CyanLine’s FDAS Took 11mn to Make Full Forensic Image and Create Checksum

The long-standing king of forensic disk imaging, the Tableau TD2 from Guidance Software Inc., may no longer reign supreme, as seen in a recent demonstration comparing it to CyanLine‘s Fast Disk Acquisition System (FDAS) in speed, ease of use and price.

Josh King, technology staff writer of Best in Class Magazine compared the Tableau TD2 to FDAS.

Using an 80GB SSD with eSATA, the Tableau TD2 took just over an hour to make a full forensic image and create a checksum. FDAS captured the same information in less than 11 minutes.

“Forensic investigators who need to collect images fast and frequently deal with digital imaging investigations weekly, or even monthly, should consider FDAS as a worthy investment,” King stated. “Its speed and efficiency are incomparable. Investigator’s may even find the Tableau TD2 burdensome compared to FDAS.”

“Speed is not the only feature FDAS boasts above Tableau TD2,” King said. “CyanLine’s state-of-the-art system also allows forensic investigators the ability to view the entire image and additional metadata, or data about the data, in real-time over its secured network.”

“There are no shades of gray when it comes to the actual image itself,” King said.

FDAS grants investigators the power to review an entire forensic image without having to download it to a computer, nor requires a source drive – two elements Tableau TD2 cannot mention in its ‘Features’ section.

The system holds two RAID drives inside a sealed chassis, storing up to 1.5TB of images in either dd or E01 formats. The resulting image is stored onto a target drive that is sealed within the FDAS unit. Only authorized personnel who have proper role-based permissions can review the images over the network.

King said the Tableau TD2 is easy to use, inexpensive and a great resource for investigations when time is no matter, and forensic imaging services are infrequent.

However, while FDAS costs more up front, King concluded its speed, ease of use and long-term cost-effectiveness are strides above the popular Tableau TD2.

Steven Branigan, forensic scientist and founder, CyanLine, said law enforcement agencies with financial restrictions see significant long-term benefits: “While FDAS may initially cost more than the Tableau TD2, investigators make up for that cost in the substantial amount of time, energy and resources spared – potentially saving tens of thousands of dollars over the course of a year.”

Measuring 8″x6″x4″ and ruggedized, the patented FDAS can be shipped to any investigation location.