JSPM’S BHIVRABAI SAWANT POLYTECHNIC, WAGHOLI

(2023-2024)
CENTER OF ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE
Approval by AICTE New Delhi, recognized by the Govt. of Maharashtra and
Affiliated to MSBTE Mumbai
Institute Code:0710
Title of Micro project: “Prepare report on study of digital forensic..”
Academic Year: 2023-24
Course: Emerging Trends in Computer & Information Technology
Course Code:22618

Submitted by:

Roll Student Name Sign of Student

No
13 Bhati Om Rajesh

HOD of Department: Under the guidance of:

Prof. S.G. Gaikwad Mrs. Swati Ghate
 BHIVRABAI SAWANT POLYTECHNIC, WAGHOLI,
PUNE
ANEEXURE II
Evaluation Sheet for the Micro Project

Academic Year: 2023-24 Name of the Faculty: Mrs. Swati Ghate

Course: Emerging Trends in Computer & Information Technology

Course Code:22618 SEM : VI

Title of the project Prepare report on study of digital forensic.

COs addressed by Micro Project:

A: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………
B…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
C……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...
D:…………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Major learning outcomes achieved by students by doing the project

Practical outcome……………………………………………………………………………………………….

Unit outcomes in Cognitive

domain……………………………………………………………………………. Outcomes in Affective

domain…………………………………………………………………………………

Comments/suggestions about team work /leadership/inter-personal communication (if any)

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Roll Marks out of 6 for Marks out of 4for Total
No performance in performance in out of
Student Name group activity oral/presentation 10

(Name and Signature of Faculty)

 BHIVRABAI SAWANT POLYTECHNIC,
WAGHOLI, PUNE
Micro Project Plan

Week Date Duration Work or activity Performed Sign of the

No. in hours Guide
One hour
1 Group Discussion on Topic

One hour
2 Assign task to group

One hour
Giving Particular Information
3
One hour
Got Course and Practical Outcomes
4
One hour
Taking Review about collected Data
5
One hour
Verify Material in Sequence
6
One hour
7 Discussion on Suggestions

One hour
Arrange Data in Sequence
8
One hour
9 Prepare proposal of the project

One hour
Verify the Draft from Teacher
10
One hour
11 Rearrange the data

One hour
12 Share Data among Group

One hour
13 Prepare the report

One hour
14 Work on Data

One hour
15 Prepare soft copy
 Introduction
Digital forensics plays a crucial role in modern investigative processes, providing invaluable insights
into digital activities, incidents, and evidence. In this digital forensic report, we delve into the investigation
of [specific incident or case], aiming to uncover pertinent information, analyze digital artifacts, and draw
meaningful conclusions to support the investigative process.

Digital forensics, often referred to as computer forensics, encompasses the collection, preservation,
examination, and analysis of digital evidence from various sources, including computers, mobile devices,
network logs, and cloud storage. In the context of this report, our focus lies on [specify the scope of the
investigation, e.g., a suspected data breach, cybercrime, employee misconduct, etc.].

The objectives of this digital forensic investigation are multifold:

1.Identification of Digital Evidence: Our primary goal is to identify and document relevant digital evidence
pertinent to the incident under investigation. This may include files, emails, chat logs, system logs, network
traffic, metadata, and other digital artifacts that may provide insights into the nature and scope of the
incident.

2.Preservation of Evidence Integrity: Maintaining the integrity of digital evidence is paramount in ensuring
its admissibility and reliability in legal proceedings. We employ industry-standard practices and tools to
preserve the integrity of digital evidence throughout the investigation process, adhering to chain of custody
protocols to prevent tampering or alteration.

3.Analysis and Interpretation: Thorough analysis and interpretation of digital artifacts are conducted to
reconstruct events, uncover patterns, and discern potential motives or perpetrators. This involves employing
forensic tools, techniques, and methodologies to extract, decode, and analyze digital data in a forensically
sound manner.

4.Documentation and Reporting: Comprehensive documentation of findings, methodologies, and

conclusions is essential to the investigative process. Our report provides a detailed account of the
investigation, including the methodologies employed, the evidence collected, the analysis conducted, and
the conclusions drawn.

5.Recommendations and Remediation: Based on our findings, we offer recommendations for remediation,
mitigation, and future prevention strategies to enhance digital security posture and mitigate the risk of
similar incidents in the future.

By leveraging the principles and methodologies of digital forensics, this report aims to shed light on the
incident under investigation, provide actionable insights to stakeholders, and contribute to the pursuit of
truth and justice in the digital realm. Through meticulous examination and analysis of digital evidence, we
endeavor to unravel the complexities of the case and support informed decision-making processes.
An important part of digital forensics is the analysis of suspected cyberattacks, with the objective of
identifying, mitigating, and eradicating cyber threats. This makes digital forensics a critical part of the
incident response process. Digital forensics is also useful in the aftermath of an attack, to provide
information required by auditors, legal teams, or law enforcement.

Electronic evidence can be gathered from a variety of sources, including computers, mobile devices, remote
storage devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, and virtually any other computerized system.

This is part of an extensive series of guides about information security.

Digital forensics is the practice of identifying, acquiring, and analyzing electronic evidence. Today almost
all criminal activity has a digital forensics element, and digital forensics experts provide critical assistance to
police investigations. Digital forensic data is commonly used in court proceedings.

Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science that focuses on identifying, acquiring, processing, analysing,
and reporting on data stored electronically.

Electronic evidence is a component of almost all criminal activities and digital forensics support is crucial
for law enforcement investigations.

Electronic evidence can be collected from a wide array of sources, such as computers, smartphones, remote
storage, unmanned aerial systems, shipborne equipment, and more.

The main goal of digital forensics is to extract data from the electronic evidence, process it into actionable
intelligence and present the findings for prosecution. All processes utilize sound forensic techniques to
ensure the findings are admissible in court.
Why Is Digital Forensics Important?

Digital forensics is commonly thought to be confined to digital and computing environments. But in fact, it
has a much larger impact on society. Because computers and computerized devices are now used in every
aspect of life, digital evidence has become critical to solving many types of crimes and legal issues, both in
the digital and in the physical world.

All connected devices generate massive amounts of data. Many devices log all actions performed by their
users, as well as autonomous activities performed by the device, such as network connections and data
transfers. This includes cars, mobile phones, routers, personal computers, traffic lights, and many other
devices in the private and public spheres.

Digital evidence can be used as evidence in investigation and legal proceedings for:

 Data theft and network breaches—digital forensics is used to understand how a breach happened
and who were the attackers.
 Online fraud and identity theft—digital forensics is used to understand the impact of a breach on
organizations and their customers.

 Violent crimes like burglary, assault, and murder—digital forensics is used to capture digital
evidence from mobile phones, cars, or other devices in the vicinity of the crime.

 White collar crimes—digital forensics is used to collect evidence that can help identify and
prosecute crimes like corporate fraud, embezzlement, and extortion.

In the context of an organization, digital forensics can be used to identify and investigate both cybersecurity
incidents and physical security incidents. Most commonly, digital evidence is used as part of the incident
response process, to detect that a breach occurred, identify the root cause and threat actors, eradicate the
threat, and provide evidence for legal teams and law enforcement authorities.

To enable digital forensics, organizations must centrally manage logs and other digital evidence, ensure they
retain it for a long enough period, and protect it from tampering, malicious access, or accidental loss.

This includes cars, mobile phones, routers, personal computers, traffic lights, and many other devices in the
private and public spheres.
 Digital evidence

As I already mentioned, the main task of any digital forensics investigation is to acquire, preserve, examine
and present digital evidence to be used in the court of law, so what is meant by the term digital evidence?
Digital evidence (also known as electronic evidence) is any information stored or transmitted in digital
format, this includes data found on computers, laptops, cell phones, tablet, PDA hard drives, and all data
stored using various storage device media such as USB thumb drive, SD cards, external hard drive,
CD/DVD. Data transmitted via computer networks is also considered a part of digital evidence in addition to
operating systems and database logs.

Digital evidence should be acquired in a Forensically Sound manner. “Forensically Sound” is a term used by
digital forensics examiners to describe the process of acquiring digital evidence while preserving its
integrity to be admissible in a court of law.

Digital evidence includes the following artifacts – and more:

1. Email messages and attachments

2. User account info (username, password, personal picture…etc.) for both online accounts (cloud storage, social
media) and local computer accounts.
3. Digital photo, audio, and video
4. IM conversation history
5. Web browsing history
6. Files generated by accounting programs
7. All types of electronic files (MS Office files, database, spreadsheet, bookmarks…etc.)
8. Data in volatile memory (RAM)
9. Registry info (in Windows based systems)
10. Computer backups
11. Networking devices records (router, switch, proxy server, firewall)
12. Printer spooler files
13. ATM transaction logs
14. Fax & copier machines logs
15. Electronic door looks log
16. GPS track logs
17. Digital data extracted from home appliances (smart TV, smart refrigerator)
18. Surveillance video recordings
19. Encrypted and hidden files
20. And any data stored in digital format and can be used in the court of law as evidence.
We should take note that most digital file types have associated metadata (see Figure 1), for instance,
metadata is data about data, some are automatically generated by the application that created the file (e.g.
file creation and alteration date/time, application version info) and other can be set by the user itself (e.g.
file’s author name, comments, and email address).
 Digital Forensics Process

There are many methodologies or suggested processes for conducting digital forensics investigations,
however, they all share the following 4 key main phases (see Figure 2):

Fig ure 2 – Common

phases of digital forensics

Seizure

In this phase, the suspect digital device is seized and packaged properly and taken to the digital forensics
lab. An investigator should have an official search warrant from the court and he/she must have the proper
permission to confiscate the suspect device.

The digital device can be any type of computing device such as a desktop computer, server, laptop, tablet,
smartphone, external hard drive, USB stick or backup media, Internet of Things (IoT) device.

Upon arriving at the crime scene, if the suspect device was still running, volatile memory should be acquired
first (if possible) before powering off the device. Volatile memory can contain important information for the
current investigation, such as passwords, IM chat log, internet browsing history, running programs and
clipboard contents.

Evidence Acquisition

In this phase, a professional computer forensics technician will duplicate suspect device hard drive -and
RAM if applicable- to acquire a complete image of it (also known as bit-to-bit image). It is preferable to
have more than one forensic image as the examination will be performed on these copies in the lab.

Related: Phishing Kits: the new frontier of hacker attacks

Evidence Analysis

In this phase, the acquired forensic image is analyzed using different tools and techniques to acquire useful
lead form it such as: recovering deleted files and emails, discovering hidden data, retrieving IM chat and
web browser history. The forensic tool/s used to analyze the forensic image should be accepted by the court.
Evidence Presentation

In the final phase, the forensic investigator will produce a comprehensive report that details his/her findings.
The language used to write the report should be well understood by non-technical people such as attorneys,
judges, and juries.
 Digital Forensics Readiness
As more organizations become -almost- fully dependent on technology to run their business, having a
sudden standstill caused by an unwanted incident can have catastrophic consequences on their operations.
For this reason, strategies like disaster recovery, incident response, and digital forensic investigation should
be fully incorporated into the organizations’ operational structure.

Forensics readiness (see Figure 3) of an organization is defined as its ability to collect, preserve, protect and
analyze digital evidence in a forensically sound manner whenever an incident took place, this will help it to
reduce downtime and properly investigate the criminal case and shift it later to court if necessary. Having a
Forensic readiness plan brings many advantages for organizations such as:

1. Force employees to avoid violating company policy as they will have the sense that they will get caught easily
if they carry out any illegal activity.
2. Forensic readiness will increase the organization’s ability to discover cyberattacks against its IT infrastructure
before it escalates and become more harmful.
3. Reduce costs associated with digital forensics investigations as the organization will already have the plan,
procedures, and tools for acquiring and analyzing digital evidence. This will lead to a fast resolution of any
criminal case.
4. Compliance with government regulations: Having a Forensic readiness plan becomes mandatory in many
countries to assure an organization’s ability to acquire digital evidence in forensically sound manner when
required by an internal investigation and before moving the case to official courts.

Maintaining a forensic readiness plan has become a must for any organization or corporation that wants to
survive in today’s information age.
 Advantages of Digital Forensics:
1.Evidence Preservation: Digital forensics ensures the preservation of digital evidence in a
forensically sound manner, maintaining its integrity and authenticity throughout the investigation
process.

2.Data Recovery: It facilitates the recovery of deleted, hidden, or encrypted data, which might
contain crucial information relevant to an investigation or legal case.

3.Investigation Efficiency: Digital forensics tools and methodologies expedite the investigation
process, enabling investigators to analyze vast amounts of digital data efficiently.

4.Remote Analysis: Digital forensics allows for remote analysis of digital evidence, reducing the
need for physical access to devices and enabling investigations across geographically dispersed
locations.

5.Complex Analysis: It enables the examination of complex digital systems such as networks,
cloud platforms, and IoT devices, providing insights into interconnected digital environments
that traditional investigative methods might overlook.

6.Timely Response: Digital forensics facilitates prompt response to incidents such as data
breaches or cyberattacks, helping organizations mitigate risks and minimize potential damages.

7.Intellectual Property Protection: It aids in the detection and prevention of intellectual property
theft by identifying unauthorized access, copying, or distribution of proprietary information.

8.Legal Admissibility: Digital forensics ensures that digital evidence is collected, analyzed, and
presented in a manner compliant with legal standards, enhancing its admissibility in court
proceedings.

9.Fraud Detection: It assists in uncovering fraudulent activities such as financial fraud, identity
theft, or cyber fraud by analyzing digital transactions, communication records, and other digital
artifacts.

10.Continuous Improvement: Digital forensics practices evolve alongside technological

advancements, enabling forensic experts to develop new techniques and tools to effectively
investigate emerging threats and challenges in the digital realm.
 Disadvantages of Digital Forensics:

1.Data Overload: Digital forensics often involves processing vast amounts of digital data, leading
to challenges in identifying and analyzing relevant information amidst the noise.

2.Technological Complexity: Conducting digital forensics requires specialized knowledge,

training, and access to sophisticated tools, which may pose barriers for investigators lacking
adequate expertise or resources.

3.Privacy Concerns: Digital forensics involves accessing sensitive or personal data, raising
ethical and legal concerns regarding individual privacy rights and data protection regulations.

4.Legal Challenges: Admissibility of digital evidence can be contested in court due to concerns
about authenticity, chain of custody, or reliability of forensic techniques, potentially undermining
the credibility of the evidence.

5.Resource Intensive: Digital forensics investigations demand significant resources in terms of

time, manpower, and technology infrastructure, particularly for complex or large-scale cases.

6.Data Encryption: Encrypted data poses challenges for digital forensics, as decryption may
require specialized knowledge, access to encryption keys, or cooperation from relevant parties,
hindering investigation efforts.

7.Data Fragmentation: Digital evidence may be fragmented across multiple devices, storage
locations, or cloud platforms, complicating the process of data collection, reconstruction, and
analysis.

8.Malware and Anti-Forensic Techniques: Malicious actors may employ anti-forensic techniques
or malware to evade detection and compromise the integrity of digital evidence, making
investigation more challenging.

9.Cross-Border Jurisdiction: Digital forensics investigations involving multinational or cross-

border incidents may encounter jurisdictional complexities, legal conflicts, and diplomatic.
 Abstract

In this extensive report, we embark on a thorough exploration of the multifaceted domain of digital
forensics, encompassing its methodologies, tools, challenges, and diverse applications. As society becomes
increasingly reliant on digital technologies, the significance of digital forensics in investigating cybercrimes,
data breaches, and digital incidents cannot be overstated. This report provides an in-depth analysis of the
foundational principles underpinning digital forensics, elucidating its pivotal role in the identification,
preservation, analysis, and presentation of digital evidence.

We delve into an array of forensic techniques and technologies, ranging from traditional file system analysis
to cutting-edge advancements in memory forensics, network forensics, and beyond, illuminating their
intricate interplay in uncovering digital artifacts crucial for investigative purposes.

Moreover, the report scrutinizes the intricate legal and ethical dimensions surrounding digital forensics,
addressing pertinent issues such as privacy rights, the admissibility of digital evidence in legal proceedings,
and adherence to regulatory frameworks. It confronts head-on the formidable challenges encountered by
forensic practitioners in their endeavors, including the deluge of digital data, the proliferation of encryption
mechanisms, the prevalence of anti-forensic tactics employed by adversaries, and the perennial constraints
of resources and expertise.

Through compelling case studies and real-world examples drawn from diverse sectors, ranging from law
enforcement and corporate governance to incident response and cybersecurity operations, this report
underscores the indispensable role of digital forensics in unraveling complex digital mysteries and
safeguarding the integrity of digital ecosystems.

Furthermore, it advocates for a holistic approach to digital forensics, emphasizing the imperative of
continuous research, rigorous training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and harmonized international
standards to fortify the efficacy, credibility, and ethical integrity of digital forensic practices in an ever-
evolving technological landscape.

As we traverse the intricate terrain of digital forensics, this report serves as a beacon, guiding practitioners,
policymakers, and stakeholders alike toward a deeper understanding and appreciation of its profound
significance in preserving justice, security, and trust in the digital age.
 Conclusion:

In conclusion, the journey through the labyrinthine realm of digital forensics reveals its indispensable role as
a linchpin in the modern quest for justice, security, and integrity in digital landscapes. As our reliance on
digital technologies burgeons, so too does the imperative for robust and effective digital forensic practices.

This report has underscored the critical importance of digital forensics in investigating cybercrimes,
mitigating data breaches, and unraveling intricate digital mysteries that confound traditional investigative
methods.

Through a comprehensive examination of the fundamental principles, advanced techniques, legal

considerations, and practical challenges inherent in digital forensics, we have gained insight into the
intricate tapestry that constitutes this dynamic field. From the intricacies of evidence collection and
preservation to the complexities of analyzing encrypted data and combating anti-forensic tactics, the
challenges confronting forensic practitioners are manifold and ever-evolving.

Nevertheless, amidst these challenges lie opportunities for innovation, collaboration, and continuous
improvement. By fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, advancing technological capabilities, and
promoting adherence to ethical standards and legal frameworks, we can bolster the efficacy, credibility, and
ethical integrity of digital forensic practices.

As we navigate the complex terrain of digital forensics, it becomes evident that its significance transcends
individual investigations; it is a cornerstone of justice, a guardian of privacy, and a bulwark against cyber
threats. Therefore, om bhati Tyco b it behooves us to heed the lessons gleaned from this exploration and
commit ourselves to the ongoing pursuit of excellence in digital forensic practices.

By doing so, we can fortify our collective resilience against digital adversaries, uphold the principles of
justice and accountability, and safeguard the integrity of digital ecosystems for generations to come.

References

1. Introduction to Digital Forensics - Cyber Protection Magazine (cyberprotection-magazine.com)

2. Open AI (ChatGPT)
3. Reference Books
4. Google
5. GeeksForGeeks
6. Academia