Forget Manual Analysis, Digital Analysis Will Lead the Cybercrime Investigations Now

Digital forensics will have a CAGR of 11.2% by 2030, particularly in view of the increasing adoption of AI

Of all the buttons on the keyboard, erase button is the savior most of the time. In other words, it means, in simple terms, erasing a digital footprint is a necessary part of our digital lives, more so for cybercriminals. Cybercrime and cybercriminals thrive on this very principle and are adept at removing the signs of digital presence from the internet. How can then law-makers bring the intruders to account? The answer lies in digital forensics or digital analysis. Cybercrime investigation, of late, is depending heavily on digital analysis a process that enables in-depth analysis of cybercrimes. The perils of not practicing or ignoring computer forensics are too many for companies, for it carries the risk of you destroying vital evidence, or gathering improper evidence, only for it to be ruled inadmissible in a court of law. In certain countries, companies are liable if a civil or criminal court fails to protect customer data.

What is Digital Forensics?

Digital Forensics is the process of scientific investigation that involves collecting information and data points around a cyber-attack incident, from different digital terminals, as evidence for a legal case or as a further lead toward cracking a digital crime. "The main goal of computer forensics is to identify, collect, preserve, and analyze data in a way that preserves the integrity of the evidence collected so it can be used effectively in a legal case," as stated by The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT). It essentially entails identifying entry points used by the attacker, identifying the attacker's user accounts, identifying the duration of unauthorized access, and geolocating the logins. It is not necessary that digital forensics is always connected with a crime. In many cases, the forensic process is used for data recovery from a crashed server or formatted operating systems, or system crashes.

Principles of digital forensics

Data gathering: Unlike manual data collection, data integrity is very crucial. For data to maintain its integrity, the systems are isolated to ensure that the devices are not contaminated or manipulated. A forensic image, which is nothing but a digital copy of the data is collected by the investigators for further investigation, saving the devices securely for later examination.

Data Analysis: Analysis requires using different tools for different devices and digital formats. For example, evidence derived from an email is different from that collected from metadata or an image. Having the data and the required tool in themselves are not enough to build evidence. It needs expertise culminating from a deep understanding of cyber and legal nuances so that vital information that is worth presenting in the court is extracted.

Presentation: Also known as documentation, a process where the examiner provides a report on the entire process of investigation, i.e, how the forensic process was done, tools and methods were used, legal protocols and policies followed, and the forensic findings. It is presented in explicit language, consistent with the findings, and accurate in its presentation because judges depend on that report to make a judgment.

The final step in the forensic process where the examiner should provide a  report, and documentation,  on how the forensic process was done, what type of tools and methods were used, legal protocols and policies followed,  forensics findings, and relevant articulations.  The report should be written in understandable and explicit language, consistent with the findings, and accurate in its presentation.

Challenges in Digital Forensics

Digital forensics, according to research published in The Future Market Trends, will have a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 11.2% by 2030, particularly in view of the increasing adoption of Artificial Intelligence propelling the market growth. Up until now, forensics have been oriented towards desktop computers, laptops, and storage devices, new forms of digital forensics techniques to investigate handheld devices like smartphones will become hugely popular. Does this mean digital forensics should be the go-to technology for digital crime investigations? Like any other technology in the market, digital forensics too has its set of shortcomings. Data view inconsistency – misrepresentation of data over different mediums – a major hurdle faced in digital forensics, often results in inaccurate results. Another challenge is repeatability – a technique necessary to establish that certain action A has led to certain action B – which is highly impossible with digital forensics. Finding the digital time-stamps – that can be easily spoofed – is very critical for mapping the timeline of a digital crime. And then there is the very widening gap between the emerging smart technologies that cybercriminals use and forensic tools available to the investigators. To top it all, some experts, according to an article published in The Guardian, suspect bias among forensic investigators, for the same evidence has resulted in different conclusions with different investigators. Talking to The Guardian, Ian Walden, a professor of information and communications law at Queen Mary, University of London says, "Not only should we not always trust the machine, but we also can't always trust the person that interprets the machine." Irrespective of the pitfalls, digital forensics is fast-growing discipline businesses are largely relying on to secure their valuable data.

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