WHAT IS MICROSOT OFFICE METADATA? Metadata is often described as data about data'. In other words it is hidden' information in Microsoft Office files that provides details related to the creation, modification and current state of the file.
In a legal matter electronic files are considered evidence. It would stand to reason that metadata in Microsoft Word files is important since it can explain the timeline of events and other details related to the evidence.
All Microsoft Office documents contain metadata and there are dozens of other file types which also store valuable information about the file. These topics will be covered in a different article.
The information in emails commonly referred to as metadata' which includes To:', From:', CC' etc. are actually database fields and aren't hidden. The purpose of this article is to deal with the hidden information contained in files related to Microsoft Office documents.
One other category of metadata that is worth mentioning is file system metadata. File system metadata is different than Microsof Office metadata and is stored outside the document.
The date, time, size and other information displayed in Microsoft Windows is referred to the file system metadata and is store in the File Allocation Table (FAT).
File system metadata is relevant for a different reason. Spoliation often refers to the improper collection of electronic files when the file system metadata is altered during collection.
When collecting files from a custodian machine during a document production it is important to preserve all aspects of the original file. Unfortunatley, simply copying files in Windows will alter file timestamps and metadata. Pinpoint Labs created a program called SafeCopy that allows users to copy files to a new location without altering metadata.
What data is contained in Microsoft Word metadata fields? Here is a list of the commond metadata fields:
MICROSOFT WORD METADATA FIELDS- File Name, Title, Author, Comments, App Name, Version Date, Created Date, Last Printed, Date Last Saved, Total Edit Time, Template, Shared, Subject, Category, Company, Keywords, Manager, Last Saved By, Word Count,Routing SlipTrack Changes, Fast Saves, Hidden text, Graphics Hyperlinks, Document Variables, Include Fields, Page Count, Paragraph Count, Line Count, Character Count, Chars, Byte Count, Presentation Format, Slide CountNote Count, Hidden Slides, Multimedia Clips, Last 10 Authors.
A program which can quickly display information related to file system and Microsoft Office metadata is available through Pinpoint Labs and is called MetaViewer. MetaViewer is a great tools for computer forensic examiners and legal professionals who need to quickly view metadata and hash values. You can download MetaViewer from the Pinpoint Labs website.
