digital forensics [English]

Syndetic Relationships

InterPARES Definition

n. ~ 1. Computing · The use of techniques and technologies to identify, preserve or recover, and analyze computer data as part of an investigation in a manner that ensures that it is admissible as evidence at trial. – 2. Archives · The use of such techniques and methods to assist in the acquisition, processing, preservation, and dissemination of computer files in archives.

General Notes

Cloud forensics is a specialized application of digital forensics1 in a cloud environment.

Other Definitions

  • Gartner IT Glossary (†298 s.v. digital forensics): The use of specialized, investigative techniques and technologies to determine whether illegal or otherwise inappropriate events have occurred on computer systems, and provide legally defensible information about the sequence of those events.
  • Wikipedia (†387 s.v. digital forensics): A branch of forensic science encompassing the recovery and investigation of material found in digital devices, often in relation to computer crime. The term digital forensics was originally used as a synonym for computer forensics but has expanded to cover investigation of all devices capable of storing digital data.

Citations

  • ISACA Glossary (†743 s.v. digital forensics): The process of identifying, preserving, analyzing and presenting digital evidence in a manner that is legally acceptable in any legal proceedings proceedings. (†1774)
  • Messmer 2013 (†636 p.15): ANY BUSINESS that anticipates using cloud-based services should be asking the question: What can my cloud provider do for me in terms of providing digital forensics data in the event of any legal dispute, civil or criminal case, cyberattack or data breach? It's going to be different for every provider, according to the industry insiders and legal experts who discussed this topic during a panel session at the recent RSA Conference. And complicating cloud-based forensics is that the high-tech industry is still scratching its collective head over basic requirements, some of which are being pounded out now in the Cloud Forensics Working Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (†1437)
  • Messmer 2013 (†636 p.15): Teppler, who spoke on the panel, said the focus for any lawyer is on obtaining cloud forensics evidence which will lay a foundation for admissibility under the law that a jury can weigh, based on the "provenance" of the information - the who, what and where of the data. He also noted the process known as "legal discovery" to collect information in any dispute is always constrained by time and expense. (†1438)