What is Digital Forensics? What are the Types of Digital Forensics?

Do you ever think about what criminal investigations were like before digital forensics came to be? Everything was dependant only in manual work and physical evidence which didn’t really lead them much… Evidence hunting was like finding a needle in a haystack. A lot of cases were getting dropped because they didn’t have just enough to figure out how it happened or arrest a potential suspect.

The story changed drastically with digital forensics, fret not!

What is Digital Forensics?

Digital forensics, also known as computer forensics, is a forensic science subset that identifies, analyzes, and preserves digital evidence for legal proceedings. It applies investigative methods to extract evidence from devices like computers, mobile phones, and networks. Its primary goal is to uncover cybercrimes and aid in the prosecution of individuals involved in such activities. It is used so that the criminals who got to get away a hundred years ago don’t get to anymore!

Digital forensics has many types because it deals with the digital world to extract evidences as applicable as physical evidence. Just as officers have a special process to deal with the evidences in the physical world, digital forensics investigators also follow a series of steps when handling digital evidence to avoid tampering.

Why Digital Forensics is Important

Digital forensics has evolved significantly since its inception in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It started evolving with the rise of personal computing. During this period, law enforcement agencies began to recognize the potential for computers to be used in criminal activities. However, standardized procedures for handling digital evidence were virtually nonexistent. In 1984, the FBI established the Computer Analysis and Response Team (CART) to address the growing need for specialized computer evidence examination.

The importance of digital forensics has surged in recent years due to the exponential increase in cybercrime. As our reliance on digital technologies deepens, so does the sophistication of cyber threats. In 2023, the FBI reported 880,418 complaints of cybercrime, marking a 10% increase from 2022, with potential losses escalating to $12.5 billion.

From FBI’s 2023 IC3 Annual Report, we also see how drastic the looses have become due to cybercrimes. This highlights how much we need to focus and invest on digital forensics.

Types of Digital Forensics

The digital world is endless, as we know. So, to make it easier on the specialists and the case, it is categorized. From dissecting hard drives to analyzing network traffic, each type of digital forensics focuses on a unique aspect of the digital world. This way, we try our best to ensure no trace of critical evidence goes unnoticed. Let’s see what each branch is!

Disk Forensics:  This digital forensics type acquires, analyzes, and interprets data from computer storage media. It recovers deleted files, examines metadata, and identifies evidence of user activities like browsing history, emails, and file access. In corporate settings, it’s used to investigate internal fraud, data breaches, or violations of company policies by analyzing employee workstations.

Network Forensics: Network forensics focuses on investigating network traffic to detect and analyze security incidents or unauthorized activities. It involves the collection and analysis of network packets, log files, and other network-related data to reconstruct events, identify intrusions, and determine the extent of a cyber attack. It’s also crucial in legal cases involving data theft or unauthorized access, where understanding the network activity can provide insights into the breach.

Mobile Device Forensics: Mobile device forensics analyzes data from smartphones, tablets, and wearables, including call logs, texts, emails, GPS data, and social media activity. Specialized tools and methods are used in this process. This branch is vital in both criminal and civil investigations. In civil cases, it can be used to gather evidence in disputes, such as divorce proceedings, where communication records are relevant.

Memory Forensics: This specialized field is essential in advanced cybercrime investigations, particularly those involving sophisticated malware or system breaches. By analyzing a computer’s RAM, investigators can uncover running processes, open network connections, and other volatile data that aren’t stored on disk. It’s crucial for incident response teams aiming to understand the behavior of malware in real-time and to develop effective countermeasures.

What are the Types of Forensic Analysis?

Four primary forms of forensic analysis may be performed on digital data, all of which fall under the umbrella of the discipline of digital forensics.

Imaging and Analysis of Discs

This technique entails creating a bit-by-bit copy (image) of a digital storage device to preserve its data. Investigators then analyze this image using specialized software to uncover hidden partitions, deleted data, timestamps, and other relevant information.

File Carving

File carving is the process of extracting files and pieces of files from unallocated disc space or raw data. Sometimes referred to as “carving a file,” this method is especially helpful for recovering files that have been deleted or destroyed, and it also has the potential to yield important evidence in an inquiry.

Analysing Metadata

Metadata is the data that describes other data, such as timestamps, file sizes, and user information. It is also known as “descriptive data.” When investigating a computer crime, analyzing metadata helps understand activities on digital evidence, track file access and modification times, and establish timelines.

Analysing Files

Analyzing files entails inspecting individual files to discover important information. This may include metadata, file attributes, file signatures, and embedded data. This examination can help identify the integrity of the file, who owns it, and whether or not it has been tampered with.

Memory Analysis

Memory analysis focuses on the investigation of a digital device’s random access memory (RAM) as its primary area of investigation. It aims to find operating processes, network connections, encryption keys, and other artifacts for insights into current operations or evidence of malicious actions. Specifically, it strives to find running processes on a computer.

Analysing Malicious Software

It is to understand Its Behaviour, Purpose, and possible Impact Malware analysis is the process of analyzing malicious software to understand its behaviour, purpose, and possible impact. This study assists in identifying the nature of an attack, locating the source of the attack, and developing effective countermeasures.

Analysis of Network Traffic

Network packets, log files, and other types of network data are analyzed in network traffic analysis. The goal of this type of analysis is to recreate events, discover trends, and locate abnormalities. It makes it possible to identify assaults that are based on a network, as well as compromised systems and efforts to get unauthorized access.

Keyword Searching

Using specific terms or phrases to search for relevant digital evidence is known as keyword searching. This method is valuable for pinpointing specific files, emails, chat logs, or other evidence relevant to online crimes.

What are the Steps of Digital Forensics?

We already said the investigations in digital forensics consist of some basic rules to make sure everything goes right. While various models exist, a widely accepted framework encompasses five key stages:

1. Identification: This initial phase involves pinpointing potential sources of digital evidence. Investigators determine which devices, data storage locations, and digital artifacts may contain relevant information pertinent to the investigation.

2. Preservation: Once identified, it’s crucial to safeguard the integrity of the digital evidence. This involves creating exact copies, or forensic images, of the data to prevent alteration or loss, ensuring that the original evidence remains untouched and admissible in legal proceedings.

3. Analysis: In this stage, forensic experts meticulously examine the preserved data to extract meaningful insights. This can include recovering deleted files, analyzing metadata, and reconstructing user activities to piece together a comprehensive narrative of events.

4. Documentation: Throughout the investigation, maintaining detailed records is essential. This includes documenting the chain of custody, methodologies employed, and findings, ensuring transparency and reproducibility of the investigative process.

5. Presentation: The final phase involves compiling the analyzed data into a coherent report, often accompanied by expert testimony. The goal is to present the findings clearly and concisely, making them understandable to stakeholders, including legal professionals and, if necessary, a court of law.

Adhering to these structured steps ensures that digital forensic investigations are conducted systematically, maintaining the integrity of the evidence and enhancing the credibility of the findings.

Conclusion

Digital forensics, a crucial branch of computer science, plays a pivotal role in detecting and preventing computer crimes. In our increasingly interconnected world with ever-evolving cyber threats, the role of digital forensics has become paramount. Experts in this field possess the knowledge and skills necessary to uncover crucial information that can aid in identifying and successfully prosecuting cybercriminals.

The capacity to apply cutting-edge procedures and use specialized tools and instruments is essential to the success of digital forensics. Investigators use diverse methods to gather, analyze, and decipher digital evidence from computers, mobile devices, and network systems. Digital forensics experts can meticulously construct a comprehensive timeline of cybercrimes by examining digital artifacts, file systems, and network logs. This allows them to reconstruct the sequence of events, track the genesis of an attack, and determine where it originated.

The value of services provided by digital forensics extends far beyond the process of investigating computer crimes. Additionally, it plays a significant part in preventing future catastrophes and the upkeep of cybersecurity. Digital forensics experts identify system, network, or software vulnerabilities through cyberattack pattern analysis. Cybercriminals exploit these weaknesses. Organizations can bolster security, fix vulnerabilities, and defend against threats with this vital information.

Digital forensics is indispensable, not only for investigations but also for bolstering the overall security of individuals and organizations. It plays a vital role in data integrity, protecting sensitive information, and legal compliance through meticulous digital evidence collection and analysis. Digital forensics experts help establish a culture of accountability, holding cybercriminals responsible for their actions and deterring future illegal activities.

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