Capterra Glossary
Latent data, commonly referred to as ambient data, is computer data that is not viewable, and often no longer used by an end user through an operating system or a standard computer program. Typically, this type of data includes various deleted files and folders, slack space, memory dumps, printer spool files and temporary cache. Latent data is often used when a computer is prompted to recover lost data files or uncover malicious computer activity. Computer forensics experts often use latent data to uncover and rid systems of malware, whereas company employees often use latent data to retrieve accidentally deleted data.
Small and midsize cybersecurity firms often use latent data to uncover the source of a cyberattack. Latent data files often indicate what external storage devices were attached to a particular computer system and what programs were run on a particular computer system. In addition to this information, latent data also provides cybercrime analysts with a timestamp of when a specific program was run on a system and when a storage device was attached to a system, which proves useful when seeking to uncover the source of a company data leak.