Systems and Security : Operations and Incident Response

1.5 Key aspects of digital forensics

Preservation, E-discovery, Data recovery, Non-repudiation, and Strategic intelligence/counterintelligence

Digital forensics is the process of preserving, collecting, analyzing, and presenting electronic evidence in a manner that is legally admissible. Key aspects of digital forensics include the documentation and evidence collection process, the integrity of the collected data, and the preservation of the evidence for later use in legal proceedings.

Integrity refers to the authenticity and accuracy of the evidence collected. Hashing, checksums, and provenance are used to ensure the integrity of the evidence. Preservation of the evidence is crucial to maintaining its integrity and to ensure that the evidence can be used in legal proceedings.

E-discovery refers to the process of identifying and collecting electronic data that may be relevant to a legal case. Data recovery is the process of restoring data that has been lost, corrupted, or damaged. Non-repudiation refers to the ability to prove that a specific individual took a specific action, such as sending an email or accessing a file.

In recent years, the rise of cloud computing has introduced new challenges in the field of digital forensics. It is important to understand the right-to-audit clauses and regulatory requirements, as well as the jurisdiction in which data is stored and the data breach notification laws that apply.

Strategic intelligence and counterintelligence play an important role in digital forensics, as organizations must understand the potential risks and threats to their digital assets and be prepared to respond to incidents that may arise.