5 Types of Digital Forensics For A Digital Forensic Investigator!

Digital Forensics Investigator: Challenging Cybersecurity Career

As technology arises, so do the threats and risks within. Maintaining the same framework or system is no longer an option, and organizations are pushed to adapt to changes while keeping their asset safe. Therefore, a Digital Forensics Investigator career is needed to strengthen cybersecurity. A Digital Forensics Investigator is someone who is specialized in techniques and tools for identifying digital evidence involving cybercrime, fraud, and other types of wrongdoing.

Digital forensic investigators often work with law enforcement agencies, legal professionals, and organizations to help identify, collect, preserve, and analyze digital evidence using a variety of techniques and tools to identify and analyze digital evidence, such as disk imaging, file carving, and data recovery, to ensure the integrity and authenticity of the evidence they collect.

Roles and Responsibilities of Digital Forensic Investigators include:

a. Conduct overall identification and analysis from gathered data and information

b. Recovery of data such as documents, emails, photos, and any data that have been erased or deleted

c. Processing and analyzing digital evidence needed to be presented during criminal cases

d. Underlining possible cyber threats and weaknesses found during the investigation

What are the skills needed to be a Digital Forensics Investigator?

a. Deep understanding of existing and emerging technology

b. Ability to discover and interpret data

c. Ability to visualize and present data

d. Critical thinking and attention to detail

Additionally, having a certification can support the career advancement of a digital forensic investigator. A certification such as Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) is one of the vital certifications for digital forensic investigators in showcasing one’s ability in computer forensics, dipping into the dark web, the Internet of Things, and cloud forensics.

When it comes to improving security systems in the overall organization process, digital forensics plays a pivotal role in identifying, analyzing, and effectively preserving digital evidence. It is a required field in the investigation of cyber crimes and in civil and criminal cases that need relevant digital evidence. According to Ken Zatyko, Digital Forensics is defined as the application of computer science and investigative procedure for a legal purpose involving the analysis of digital evidence after proper search authority, chain of custody, validation with mathematics, use of validated tools, repeatability, reporting, and possible expert presentations. Digital forensics focuses much more than on networks and computers but more on mobile devices, cloud systems, images, videos, and any digital assets (Zatyko, 2007).

Digital forensics can be used in various settings, from criminal investigations, legal matters, and intelligence, to administrative issues.

There are several different types of digital forensics, each with its own set of tools, techniques, and processes to enhance digital devices’ capability to find, save, retrieve, evaluate, and provide evidence to further investigation in specific objectives. These five main digital forensics types can help you escalate the process!

5 Types of Digital Forensics include:

1. Network forensics

It analyses network traffic and activity to identify and track down cyber criminals or to gather evidence in cybercrime cases. Network forensics analysts use a variety of tools to capture and analyze network packets, as well as to reconstruct network events and identify patterns of activity.

2. Mobile device forensics

It analyses data stored on or transmitted by mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. This type of digital forensics is often used to extract evidence from appliances that have been lost or stolen or to gather evidence in cases involving cyber crimes or other digital misconduct.

3. Computer forensics

It analyses computer data, including hard drives, removable storage devices, and other media types. Computer forensics analysts use specialized tools and techniques to extract and analyze data from computers, including deleted files and data that may have been hidden or encrypted.

4. Cloud forensics

It analyses data stored in the cloud, including data stored on servers, storage devices, and other infrastructure used by cloud computing providers, including data that may have been deleted or hidden. Cloud forensics requires cooperation from cloud vendors such as AWS and Google Cloud.

5. Social media forensics

It analyses data and activity on social media platforms, including posts, messages, and other types of content. Social media forensics analysts gather data that may have been deleted or hidden and investigate suspicious activities such as hacking, photo morphing, and shopping scams.

Digital forensics is a required field vital in investigating cyber crimes and gathering digital evidence in many cases. It requires a strong understanding of technology and the ability to use specialized tools and techniques to extract and analyze data from various sources. Thus, a technical career in handling the investigation of cyber crimes is now emerging due to the high demand for robust cyber-protection systems amid dynamic technology environments.

Reference:

Pollitt, M. (2010). A History of Digital Forensics. In: Chow, KP., Shenoi, S. (eds) Advances in Digital Forensics VI. Digital Forensics 2010. IFIP Advances in Information and Communication Technology, vol 337. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-15506-2_1

Sammons, John. (2015). The Basics of Digital Forensics: The Primer for Getting Started in Digital Forensics. Elsevier. Inc. ISBN: 978-0-12-801635-0

Vincze, Eva. A (2016): Challenges in digital forensics, Police Practice and Research, DOI: 10.1080/15614263.2015.1128163