Researchers from the Cybersecurity Research Laboratory at Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand have determined that they can still retrieve data from computer hard drives submerged in water.

Looking at the impact of water ingress on solid-state and conventional spinning magnetic disc hard drives, the research team determined that although circuitry and other components begin to corrode rapidly, data is still potentially recoverable from a submerged device that is retrieved and dried in under one week.

However, researchers also determined that the rate of corrosion is expedited when the device is submerged in salt water, where irreversible damage will likely occur in just 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in the case of solid-state drives submerged in saltwater, that damage is typically incurred within just one minute of submergence.

The research is designed to serve as a guide for forensic investigators attempting to retrieve hard drives that have been submerged in water to destroy digital evidence of a crime.

The research appears in the International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics.