Cyber Forensics: From Data to Digital Evidence

CHAPTER ONE

The Fundamentals of Data

THIS BOOK IS DESIGNED to address the fundamental concepts found in the emerging and rapidly evolving field of cyber forensics.

Before one can profess to be knowledgeable and fully cognizant of the breadth encompassing the professional discipline of cyber forensics, a foundation, rooted in the basics of information technology, data storage, handling, and processing, as well as how data is moved and manipulated, is essential.

For the cyber forensic investigator, data is evidence. Understanding how evidence emerges from data is pivotal; however, more important is being able to confidently articulate how evidential data was identified, collected, and processed.

As a cyber forensic investigator, simply pressing buttons or checking off options in a forensic software suite, without the knowledge of what is happening behind the scenes, creates a potential liability. Understanding the “life cycle” of data is pivotal, from its humble beginnings as electronic bits, evolving into bytes, characters, then words, finally emerging as a language, as information, and perhaps eventually as evidence.

This book will provide a platform for both broadening as well as enhancing your skills in the basic elements of information technology as the technology supports and is embedded within the science of cyber forensic investigations.

As you read this book, you will encounter words that have been italicized. These words represent key concepts and are more fully defined ...