Sometimes, that data can be awfully inconvenient. While the data in the VDR is the property of the ship owner, it can be taken by an investigator in the event of an accident or other incident—and that may not always be in the ship owner’s (or crew’s) interest. The VDRs aboard the cruise ship Costa Concordia were used as evidence in the manslaughter trial of the ship’s captain and other crewmembers. Likewise, that data could be valuable to others—especially if it can be tapped into live.
It turns out that some VDRs may not be very good witnesses. As a report recently published by the security firm IOActive points out, VDRs can be hacked, and their data can be stolen or destroyed.