Digital Evidence Collection in Cybersecurity

In the early 80s PCs became more popular and easily accessible to the general population, this also led to the increased use of computers in all fields and criminal activities were no exception to this. As more and more computer-related crimes began to surface like computer frauds, software cracking, etc. the computer forensics discipline emerged along with it. Today digital evidence collection is used in the investigation of a wide variety of crimes such as fraud, espionage, cyberstalking, etc. The knowledge of forensic experts and techniques are used to explain the contemporaneous state of the digital artifacts from the seized evidence such as computer systems, storage devices (like SSDs, hard disks, CD-ROM, USB flash drives, etc.), or electronic documents such as emails, images, documents, chat logs, phone logs, etc.

What is Electronic Evidence in Cyber Forensics?

Electronic evidence in cyber forensics lists out any digital data useful in investigating cybercrimes or legal matters, including files, logs, emails, metadata, and internet history. Linked with computers, mobile devices, networks, and cloud storage, this evidence plays a pivotal role in uncovering illegal activities like hacking or fraud. The collection process involves using forensic tools to capture data without altering it, while preservation ensures its integrity and authenticity for legal proceedings. Analysis of electronic evidence extracts relevant information, such as tracing communication patterns or identifying unauthorized access. Legal compliance, including adherence to the chain of custody protocols, is crucial to maintaining its admissibility in court. Ultimately, electronic evidence is used in understanding cyber incidents and extracting hacking effectively.

Digital Evidence Collection in Cyber Security – Challenges Faced

There are numerous challenges in collecting digital evidence in cyber security because technology changes all the time and many new issues come up like the inconsistency of cyber environments. Initially, the data volatility is a big challenge because important evidence is completely altered or lost with ease in running systems if not captured on time. Also accessing encrypted information or data that is protected poses its own difficulties thus one requires more than just ordinary passwords but decryption methods as well as legal authorization in order to access such information.

Ensuring data integrity and authenticity is critical, as any alteration during collection can render the evidence inadmissible in court. Additionally, legal and jurisdictional issues often arise, especially when evidence spans multiple regions or countries, necessitating compliance with diverse legal frameworks and international cooperation. Finally, the rapid phase of technological advancement means forensic tools and methodologies must constantly evolve to keep up with new forms of digital evidence and cyber threats, demanding continuous training and adaptation by cybersecurity professionals.

Process Involved in Digital Evidence Collection

The main processes involved in digital evidence collection are given below:

• Data collection: In this process, data is identified and collected for investigation.
• Examination: In the second step the collected data is examined carefully.
• Analysis: In this process, different tools and techniques are used and the collected evidence is analyzed to reach some conclusion.
• Reporting: In this final step all the documentation and reports are compiled so that they can be submitted in court.

Types of Collectible Data

The computer investigator and experts who investigate the seized devices have to understand what kind of potential shreds of evidence could there be and what type of shreds of evidence they are looking for. So, that they could structure their search pattern. Crimes and criminal activities that involve computers can range across a wide spectrum, they could go from trading illegal things such as rare and endangered animals, and damaging intellectual property, to personal data theft, etc.

has been deleted from the computer, they could be dead, can be encrypted, or The files investigator should be familiar with a variety of tools, methods, and also software to prevent the data from damaging during the data recovery process.

There are two types of data, that can be collected in a computer forensics investigation:

• Persistent data: It is the data that is stored on a non-volatile memory type storage device such as a local hard drive the external storage devices like SSDs, HDDs, pen drives, CDs, The. The data on these devices is preserved even when the computer is turned off.
• Volatile data: It is the data that is stored on a volatile memory type storage such as memory, registers, cache, RAM, or it exists in transit, that will be lost once the computer is turned off or it loses power. Since volatile data is evanescent, an investigator must know how to reliably capture it.

Types of Evidence

Collecting the shreds of evidence is important in any investigation to support the claims in court. Below are some major types of evidence.

• Real Evidence: These pieces of evidence involve physical or tangible evidence such as flash drives, hard drives, and documents, an eyewitness can also be considered as a shred of tangible evidence.

• Hearsay Evidence: These pieces of evidence are referred to as out-of-court statements. These are made in courts to prove the truth of the matter.

• Original Evidence: These are the pieces of evidence of a statement that is made by a person who is not a testifying witness. It is to prove that the statement was made rather than to prove its truth.

• Testimony: Testimony is when a witness takes oath in a court of law and gives their statement in court. The shreds of evidence presented should be authentic, accurate, reliable, and admissible as they can be challenged in court.

Advantages of Digital Evidence Forensics in Cyber Security

• It is vital to keep computer systems and other digital devices safe.
• Evidence can be produced when needed in a court of law for the authorities to pass judgment.
• In case the systems & networks are compromised within an organization, this can be used for capturing sensitive details.
• This collection helps in tracing cybercriminals in all parts of the world quickly.
• Take out, analyze, and explain the evidence in a law court to show one is criminal behavior.

Challenges Faced During Digital Evidence Collection

• Evidence should be handled with utmost care as data is stored in electronic media and it can get damaged easily.
• Collecting data from volatile storage.
• Recovering lost data.
• Ensuring the integrity of collected data.

Recovering information from devices as the digital shreds of evidence in the investigation is becoming the fundamental ground for law enforcement and courts all around the world. The methods used to extract information and shreds of evidence should be robust to ensure that all the related information and data are recovered and are reliable. The methods must also be legally defensible to ensure that original pieces of evidence and data have not been altered in any way and that no data was deleted or added from the original evidence.

Conclusion

Digital evidence collection is crucial in cybersecurity, it serves as the backbone for investigating cybercrimes and breaches. This process involves the accurate gathering, preservation, and analysis of data from various digital sources, including computers, networks, and mobile devices. Effective evidence collection requires conformance to legal and procedural standards to ensure that the evidence remains intact and admissible in court. Advanced tools and techniques, such as forensic imaging and live memory analysis, are employed to capture volatile data and trace cyber threats accurately. Ultimately, the ability to collect and analyze digital evidence not only aids in solving crime crimes but also strengthens overall cybersecurity defenses by identifying vulnerabilities and preventing future incidents.