Understanding Digital Forensics

Digital forensics is the process of uncovering and interpreting electronic data for use in a court of law or internal investigation. It involves the preservation, collection, validation, identification, analysis, interpretation, documentation, and presentation of digital evidence. Unlike traditional incident response, which focuses on quickly resolving security issues, digital forensics emphasizes maintaining the integrity of evidence and following strict methodological procedures.

Key principles of digital forensics include:

Evidence Preservation: Ensuring data remains unaltered during collection and analysis
Chain of Custody: Documenting who handled evidence and when
Repeatability: Using methods that can be reproduced by other investigators
Documentation: Maintaining detailed records of all actions taken