Introduction to Digital Forensics

A "short and sweet" introduction to the topic of Digital Forensics

This book is a "short and sweet" introduction to the topic of Digital Forensics, covering theoretical, practical and legal aspects. The first part of the book focuses on the history of digital forensics as a discipline and discusses the traits and requirements needed to become an forensic analyst. The middle portion of the book constitutes a general guide to a digital forensic investigation, mostly focusing on computers. It finishes with a discussion of the legal aspects of digital forensics as well as some other observations for managers or other interested parties.

Contents

Introduction
Overview of the topic and introduction to the book
So you want to be a forensic analyst?
Who can benefit from this material?
Requirements
Hardware and software requirements

Digital forensics

A history
A brief history of the discipline
Types of investigations
Investigations can take many forms
The forensic process
Description of the traditional digital forensic process
Terminology
Before we begin, explanation of some words

Acquiring Evidence

Tableau forensic write blocker used for acquisitions
Documenting evidence
How to document exhibits and media
Acquisition
Notes on the authentication of evidence
Example task
Have a go at recording and acquiring some data

Analysis

Forensic tools
Common forensic tools and their uses
First steps in analysis
Where to begin? Often a daunting question
Chat, email and internet artefacts
One of the main areas of investigation will be the internet cache
Image investigations
Images can contain a wealth of information
Linux & Mac
Some significant differences & problems exist when examining different operating systems
Example task
Perform a simple analysis

Reporting findings

Reporting
Reporting is one of the key aspects of digital forensics
Giving expert evidence
How to defend your findings in court
Example task
Try your hand at putting together a simple report

Mobile devices

iPhone in an RF bag
Mobile devices
An introduction to mobile device forensics
Mobile forensics tools
Hardware/software for mobile analysis
Mobile device analysis
Specific notes for analysing mobile devices
Criminal investigations
Considerations when investigating crime
Civil investigations (eDiscovery)
The various rules relating to civil investigation
Seizing digital media
Important considerations apply to how and when you can seize media

Advice

Managing an investigation
Advice for managers handling a digital investigation
Anti-forensics
Counter measures to impair forensics analysis

Appendices

Glossary
Authors
Bibliography
Further reading
 



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