Know Digital Forensics Investigation Techniques

Hey folks, this writeup explains the digital forensics investigation techniques that used in real-world. So, let’s continue read this and stay learning.

Okay so let’s get a little bit real about digital forensics. People love throwing that word around like it’s straight outta CSI but trust me there is a bit more coffee stains and headaches behind it than what them TV shows tell you. I have been messing around in this field for a while now and I figured let’s break down what actually happens in a normal digital forensic investigation, minus all the fancy movie jazz.

What is Digital Forensics Anyway?

At its simplest, digital forensics is basically digging around in computers phones cloud stuff anything digital, looking for evidence. Might be a hacked laptop or a phone that belongs to a suspect or even corporate fraud. If there’s data inside it there’s a chance we can squeeze something out.

Learn Interesting: Tips to Recover Encrypted Files from Ransomware

What are Digital Forensics Investigation Techniques?

Forensic experts use various techniques during the investigation according to the requirements. Here, lets discuss the main points and techniques.

Starting out: Seizing and preserving

So the first thing you gotta do in any case is seize the device the right way. You can’t just yank a laptop outta someone’s hands and start poking around. Chain of custody is the fancy word for this but really it just means you keep track of who touched the device when and where, so no one can say later you planted evidence.

I remember this one time in Pune back in 2022, we had to collect a couple of laptops from a
small office after a data breach. The employees were literally still using the machines when we walked in. Had to ask them politely to back away from their chairs before imaging the disks right on site. People get weirdly attached to their machines trust me.

Imaging: Making a Digital Twin

The next step is what we calls imaging. You basically make a bit by bit copy of the device so you can work on that copy instead of the original. Think of it like a carbon copy for computers. You don’t wanna mess up the original because you might need to show it in court one day.

In one fraud case in Mumbai in 2021, the suspect tried to argue that we “changed” his data while investigating. Good thing we had the original disk locked up in an evidence bag and all the work was done on the image copy. That shut him up real quick.

Digging in: Analysis

This is where the fun (and hair pulling) really starts. You got your image ready now you start digging through emails browser history deleted files anything you can find. It is a bit like reading a stranger’s diary except there’s about 4 million pages in there.

Like there was a time I had to go through a suspect’s WhatsApp chats to figure out if he coordinated a phishing attack. I swear half the chats were about his dog and what food to give it. Took me days to find the one relevant message about the phishing link. It is not as glamorous as they show you on Netflix.

Timeline Building

One thing folks underestimate is how crucial building a timeline is. When did the attack start. When did the user click that shady link. When did files get deleted. You pull all the timestamps from emails logs file systems and mash them together like a puzzle.

It’s kinda satisfying when the pieces finally fall in place tho. Like we had this ransomware case last year where after weeks of timeline work we pinned down the exact day and even hour the attacker got in through a compromised admin password. That felt good I ain’t gonna lie.

Reporting

After you’ve done all that digging, you gotta write a report. And not a nerd report only geeks can read but something the bosses’ lawyers or even judges can understand. You gotta break it down in normal language.

One friend of mine says if your grandma can’t get what happened then you wrote it wrong. So true.

Tools of the Trade

If you’re curious, here’s some tools most folks use:

• FTK
• EnCase
• Autopsy
• X-Ways

But really tools are just part of it. Your brain is what matters most. You gotta think like the attacker sometimes to figure out how they did what they did.

Final Thoughts

Digital forensics investigation techniques are kind of like detective work but with data instead of footprints. It is sometimes boring sometimes insane sometimes feels like you are looking for a needle in a haystack inside another haystack. But when you find that one clue that cracks the whole case open that is the best feeling.

If you are thinking about getting into this field, just remember TV is a lie. You will drink a
lot more coffee than you thought and probably scroll through way too many cat memes while you hunt for that one shady email. But it’s worth it.