The Basics of Digital Forensics: The Primer for Getting Started in Digital Forensics

The Basics of Digital Forensics provides a foundation for people new to the field of digital forensics. This book teaches you how to conduct examinations by explaining what digital forensics is, the methodologies used, key technical concepts and the tools needed to perform examinations. Details on digital forensics for computers, networks, cell phones, GPS, the cloud, and Internet are discussed. Readers will also learn how to collect evidence, document the scene, and recover deleted data. This is the only resource your students need to get a jump-start into digital forensics investigations. This book is organized into 11 chapters. After an introduction to the basics of digital forensics, the book proceeds with a discussion of key technical concepts. Succeeding chapters cover labs and tools; collecting evidence; Windows system artifacts; anti-forensics; Internet and email; network forensics; and mobile device forensics. The book concludes by outlining challenges and concerns associated with digital forensics. PowerPoint lecture slides are also available. This book will be a valuable resource for entry-level digital forensics professionals as well as those in complimentary fields including law enforcement, legal, and general information security.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1. Introduction Chapter 2. Key Technical Concepts Chapter 3. Labs and Tools Chapter 4. Collecting Evidence Chapter 5. Windows System Artifacts Chapter 6. Anti-Forensics Chapter 7. Legal Chapter 8. Internet and Email Chapter 9. Network Forensics Chapter 10. Mobile Device Forensics Chapter 11. Looking Ahead: Challenges and Concerns

About the Author :
John Sammons is an Assistant Professor at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. John teaches digital forensics, electronic discovery, information security and technology in the Department of Integrated Science and Technology. He's also adjunct faculty with the Marshall University graduate forensic science program. He is also the founder and Director of the Appalachian Institute of Digital Evidence. AIDE is a non-profit organization that provides research and training for digital evidence professionals including attorneys, judges, law enforcement and information security practitioners in the private sector. John, a former police officer, is also an Investigator with the Cabell County Prosecuting Attorney's Office and a member of the FBI's West Virginia Cybercrime Task Force. He is an Associate Member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the High Technology Crime Investigation Association, the Southern Criminal Justice Association and Infragard.

Review :
"The coverage of topics is very inclusive and this is sure to become required reading for anyone interested in this field."--Dr. Marcus K. Rogers (CISSP, DFCP) Director - Cyber Forensics Program at Purdue University "The Basics of Digital Forensics is extremely easy to read and understand, and tackles the topic in a very broad manner. All in all, it's a perfect book for those who are interested in the subject and for gauging whether they might be interested in finding out more about it in the future."----Help Net Security "Sammons (integrated science and technology and forensic science, Marshall U.), a former police officer, investigator, and cybercrime task force member, introduces students and beginners to digital forensics, its methods, concepts, and labs and tools. He explains how to collect evidence from Windows systems, the Internet, email, networks, and mobile devices, as well as antiforensic activities like hiding data and password attacks, legal issues, and emerging technologies such as solid state hard drives and cloud computing."--Reference and Research Book news, Inc. "This is highly detailed material. Although the introductory chapter adopts an easy pace, with overviews of important technical concepts, most of the other chapters get right down to the practice of forensic analysis. This is not a book you're going to want to read in bed: you'll want this right next to a computer - preferably two or three computers running different operating systems - so that you can try the techniques for yourself as you work your way through. The authors admit that this book does?not cover everything you need to know. For instance, it focuses entirely on 'dead drive' forensics - offline systems. Analysing running systems often requires high-level proprietary tools. But it does give an excellent grounding in the methods of digital forensic analysis and provides a valuable first step in learning the technicalities."--Network Security, May 2012, page 4 "With the inclusion of some practical exercises, the book could easily become part of a basic training program for newly hired digital forensic examiners. For experienced examiners, the book can serve as a quick resource to review some basic concepts that we sometimes neglect as we focus on more detailed and complex examinations. This book should be considered a must-read for anyone who wants to pursue a career in digital forensics and a must-have for those examiners already working in the discipline."--DFINews. com