The process of preserving, identifying, extracting, and documenting computer evidence that can be utilised in a court of law is known as Digital Forensics.

 

Digital Forensics

The science of extracting information from digital media such as a computer, smartphone, server, or network is known as digital forensics. It provides the most up-to-date methodologies and tools for resolving complicated digital cases to the forensic team. The forensic team uses digital forensics to analyse, examine, identify, and preserve digital evidence stored on a range of electronic devices.

Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science concerned with the discovery, acquisition, processing, analysis, and reporting of electronically stored data. Electronic evidence is present in almost all illicit activities, and digital forensics help is essential for law enforcement investigations. Electronic evidence can be collected via computers, cellphones, remote storage, unmanned aerial systems, shipborne technology, and other technologies. The primary goal of digital forensics is to gather data from electronic evidence, translate it into actionable information, and report the findings to the prosecution. All methods involve good forensic techniques to guarantee that the findings are acceptable in court.

Following is the Process of Digital Forensics-

·        Identification- In the forensic process, it is the initial stage. What evidence is present, where it is held, and how it is stored are all part of the identification process (in which format). Personal computers, mobile phones, and personal digital assistants (PDAs) are examples of electronic storage medium.

·        Preservation- Data is segregated, safeguarded, and preserved during this phase. It includes restricting people from utilising the digital device in order to prevent tampering with digital evidence.

·        Analysis- In this step, investigators piece together data fragments and develop conclusions based on the evidence uncovered. It may, however, take several iterations of investigation to substantiate a single crime scenario.

·        Documentation- A record of all observable data must be created during this process. It aids in the recreation and analysis of the crime scene. It entails photography, sketching, and crime-scene mapping, as well as adequate documenting of the crime scene.

·        Presentation- The process of summarization and explanation of conclusions is completed in this final step. It should, however, be written in layman's words with abstracted terminologies. The precise details should be referenced in all abstracted terms.

A major problem impeding the growth of the digital forensics industry is a lack of knowledge among small and medium businesses. Due to financial constraints, small and medium-sized organisations (SMEs) are hesitant to employ these forensics tools since they are costly and sophisticated. Furthermore, SMEs face a manpower shortage, which is a key stumbling block to the market's expansion.