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Global Accelerated Learning • Est. 1999
Glossary Term Volume Shadow Copy

Training Camp • Cybersecurity Glossary

What is Volume Shadow Copy?

Volume Shadow Copy uses Windows VSS to snapshot in-use files for backup and forensics; ransomware often deletes it to block recovery.

Glossary > Incident Response & Forensics > Volume Shadow Copy

Understanding Volume Shadow Copy

Volume Shadow Copy is a Windows technology provided by the Volume Shadow Copy Service VSS that creates point-in-time snapshots of files and volumes, even while they are in use, to support backups and system restore. In digital forensics these snapshots are valuable because they can reveal earlier versions of files, deleted data, and historical system state. Attackers, conversely, often delete shadow copies with tools like vssadmin during ransomware attacks to prevent recovery.

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