With an increase in the number of gadgets around the globe, we have seen a surge in digital crime. Digital forensic services seek to detect and prevent digital crimes. First, it helps in effectively gathering data and extracting evidence from datasets.
Digital forensic experts can extract data even from deleted or damaged storage media. They can also detect hidden files and recover erased bits of information. Let’s explore the different types of digital forensic services and their benefits.
Computer Forensics
The best thing about computer forensics is that it is the most non-intrusive form of digital forensics. Unlike other investigations, computer forensics can be conducted without a search warrant. Computer forensic experts can work remotely, and they don’t have to be present at the crime scene. Here are some benefits of computer forensics.
Helps Examine Digital Evidence
The number of digital thieves also grows as the world relies more on digital devices. Computer forensic experts tend to examine and analyze computer devices to obtain valuable evidence that can be used in a court of law. It identifies, tracks, and prosecutes people who have committed computer-related crimes.
Besides helping digital forensic experts recover lost, deleted, or destroyed evidence, it also helps detectives recreate past events, including the events that happened after the crime. It helps identify suspects and also helps in understanding their motives.
However, Despite these benefits, computer forensics can be costly and time-consuming.
Helps Identify Criminals
The best thing about forensic computer is how accurately it can identify offenders. The data recovered from computers and other gadgets help investigators to crack down on criminals and bring them to justice.
However, the investigators should have an understanding of data evaluation. Otherwise, the results can be erroneous.
Moreover, some digital thieves are also aware of computer forensics. Therefore, computer forensic experts need to think ahead of them.
Helps Prevent Future Crimes
The evidence recovered from digital devices helps in investigative and courtroom proceedings, but it also helps prevent future crimes.
The data taken from a device can explain trends, and if these trends are compared to criminal occurrences, it becomes easier to determine what the criminal will do next.
However, digital forensic experts need to be able to read and understand these trends to minimize the likelihood of future digital crimes.
Network Forensics
Network forensics is an important part of a company’s security strategy. Although it is not a new concept in the tech world, various companies are paying extra attention to network forensics in the wake of malware attacks. According to experts, the network forensic market can grow by 14{49ad122cf4cd715c50edb12b8286b8b60b6ae4913bf58abe885abb4552ddfbec} by 2025. Here are some of the benefits of network forensic services.
Less Revenue Loss
According to a study by Accenture, businesses are losing $11.7 million in revenue on average. Moreover, the number of security breaches within the US market has increased by 27.4{49ad122cf4cd715c50edb12b8286b8b60b6ae4913bf58abe885abb4552ddfbec}. Network forensics helps digital forensic experts dig deep into these breaches while finding the root causes and preventing future breaches.
Enhanced Network Performance
Network analysts can find out the sections in a network that aren’t performing up to par. They can also treat them using tools with solid SDKs and APIs. On average, it takes a little less than two months to deal with a malicious attack that affects the performance of a network and, eventually, the business. With network forensics, such issues can be avoided altogether, thus increasing productivity and reducing downtime.
Better Threat Detection and Data Management
According to a report from Mandiant, the median time for detecting the evidence of a malware attack has increased to 101 days. Some companies have a deluge of data, preventing them from locating a threat. Network forensic excerpts control the data volume and use techniques like packet analysis to flush away the troublemakers between them proactively.
Provides a Solid Line of Defense
Network forensics helps analysts spot weak and vulnerable links and plan for future threats. Sadly, over 40{49ad122cf4cd715c50edb12b8286b8b60b6ae4913bf58abe885abb4552ddfbec} of companies don’t have a threat-hunting mechanism. However, the good news is that most of them understand how important it is to have quality threat-hunting programs as part of their comprehensive IT strategy.
Helps Gather Case Materials
Nowadays, companies take their security breaches straight to court. However, having all of your networks in order is important to make a strong case. Network forensic experts can read and examine log files, use sniffers, and resemble files that are admissible in court.
Mobile Forensics
Mobile phone forensics helps you leverage the power of smartphones to apprehend troublemakers. It saves law enforcement agencies the time and effort they would invest in investigating the entire neighborhood. They can find all of the important information on a cell phone. The mobile device forensics services are as follows.
Helps Track Victims
When recovering kidnapped individuals, time is everything. With every passing minute, the victim may find them self in a dangerous situation. Before the advent of mobile forensic services, law enforcement professionals relied on friends, family, credit card tracking, and eyewitness reports. Such techniques are still valid, but the GPS information on a cell phone helps find victims much faster than any of the primitive techniques.
Helps Find Out Who The Victim Talks to
With proper paperwork from the court, you can get complete lists of phone records, text messages, and other information relevant to a case. These pieces of information support your investigative theories. They also help you find out the people they frequently communicate with, and also the last person they spoke to.
Phone records can also help the investigators narrow in on the perpetrators. Law enforcement agencies have been using cell phones for a while, and they are helpful in clearing suspects and closing cases.
Helps Detect Criminal Activities
Criminals often use cell phones for illegal surveillance and identity theft. Mobile forensic experts use cell phones to check if the device has been used for any criminal activities. They can also find any hidden data and the information the criminal must have tried to delete. Cell phones are extremely helpful for investigations and can be tracked using a chain of custody like any other piece of evidence.
Cell Phone Images Help Paint a Complete Picture
At most crime scenes, people take photos and record videos. Whether it is a gang fight, a public shooting, or a bombing, cell phone images and videos can help forensic experts paint a complete picture of what went down. It helps discover what was happening at the scene before the crime took place, who was present, and if there was anything unusual.
Video Forensics
Since the advent of private security systems, CCTV cameras have become increasingly common. The fact that most people are now roaming with smartphones only expands the video database. Therefore, videos from such devices are now being used to convict criminals and potential troublemakers. Let’s look at the benefits of authenticate video forensics.
Video Processing and Storage
Acquisition and storage are the first steps in evidence analysis processes. A large amount of data must be stored so it can be retrieved later. Digital video forensics experts carry out video enhancement activities. They adjust the brightness, gamma, and contrast to make video evidence as vivid as possible. Moreover, they frame slicing, noise reduction, and filter additions. They also adjust video playback speeds as per requirements. Once the videos are analyzed, forensic reports are handed over to law enforcement agencies.
Import and Conversion of Files
As discussed above, most video evidence is captured on CCTV cameras and mobile phones. Therefore, the types of video evidence are also diverse. Video forensic services and tools have capabilities related to the conversion and import of all file types.
Forgery Detection
It sounds strange, but forged video evidence is often presented in court, making the job of digital forensic experts even more challenging. The forgeries in videos and images are exposed in the same way as the source devices are identified.
Camera response functions that often appear in the form of digital X-rays are mapped and compared to each other to look for inconsistencies. Moreover, if the camera or some unspoiled images are available, another method is used. While the first method compares different parts of the same image, the other method compares the photo response to separate images to find out if the sample is forged.
However, it is important to compare copies of a video and those that are similar to the original one, but not a copy. Such cases often arise when bystanders capture the same scene through different devices. In such circumstances, we are in need of source camera identification techniques found in digital forensic tools.
Detecting Tampering
Usually, the detection of video tampering depends on analyzing several assorted factors. It includes the detection of cloned areas within any part of the video, frame, scene, and inconsistency in the chain of custody. It also includes irregularities that are administrative or structural in nature that might indicate targeted attacks.
To determine whether a video was tampered with, video forensic tools use complex mathematics, statistical analysis, and algorithms. These techniques can help capture some amazing details. You can even point out a frame that contains a duplicated region.
It also becomes easier due to the fact that two separate frames rarely have the same lighting conditions that are visible to a camera lens. As a result, it becomes even more difficult to impose a part of a frame onto another one without affecting the tamper.
Recovering Hidden Content
Steganography has become increasingly popular during the last few years. Just like cryptography, steganography offers secret information. Unlike steganography, cryptography tends to scramble information. This information can be unlocked using only the correct access key.
However, steganography is most commonly deployed in digital forensics as it is used for hiding a secret in plain sight. Simply put, steganography is the process of camouflaging important information in seemingly innocent content.
Forensic analysis of such content is important for separating innocent content from steganographic content. As a result, the innocent content can be brushed away, while the steganographic content can be secured and presented in court as evidence.
Final Word
There was a time when solving critical cases was more challenging than today. However, the advent of digital forensics has made things easier. Some people believe that digital forensics is confined to computer forensics, but that isn’t true. It has applications in various areas of our lives.
During the last two decades, cell phones, computers, and other digital gadgets have aggressively taken over. As a result, we cannot undermine the importance of digital evidence when solving critical cases in court.
Digital devices can carry immense amounts of data. These devices can keep an eye on the activities of their users, as well as the autonomous actions these devices take, and data transfer is one such activity.
Digital evidence retrieved from phones, computers, and similar gadgets helps solve cases revolving around heinous crimes like theft, intellectual property breach, murder, and sexual misconduct. These digital techniques for solving critical cases have helped in bringing several criminals to justice. It can be helpful to hire a digital forensic expert for digital forensic services.
At Eclipse Forensics, we offer the best digital services like data redaction, audio forensic services FL, data extraction and more. To get in touch with us, visit our website today or call (904) 797-1866.