Articles Tagged with deleted images

Deleted CSAM evidence in Michigan is rarely gone for good. Forensic analysts recover files through hash values stored in a device’s cache, even when images have been deleted by the user. A hash match against the NCMEC database can support charges without recovering the complete image file.

Deleted CSAM files are rarely eliminated from a device’s storage simply by hitting delete. One place deleted images frequently remain is in the device’s cache or temporary memory, where forensic analysts can identify and recover them even when the user believes the material is gone.

When a forensic analyst identifies a CSAM file on a device, what they have established is that a file matching a known hash value was present. A hash value is a unique numerical fingerprint assigned to a specific digital file. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children maintains a database of hash values for known CSAM images, and a match against that database can support charges even when the original image has been deleted, was never fully opened, or exists only as a fragment in the device’s cache memory.