If there is no encryption present, we can physically desolder and remove the individual memory chip(s). We see this use of automatic encryption becoming more and more common. Over the years we have learned to identify many of the flash devices that use encryption but it will always be an ongoing process as the sheer magnitude of new devices being introduced is staggering. Which approach we use is decided largely on whether the data on the memory chips is encrypted or not. Unbeknownst to the average Joe, encryption is often being implemented on USB sticks automatically and invisibly. There are two basic approaches to recovering the data from an inoperative or inaccessible USB flash drive. In many instances there will be an additional memory chip on the other side of the PCB or printed circuit board. In the diagram below we can see a typical USB Flash stick taken apart to reveal the two main components.
The typical USB flash drive is made up of two main components: the actual memory chip or IC (integrated circuit) and the controller chip or IC. This Toronto based blog will not discuss the situations in which the USB flash stick is still operational. Today we will discuss typical data recovery techniques for recovering data from physically defective USB Flash Drives, also referred to as Thumb Drives, Flash Sticks, USB Sticks, USB Pens, or Memory Sticks.