Cyber Forensics: From Data to Digital Evidence

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

A Cyber Forensic Process Summary

THE NEED FOR COMMUNICATION and information sharing continues to be a driving force of technology. This endeavor began with the dawn of man and continues today. From early cave paintings to stone tablets, to the printing press, to electronically stored data and the Internet, our need and desire to share information continues to grow geometrically.

The ability to communicate electronically has accounted for many of the advancements we have in a society today, along with many conveniences. However, whenever there is good, bad is not far behind; as with everything in life there is a fine balance between good and bad. There is no exception with electronically stored data. Crimes will continue to occur regardless of the technological advancements used by those to perpetrate crimes and those sworn to uphold the law. The difference is the process by which the crimes occur and how they must be investigated.

This book has addressed the process by which data originates, is stored, moved, manipulated, and analyzed to assess its relevance as evidential matter. As with all subjects there must be a logical beginning and similarly, a logical conclusion. Our journey began in Chapter 1 and the root of all electronically communicated information, binary data representation.

BINARY

In order to properly investigate electronic data or computational communications it is first necessary to understand how we, as a species, attempt to codify our ability ...