Practical Tools, Techniques & Analysis
Section 1 of 12
Digital Forensics is the scientific process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting on digital data in a way that is legally admissible in court.
It involves applying scientific methods to identify, preserve, analyze, and present digital evidence from computers, networks, mobile devices, and other digital media.
Used in criminal investigations, corporate incident response, civil litigation, and internal corporate investigations.
The primary goal is to maintain evidence integrity while uncovering the truth about digital incidents.
Analysis of desktop computers, laptops, servers, and storage media. Examines hard drives, SSDs, and file systems to recover deleted files, analyze user activity, and identify malicious software.
Examination of smartphones, tablets, GPS devices, and wearables. Extracts call logs, SMS, app data, photos, location history, and deleted content from mobile devices.
Investigation of network traffic and communication patterns. Captures and analyzes packet data to identify intrusions, data exfiltration, and unauthorized access attempts.
Examination of volatile memory (RAM) for running processes, malware, encryption keys, and passwords. Critical for analyzing live systems and advanced persistent threats (APTs).
Analysis of data stored in cloud services (AWS, Azure, Google Cloud, Dropbox, etc.). Deals with unique challenges like multi-tenancy, distributed data, and reliance on cloud provider cooperation.
Recognize and determine what evidence is present. Identify devices, storage media, network logs, and other potential sources of digital evidence at the scene.
Isolate, secure, and preserve the state of evidence. Use write-blockers, document the scene with photos, and ensure no modifications occur to the original evidence.
Create forensic copies (images) of digital evidence using specialized tools. Record cryptographic hashes to verify data integrity and document the chain of custody.
Process collected data using forensic tools to extract relevant information. Recover deleted files, parse system artifacts, and extract metadata.
Interpret examined data, create timelines, correlate events, and draw conclusions. Determine what happened, when it happened, who was responsible, and what data was affected.
Summarize findings in a clear, professional report. Present technical findings to non-technical audiences and prepare for potential court testimony.
A documented chronological record that tracks the seizure, custody, control, transfer, analysis, and disposition of physical and electronic evidence.
Essential for maintaining evidence integrity and ensuring legal admissibility in court proceedings.
⚠️ Critical Rule:
Every single transfer of evidence must be documented with date, time, and the responsible party. A broken chain can make evidence inadmissible!
Name and role of the person who seized the evidence
Date, time, and location of collection
Everyone who has touched or accessed the evidence
Who currently has possession of the evidence
How and where the evidence was stored and secured
Document any changes or actions performed on evidence
International standard providing guidelines for identification, collection, acquisition, and preservation of digital evidence.
National Institute of Standards and Technology provides comprehensive guides for computer forensics, data collection, and examination.
Legal standard for admissibility of expert testimony and scientific evidence in U.S. federal courts.