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Digital forensics
Digital forensics

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4 The role of digital forensics

Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science and is recognised as such by most courts. One definition from the first Digital Forensic Research Workshop (DFRWS) [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] is:

The use of scientifically derived and proven methods toward the preservation, collection, validation, identification, analysis, interpretation, documentation and presentation of digital evidence derived from digital sources for the purpose of facilitating or furthering the reconstruction of events found to be criminal, or helping to anticipate unauthorized actions shown to be disruptive to planned operations.

(Palmer, 2001, p. 16)

In the UK the professional body for forensic scientists, The Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences, includes digital forensics as one of its sub-disciplines and the process for digital forensics is much the same as for the traditional areas of forensic science.