Practical Digital Forensics

Get started with the art and science of digital forensics with this practical, hands-on guide! About This Book • Champion the skills of digital forensics by understanding the nature of recovering and preserving digital information which is essential for legal or disciplinary proceedings • Explore new and promising forensic processes and tools based on 'disruptive technology' to regain control of caseloads. • Richard Boddington, with 10+ years of digital forensics, demonstrates real life scenarios with a pragmatic approach Who This Book Is For This book is for anyone who wants to get into the field of digital forensics. Prior knowledge of programming languages (any) will be of great help, but not a compulsory prerequisite. What You Will Learn • Gain familiarity with a range of different digital devices and operating and application systems that store digital evidence. • Appreciate and understand the function and capability of forensic processes and tools to locate and recover digital evidence. • Develop an understanding of the critical importance of recovering digital evidence in pristine condition and ensuring its safe handling from seizure to tendering it in evidence in court. • Recognise the attributes of digital evidence and where it may be hidden and is often located on a range of digital devices. • Understand the importance and challenge of digital evidence analysis and how it can assist investigations and court cases. • Explore emerging technologies and processes that empower forensic practitioners and other stakeholders to harness digital evidence more effectively. In Detail Digital Forensics is a methodology which includes using various tools, techniques, and programming language. This book will get you started with digital forensics and then follow on to preparing investigation plan and preparing toolkit for investigation. In this book you will explore new and promising forensic processes and tools based on 'disruptive technology' that offer experienced and budding practitioners the means to regain control of their caseloads. During the course of the book, you will get to know about the technical side of digital forensics and various tools that are needed to perform digital forensics. This book will begin with giving a quick insight into the nature of digital evidence, where it is located and how it can be recovered and forensically examined to assist investigators. This book will take you through a series of chapters that look at the nature and circumstances of digital forensic examinations and explains the processes of evidence recovery and preservation from a range of digital devices, including mobile phones, and other media. This book has a range of case studies and simulations will allow you to apply the knowledge of the theory gained to real-life situations. By the end of this book you will have gained a sound insight into digital forensics and its key components. Style and approach The book takes the reader through a series of chapters that look at the nature and circumstances of digital forensic examinations and explains the processes of evidence recovery and preservation from a range of digital devices, including mobile phones, and other media. The mystery of digital forensics is swept aside and the reader will gain a quick insight into the nature of digital evidence, where it is located and how it can be recovered and forensically examined to assist investigators.

About the Author :
Richard Boddington commenced general policing with the London Metropolitan Police in 1968 and joined the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1971, later serving as a chief inspector in the Special Branch. In 1980, Richard moved to Australia and worked as a desk officer and case officer with the Australian Security Intelligence Organization. He later worked in several federal and state government agencies, including the Western Australia Department of Treasury and Finance, as a senior intelligence officer. In 2008, he commenced developing and coordinating information security and digital forensics undergraduate and postgraduate courses at Murdoch University, where he was responsible for the creation of a digital forensic and information security degree offering. He provided a unique online virtual digital forensics unit for postgraduate students at the University of Western Australia in 2014. Between 1991 and 2015, Richard was a security analyst and digital forensic practitioner, providing independent consultancy services for legal practitioners and organizations requiring independent digital forensic examinations and reports. This included analyzing case evidence in criminal and civil cases heard at Magistrate, District and Commonwealth Courts. His work included the compilation of digital forensic reports and testifying as an expert witness on complex technical matters to assist the jury in understanding digital evidence presented during trial. Recent forensic examinations undertaken by him include analyzing digital evidence recovered from computers, mobile phones, and other digital devices and then preparing expert testimony relating to a broad range of criminal and civil cases, including: • Child pornography and child exploitation • Cyberstalking • Aggravated burglary and false imprisonment • Analysis of CCTV video digital evidence of assault and rape cases • Alleged homicide, suicide, and other crimes of violence • Bomb threats • Family law disputes and Australian Vietnamese Relief Organization (AVRO) breaches • Workers' compensation disputes • Suspected forgery or manipulation of digital video and mobile phone evidence • Industrial espionage and sabotage and intellectual property theft Since 2015, Richard has continued his digital forensics examinations on behalf of TSW Analytical Pty Ltd in Western Australia, where he now heads the Digital Forensics and Data Recovery Team. He is also the General Manager for Research and Training at eReveal Technologies Pty Ltd (TSW Global Company) and is responsible for designing and coordinating online digital forensics, multimedia forensics, and e-discovery training courses for a broad range of organizations. Richard is presently developing online digital forensics and e-discovery academic postgraduate course for the evolving Institute for Applied Forensic Science, associated with TSW Analytical, as part of broader postgraduate forensic course offerings in Australasia and overseas. In 2010, Richard authored two digital forensics chapters in Digital Business Security Development: Management Technologies. He has also written a number of journal articles on the validation of digital evidence, his ongoing research area. In 2015, he authored an online video cast series, Emerging Forensic Tools for Locating and Analyzing Digital Evidence, on behalf of IGI Global Video Lecture E-Access Videos (http://www.igi-global.com/video/emerging-forensic-tools-locatinganalyzing/134946).