TSS3323 DIGITAL FORENSICS
▪ Chapter 2
▪ Acquiring Evidence in a
Computer Forensics Lab
Lesson #: 4
Objectives
▪ Requirements and best practice for a certified computer forensics
laboratory
▪ Structuring a computer forensics laboratory
▪ Computer forensics laboratory requirements for hardware and
software
Computer Forensics Lab Requirements
and Best Practice
1.Physical security: The lab must have physical security measures to ensure the protection
of evidence and equipment from theft, damage, or tampering.
2.Environmental controls: The lab must be equipped with environmental controls to
prevent damage to equipment and ensure the safety of personnel, including temperature
and humidity control, ventilation, and fire suppression systems.
3.Hardware and software: The lab must be equipped with the necessary hardware and
software to perform forensic examinations, including workstations, servers, storage devices,
and forensic software tools.
4.Network infrastructure: The lab must have a secure network infrastructure to ensure the
confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.
5.Evidence handling and storage: The lab must have protocols for the proper handling and
storage of evidence to prevent contamination, loss, or destruction of evidence.
Computer Forensics Lab Requirements
and Best Practice
6. Chain of custody: The lab must have procedures in place to maintain a chain of custody
for all evidence collected, including documentation of the collection, handling, and
storage of evidence.
7.Documentation: The lab must have a system for documenting all aspects of the forensic
examination, including the evidence collected, procedures performed, and results obtained.
8.Personnel: The lab must have qualified personnel trained in computer forensics, including
forensic examiners, analysts, and support staff.
9.Quality control: The lab must have a quality control program to ensure the accuracy and
reliability of the forensic examinations performed.
10.Training: Provide regular training to forensic examiners and analysts to keep them up-to-
date with the latest forensic techniques and technologies.
Computer Forensics Lab
Standard
1. Management and Quality System
• Accreditation: Emphasize adherence to international standards like ISO/IEC 17025 (General requirements for
the competence of testing and calibration laboratories) or ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board) for forensic
testing.
• Quality Manual: A comprehensive document outlining policies, procedures, and processes.
• Management Review: Regular reviews to ensure effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
• Personnel Qualifications and Training:
• Competency Requirements: Define necessary skills, knowledge, and certifications for all roles (examiners,
analysts, lab managers, support staff).
• Continuous Professional Development (CPD): Mandate ongoing training in new technologies, forensic tools,
and legal updates.
• Proficiency Testing: Regular internal and external proficiency tests to assess and maintain competency.
• Ethics and Professional Conduct: Strict guidelines on impartiality, confidentiality, and integrity.
Computer Forensics Lab
Standard
2. Facilities and Environment
Physical Security:
Access Control: Multi-layered access control (biometrics, key cards, logs).
Surveillance: CCTV monitoring of critical areas.
Environmental Controls: Temperature, humidity, and power stability to protect equipment and
evidence.
Evidence Storage:
Secure Storage: Dedicated, secure, climate-controlled storage for digital and physical evidence.
Chain of Custody: Robust procedures for documenting every transfer and access of evidence.
Network Segregation: Isolation of forensic networks from administrative networks to prevent
contamination or unauthorized access.
Computer Forensics Lab
Standard
3. Equipment and Software
Hardware:
Forensic Workstations: High-performance systems optimized for forensic tasks.
Write Blockers: Both hardware and software write blockers to ensure data integrity during acquisition.
Specialized Hardware: Tools for mobile forensics, drone forensics, IoT forensics, cloud acquisition, etc.
Software:
Forensic Suites: Industry-standard tools (e.g., EnCase, FTK, X-Ways Forensics, Magnet AXIOM).
Open-Source Tools: Guidelines for validation and use of open-source tools (e.g., Autopsy, SIFT Workstation).
Malware Analysis Tools: Secure environments and tools for analyzing malicious code.
Data Analysis and Visualization Tools: For large datasets and complex investigations.
Calibration and Maintenance: Regular calibration, maintenance, and validation of all hardware and software tools.
Software Licensing: Proper management and tracking of software licenses.
Computer Forensics Lab
Standard
4. Forensic Procedures and Methodologies
Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Detailed, documented procedures for all forensic activities, including:
Evidence Handling: Collection, preservation, transportation, storage.
Acquisition: Disk imaging (physical and logical), memory acquisition, mobile device extraction, cloud data
acquisition.
Analysis: File system analysis, artifact analysis, network forensics, malware analysis, timeline creation, data
recovery.
Documentation: Comprehensive case notes, evidence logs, reports.
Validation: Procedures for validating new tools and methodologies before use in casework.
Chain of Custody: Strict adherence to a documented chain of custody throughout the entire forensic process.
Data Integrity: Use of hashing algorithms (MD5, SHA1, SHA256) to verify data integrity at every stage.
Anti-Contamination Measures: Procedures to prevent accidental alteration or contamination of evidence.
Incident Response Integration: Procedures for collaborating with incident response teams.
Computer Forensics Lab
Standard
5. Documentation and Reporting
Case Management System: A robust system for tracking cases, evidence, tasks, and personnel.
Forensic Reports: Clear, concise, and objective reports detailing findings, methodologies, and
conclusions.
Report Content: Must include scope, tools used, findings, and limitations.
Expert Witness Testimony: Guidelines for preparing and delivering expert testimony.
Peer Review: Mandatory peer review of reports and findings.
Records Retention: Defined policies for retaining case files, reports, and raw data.
Computer Forensics Lab
Standard
6. Legal and Regulatory Compliance
Jurisdictional Requirements: Awareness and compliance with relevant laws and regulations (e.g., GDPR,
CCPA, local privacy laws).
Admissibility of Evidence: Procedures ensuring that evidence collected and analyzed is admissible in
court.
Privacy Considerations: Policies for handling personally identifiable information (PII) and sensitive data.
Discovery and Disclosure: Procedures for responding to legal requests for information.
Computer Forensics Lab
Standard
7. Emerging Technologies and Challenges
Cloud Forensics: Procedures for acquiring and analyzing data from cloud services (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS).
Mobile Device Forensics: Techniques for analyzing modern mobile operating systems and encrypted devices.
IoT Forensics: Addressing evidence from smart devices, wearables, and interconnected systems.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML): Ethical considerations and potential use in forensic analysis
(e.g., image recognition, anomaly detection) while ensuring transparency and explainability.
Blockchain Forensics/Cryptocurrency Investigations: Specialized knowledge and tools for tracing transactions on
blockchain networks.
Encrypted Data: Strategies and tools for handling encrypted drives and files.
Big Data Forensics: Techniques for processing and analyzing massive datasets.
Computer forensics laboratory
requirements for hardware and software
Laboratory Requirements
Computer forensics laboratory
requirements for hardware and software
Evidence Locker
Computer forensics laboratory
requirements for hardware and software
Digital Evidence
Computer forensics laboratory
requirements for hardware and software
UltraBlock SATA/IDE WRITE-BLOCKER
Computer forensics laboratory
requirements for hardware and software
SIM Card Reader
Computer forensics laboratory requirements for
hardware and software
Faraday bag
•Stops remote wiping: If police seize a phone, they put it in a
Faraday bag so no one can remotely erase or mess with the data
on it.
•Keeps data safe: Prevents new messages, calls, or app
updates from changing the evidence on the device.
•Maintains power (sometimes): Allows a powered-on device to
stay on but disconnected, preserving temporary data that would
be lost if it powered off.
•Prevents tracking: Stops devices from being tracked by GPS or
other signals.
•Prevents the build up of static electricity: which can damage
electronic evidence.
