Forensic Methods and Labs

Forensic Methods and Labs

Computer forensics involves collecting, preserving, examining, and presenting evidence in a court of law. Digital evidence is volatile and requires careful handling. Formal forensic investigation methodologies are applied to ensure that a forensic investigator meets the laws of evidence (Easttom, 2017). This research paper will discuss such methodologies and how forensic investigators use forensic lab tools to examine and analyze evidence. Forensic investigators must have investigation skills and, most preferably, be competent. Setting up a forensic lab and ensuring it has all the requirements is necessary before starting an investigation.

Uses of Forensic Software

One of the requirements of a forensic lab is that it should be equipped with hardware and software tools for forensic investigation. The type of tools used determines if the evidence obtained will be admissible in a court of law. The lab’s forensics software is used to create an image of disk drives to prevent data modifications by FTK imager software. It analyzes disks for evidence through autopsy, Ana Disk, and sleuth kit software (Sharma & Jha, 2010). It is setting the customized environment for investigations. The Linux operating system is used with several distros like Kali Linux, which is most commonly used. Volatility software is used to analyze the memory, which contains volatile data. Further, the registry recon software is used to analyze the Windows registry files, while network analysis is done through Wireshark and Encase software.

Forensic Investigations Methodologies

1. The digital forensic research workshop framework – This methodology has a six-step investigation process, namely identification, preservation, collection, examination, analysis, and presentation of evidence in a law court.
2. The scientific working group on the digital evidence framework – This methodology has a four-step process: collection, preservation, examination, and transfer of evidence from a forensic lab to the court.

Common Forensic Certifications

Before being hired for a job, any forensic investigator must prove that they are competent, and one of the ways is having certifications in various fields (Zahadat, 2018). The following are some of the standard forensic investigator certifications. Certified cyber forensics professional- this is a certification given by ISC2 to show that an individual is an expert in the following fields: forensic science and legal fields. Nonetheless, it does not indicate the specific skills in handling certain tools but the whole field. Secondly, the EC Council computer hacking forensic investigator is a certification offered by the EC Council that shows that an individual has knowledge of the forensics field and some knowledge of hacking, but it’s not specific to anything. Lastly, high-tech crime network certifications are offered to show computer forensic and crime investigation expertise. It ranges from basic to advanced and gives accreditation based on previous training and certifications.

Evidence Handling Tasks

The first task of a forensic investigator is analyzing and examining files and disks for evidence. Evidence collection should be authentic (Hughes & Karabiyik, 2020). Consistently, evidence should also be acquired from volatile and deleted sources. The next task is to preserve the evidence collected to ensure that it is not deleted, modified, or lost and is available when needed. The last task of handling evidence is preparing the evidence for presentation in court. Proper documentation is required, together with a well-understandable expert report.

References

Easttom, C. (2017). System forensics, investigation, and response. Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Hughes, N., & Karabiyik, U. (2020). Towards reliable digital forensics investigations through measurement science. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Forensic Science, 2(4), e1367.

Sharma, M., & Jha, S. (2010, February). Uses of software in digital image analysis: a forensic report. In Second International Conference on Digital Image Processing (Vol. 7546, p. 75462B). International Society for Optics and Photonics.

Zahadat, N. (2018). Lack of Oversight and Credentialing Process for Digital Forensic Investigators.

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Forensic Methods and Labs

System Forensics, Investigation, and Response (Information Systems Security & Assurance) 3rd Edition,

Chapter 3: Forensic Methods and Labs

Write two pages that discuss the elements listed below.

1. Explain how forensic software from the lab is used.
2. Describe at least two methodologies used in forensic investigations.
3. Describe three standard forensic certifications.
4. Describe what evidence-handling tasks are.

Remember to include an introduction for the written portion of the paper. APA formatting is required, and citations and references for paraphrased material should be present. A minimum of one reference is required for your assignment (it can be the textbook).