What Are the 5 Stages of a Digital Forensics Investigation?

Digital forensics involves the recovery, investigation, and analysis of electronic data to uncover evidence for litigation, criminal cases, internal investigations, and data breaches. Forensic investigators use advanced tools to unearth critical evidence, build timelines of illicit activities, and preserve evidence in a manner that is admissible in civil and criminal courts.

The evidence digital forensic investigators develop often serves as the backbone of cases including but limited to:

• Cyberattacks
• Employee misconduct
• Intellectual property theft
• Financial Fraud
• Whistleblower complaints
• Cryptocurrency crimes

To deal properly with these high-stakes cases, computer forensic investigators conduct a structured and process-driven investigation to ensure the integrity of the data and its admissibility in a court of law. The core stages of a digital forensics investigation include:

1. Identification of resources and devices involved in the investigation
2. Preservation of the necessary data
3. Analysis
4. Documentation
5. Presentation

Below, we delve more deeply into the five stages of a digital forensics investigation and provide tips on how to select the right digital forensics company.

The Stages of a Digital Forensics Investigation

Digital Forensics Investigation Stage 1: Identification

The first step in a digital forensics investigation involves identifying all devices and resources that might hold relevant data.

This includes organizational devices such as desktops, laptops, servers, and network systems, as well as personal devices including smartphones, tablets, and external storage media. Each identified device is then carefully seized and isolated to prevent any possibility of data tampering.

In cases where data resides on servers or in cloud storage, strict access controls are implemented to ensure that only the authorized investigative team can access the data, thereby maintaining its integrity and security.

Digital Forensics Investigation Stage 2: Extraction and Preservation

Once the devices involved in the investigation have been secured, the digital forensics investigator uses specialized forensic techniques to extract all potentially relevant data. This process involves creating a "forensic image," which is an exact bit-by-bit digital copy of the original data.

The forensic image is then used for in-depth analysis, ensuring the original data remains untouched and stored securely in a safe location. This meticulous approach safeguards the integrity of the evidence, even if the investigation encounters unforeseen issues, preventing any tampering or data loss.

Digital Forensics Investigation Stage 3: Analysis

After securing and duplicating the data, digital forensic investigators employ a variety of advanced techniques to meticulously analyze the extracted data for evidence of wrongdoing. This process includes:

• Reverse Steganography: Extracting hidden data by examining the underlying hash or character string of an image or other data items.
• File or Data Carving: Identifying and recovering deleted files by locating and reconstructing file fragments.
• Keyword Searches: Using specific keywords to locate and analyze relevant information, including deleted data.

Investigators also use other sophisticated methods to uncover, piece together, and interpret evidence, ensuring a thorough examination of all potential digital clues. This comprehensive analysis helps build a clear and detailed understanding of the activities in question.

Digital Forensics Investigation Stage 4: Documentation

After completing the analysis, computer forensics investigators meticulously document their findings to provide a clear and comprehensive overview of the entire investigative process and its results.

This documentation includes detailed reports, logs, and visual aids such as charts and timelines, which highlight critical activities involved in the wrongdoing.

Proper documentation ensures that each step of the investigation is recorded accurately, facilitating the reconstruction of events and the presentation of evidence in legal proceedings. This thorough approach significantly enhances the credibility and reliability of the investigation.

Digital Forensics Investigation Stage 5: Presentation

Upon completing the investigation, the findings are compiled and presented to the appropriate court, board, or group responsible for deciding the outcome of an allegation. Digital forensic investigators frequently function as expert witnesses, summarizing the evidence they have uncovered and explaining their analysis and conclusions.

They prepare comprehensive reports and visual aids to illustrate the findings clearly and effectively, ensuring that all relevant evidence is communicated in an understandable and persuasive manner, thereby supporting the judicial or administrative decision-making process.

Selecting the Right Digital Forensics Company

Digital forensics investigations are not just useful to law enforcement agencies or companies suspecting fraud on a large scale. They can also help corporations who suspect an employee is leaking data to an external party or to recover from a cyberattack, for example.

In the event of a data breach, an investigation can help identify the root cause of the attack and secure systems against further data leakage, ensuring malicious actors no longer have access to the system. Investigators also can identify what data has been accessed, distributed or altered, and may even help in getting the original data restored.

When selecting a digital forensics company, it is essential to ensure that their investigators have the right credentials and experience. Ideally, a forensic investigator should hold a degree in computer science, information technology, or engineering, providing a solid foundation in understanding how computers and software work. Additionally, certain certifications are critical in proving a forensic investigator's specialized skills and knowledge.

Key Certifications for Digital Forensic Investigators

• Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH): This certification ensures that the investigator has the skills to understand and anticipate potential hacking strategies, which is essential in identifying and mitigating security breaches.
• EnCase Certified Examiner (EnCE): EnCase is one of the most widely used forensic tools in digital investigations. An EnCE certification demonstrates expertise in using this tool to acquire and analyze forensic data.
• AccessData Certified Examiner (ACE): Proficiency in use of tools such as Forensic Toolkit (FTK) is crucial, as they allow investigators to restore, index, and search deleted evidence, which can be pivotal in uncovering critical information during an investigation.

Key Tools Used by a Digital Forensics Company

The digital forensics company’s team should also be well-versed in a variety of forensic tools and software for acquiring and analyzing data, including but not limited to:

• Forensic Toolkit (FTK): A comprehensive tool for data recovery, indexing, and searching.
• X-Ways Forensics: A highly customizable and efficient tool for complex forensic investigations.
• Magnet AXIOM: A versatile tool for examining evidence from multiple sources, including computers, smartphones, and cloud services.

In addition to these technical qualifications, practical experience is paramount. Look for professionals with at least three years of hands-on experience in digital forensics investigations. This ensures they have handled a wide range of scenarios and have developed the critical thinking and problem-solving skills necessary to effectively oversee complex investigations.

By assembling a digital forensics company whose team has the right mix of education, certification, and experience, you can be confident in their ability to protect your organization’s digital assets and respond effectively to any cyber threats or data breaches.

Pick a Digital Forensics Firm with Broad Experience

Another key factor in choosing the right digital forensics company is picking one with demonstrated experience handling a wide range of cases, as shown by the types of investigations managed by ERMProtect over the years:

• Intellectual Property Theft: ERMProtect has been involved in cases where an employee illegally copied and transferred confidential company information to a competitor. Digital forensics helped track the flow of this information, providing crucial evidence for legal proceedings.
• Fraud Investigations: In multiple instances, ERMProtect’s digital forensics teams uncovered fraudulent activities within organizations by tracing financial transactions, recovering deleted communications, and analyzing altered documents. This evidence was key in both internal disciplinary actions and criminal prosecutions.
• Data Breach Response: ERMProtect has frequently assisted in identifying the sources and methods of cyberattacks. For instance, in one case, our forensic investigators discovered that a sophisticated phishing attack had compromised several employee accounts. The digital forensics team traced the attack back to its source, helping to fortify the organization’s defenses and prevent further breaches.
• Employee Misconduct: Cases involving employee misconduct, such as the misuse of company resources or inappropriate behavior online, have been successfully resolved with the help of digital forensics. ERMProtect’s teams recovered deleted emails and chat logs, providing unambiguous evidence of the misconduct.
• Litigation Support: Digital forensics has played a crucial role in supporting legal teams with electronic discovery and expert testimony. ERMProtect has been instrumental in cases requiring the collection, preservation, and analysis of digital evidence, ensuring its admissibility in court.

These cases illustrate the broad applicability and importance of digital forensics in protecting corporate interests and ensuring justice in legal disputes.

Digital Forensics Investigations with ERMProtect

ERMProtect is a world-wide leader in cybersecurity solutions and digital forensics and mitigation of cyber risk.

For 26 years, ERMProtect has assisted in complex digital forensics cases, uncovering evidence, such as texts, images, emails, databases, and more. ERMProtect specializes in data breach investigations, and we are one of only 20 firms in the world certified by the major credit card brands to conduct payment card breaches – a testament to our expertise.

We have been appointed by courts to serve as the independent digital forensics firm in multiple litigation cases. We have resolved cases for government entities, sports leagues, financial institutions, universities, healthcare providers, and retailers, among others.

For information about how ERMProtect's digital forensics investigators can help, email [email protected] or call 305-447-6750.