4.4 Summary of Section 4

In this section you saw that digital forensics is an obvious development of existing forensic procedures brought about by the introduction of new technology. What began almost as an ad hoc set of procedures rapidly became formalised as guidelines for investigators (ACPO, 2012). These guidelines offer procedures for securing and studying digital evidence in a way that does not compromise its integrity so that it can be used in a court of law.

Such is the scope of digital technology that digital forensics is further subdivided into specialised areas. An investigation may require specialists from several areas to understand all of the evidence.