The Digital Crime Scene: Principles, Methods, and Challenges in Digital Forensics
Keywords:
Digital forensics, Digital crime scene, Digital evidence, Chain of custody, Cybercrime investigationAbstract
Digital forensics has emerged as a vital field used to investigate crimes involving computers, mobile devices, networks, cloud platforms, and other digital technologies. The concept of the digital crime scene and the scientific principles, standardized methodologies, and technologies that are the foundation of contemporary digital forensic investigations are explored in this review. It covers the basics of digital forensics, the nature of digital evidence, the chain of custody, forensic soundness and the internationally agreed guidelines for the handling of evidence. The review also provides a description of the digital forensic investigation process, the various sources of digital evidence in the investigation as well as the commonly used digital forensic tools for evidence collection and analysis. Finally, it covers challenges of the modern era, such as encryption, cloud computing, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, anti-forensic methods and legal issues, and explores the potential influence of artificial intelligence and automation on improving forensic investigations. The review highlights the importance of standardisation, reliability and advancement of forensic procedures for the effective investigation of cybercrimes and judicial decision making.
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