found on the Windows volume with Ontrack Tools and 27 records were extracted according to a priority list. The restore of the LTO8 tape partially overwrote some of the data sets and damaged the backup files. 

After consultation with Ontrack tape services specialists, the project timescales, budget and critical success factors were identified, a project proposal and delivery schedule were formulated, and the tapes sent to Ontrack for analysis.