What Does 'Digital Forensics' Mean?

Digital forensics is the practice of identifying, preserving, analyzing, and presenting digital evidence in a manner that is legally admissible. It involves using specialized tools, techniques, and processes to find, analyze, and present electronic evidence.

The field of digital forensics has become increasingly important in recent years as more and more of our daily lives and business transactions are conducted online or with digital devices.

Digital evidence can be found on a wide range of devices, among them computers, smartphones, tablets, and even smart appliances, and can be used in a variety of legal cases, such as criminal investigations, civil litigation, and corporate fraud investigations.

Categories

Digital forensics is usually divided into two main categories: forensic analysis and forensic investigation.

Forensic analysis involves the examination of digital devices to determine what activities have taken place on them. This can include analyzing the contents of hard drives, examining internet browsing history, and analyzing the contents of emails and other electronic communication.

Forensic investigation, on the other hand, involves the use of digital evidence to reconstruct events or activities that have taken place. This can include identifying the individuals involved, determining the timeline of events, and establishing a chain of custody for the digital evidence.

Digital forensic process

A major challenge in digital forensics is that electronic devices can be altered or erased in ways that make it difficult to recover or investigate the data they contain. To address this, digital forensic experts follow a set of best practices known as the “digital forensic process.”

This process involves several steps, including:

Seizing and securing the digital evidence: The first step in any digital forensic investigation is to locate and secure the digital devices or media that contain the evidence. This involves physically seizing the devices and making sure they are not tampered with or modified in any way.

Preserving the digital evidence: Once the digital devices have been seized, it is critical to make an exact copy of their contents. This is known as creating a “forensic image” of the device. The forensic image is an exact copy of the original device and is used to preserve the evidence in its original state.

Analyzing the digital evidence: The next step is to analyze the forensic image to determine what activities have taken place on the device. This can involve using specialized software tools to examine the contents of hard drives, inspect internet browsing histories, and examine other types of digital data.

Presenting the digital evidence: Once the analysis is complete, the results must be presented in a manner that is legally admissible. This typically involves writing a report detailing the findings and providing the evidence in a format that can be easily understood by non-technical individuals.

Digital forensics tools

There are a lot of tools available to digital forensic experts, ranging from simple command-line utilities to complex commercial software packages. Some of the most common types of tools used in digital forensics include:

Forensic imaging tools: These tools are used to create a forensic image of a digital device. The forensic image is an exact copy of the original device and is used to preserve the evidence in its original state.

Data carving tools: These tools are used to recover deleted or lost data from a digital device. They work by scanning the raw data on a device and looking for patterns that match known file types.

Hash verification tools: These tools are used to verify the integrity of a forensic image. They work by creating a “hash” of the original data and comparing it to a hash of the forensic image. If the two hashes match, it is evidence that the forensic image is an exact copy of the original data.

File analysis tools: File analysis tools are used to examine the contents of specific files or file types. This can include examining the contents of emails, analyzing internet browsing history, or examining the contents of documents.

Network analysis tools: Network analysis tools are used to examine network traffic and system logs to identify and track cyber attacks and other malicious activity.

Mobile device forensic tools: These tools are specifically designed to study data from smartphones and other mobile devices. They are often used to examine text messages, call logs, and other types of data that are specific to mobile devices.

There are many different software packages and tools available to digital forensic experts, and the specific tools used will depend on the needs of the investigation and the expertise of the forensic analyst. Some of the most popular commercial digital forensic software packages include EnCase, FTK (Forensic Toolkit), and X-Ways Forensics.

Conclusion

Digital forensics is a complex field that requires a high level of technical expertise and a thorough understanding of the legal system. Digital forensic experts are often called upon to testify in court and must be able to clearly explain their findings and the methods they used to arrive at them.

There are several professional organizations that provide training and certification for digital forensic experts, for example, the International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology (IACSIT) and the International Association of Computer Science and Information Technology (IACIS).

In addition to traditional forensic analysis and investigation, there is also a growing field known as “cyber forensics” or “network forensics.” This involves the examination of network traffic and system logs to identify and track cyberattacks and other malicious activity.

Digital forensics is an essential tool for law enforcement agencies, businesses, and individuals who need to uncover and present digital evidence in a legal setting. By using specialized tools and techniques, digital forensic experts are able to uncover and analyze digital evidence that can be used to solve crimes, resolve disputes, and hold individuals accountable.