{"id":2927,"date":"2023-10-31T18:16:06","date_gmt":"2023-10-31T18:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rhinowebllc.com\/ljones-cfa\/?p=2927"},"modified":"2025-02-24T17:27:45","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T17:27:45","slug":"what-is-digital-forensics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rhinowebllc.com\/ljones-cfa\/2023\/10\/31\/what-is-digital-forensics\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Digital Forensics?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Understanding Digital Forensics: What Does a Digital Forensics Analyst Do?<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the most common remarks I hear from clients and their attorneys is, \u201cI\u2019m not very computer savvy.\u201d At the beginning of almost every court testimony, I am asked to explain what a Digital Forensics Analyst does. So, to save myself from repeating the same speech over and over, here\u2019s a handy guide to answer the age-old question: \u201cWhat is Digital Forensics?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Digital Forensics?<\/b><\/p>\n

Think of Digital Forensics as high-tech detective work. It\u2019s the branch of forensic science dedicated to finding, copying, analyzing, and explaining data from electronic devices\u2014and doing it all in a way that won\u2019t get us laughed out of court. While “Computer Forensics” used to be the go-to term, “Digital Forensics” is now the fancy catch-all phrase that covers everything from smartphones and tablets to USB drives and that mysterious cloud everyone keeps talking about.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s break down the process into five easy (ish) steps: identification, acquisition, processing, analysis, and reporting.<\/span><\/p>\n

Identification Phase<\/b><\/p>\n

This is the roll call. We document the make, model, serial number, and condition of each device\u2014basically, we note down everything short of its astrological sign. We also take photos, because nothing says “I did my job” like a well-lit glamour shot of a hard drive. The goal? Ensure we\u2019re working on the right device and not, say, your kid’s Nintendo Switch.<\/span><\/p>\n

Acquisition Phase<\/b><\/p>\n

This is where we make a digital twin of the data. We don\u2019t mess with the original because we like to keep things pristine. Typically, we create two copies:<\/span><\/p>\n