Module 1: Digital Forensics – Expanded Questions &

Answers

1. What is Digital Crime Scene Management?

Answer:

Digital Crime Scene Management refers to the procedures and practices followed to collect,
preserve, and analyze digital evidence while maintaining its integrity and admissibility in court.
It includes:

• Securing the Scene: Isolating systems from network access to prevent tampering or data
loss.
• Documentation: Photographing and recording device connections, screen displays, and
surroundings.
• Preserving Evidence: Creating bit-by-bit copies (forensic images) using write blockers.
• Chain of Custody: Maintaining a documented trail of who handled the evidence, when,
and why.
• Minimal Handling: Accessing original data as little as possible to prevent modification.

This ensures that digital evidence remains untampered, traceable, and legally valid throughout an
investigation.

2. What are the steps in Incident Response in Digital Forensics?

Answer:

Incident response involves managing and mitigating the effects of cybersecurity incidents. The
typical phases include:

1. Preparation: Develop incident response plans, train staff, and implement monitoring
systems.
2. Identification: Detect unusual activity or breaches through system logs, alerts, and
reports.
3. Containment: Limit the spread of the attack by isolating infected systems or accounts.
4. Eradication: Remove malware, backdoors, or vulnerabilities from affected systems.
5. Recovery: Restore systems from clean backups and monitor to ensure normal operations.
6. Lessons Learned: Conduct a post-mortem analysis to find root causes and improve
security controls.

Effective incident response minimizes damage and prevents recurrence.

3. Describe the Search and Seizure guidelines for digital devices.

Answer:

Search and seizure of digital evidence must follow legal and procedural guidelines to ensure
admissibility in court. Key practices include:

• Obtain Legal Authorization: A valid warrant or court order must specify the scope and
devices to be searched.
• Document Everything: Log device conditions, screenshots, and photographs at the
scene.
• Prevent Data Tampering: Use Faraday bags or disable wireless communication to
avoid remote wiping.
• Use Proper Tools: Use write-blockers to avoid altering the evidence when accessing
storage.
• Chain of Custody: Record every person who handles the device to preserve its integrity.

These measures help in safeguarding the evidentiary value of digital data.

4. What is Linux Server Forensics and how is it performed?

Answer:

Linux Server Forensics is the process of examining a Linux-based system for evidence of cyber
incidents. It involves:

• Log File Analysis: Examining files in /var/log/ for system events, login attempts, and
error messages.
• User Activity: Reviewing .bash_history, scheduled cron jobs, and recent commands.
• Process Inspection: Identifying rogue processes using commands like ps, top, and
netstat.
• File Integrity Checks: Comparing file hashes to detect unauthorized changes.
• Rootkit Detection: Using tools like rkhunter and chkrootkit to find hidden malware.

Linux forensics often requires deep understanding of the file system and command-line tools.

5. Explain file system analysis and its importance.

Answer:
File system analysis helps forensic investigators understand how files are stored, modified, and
deleted on a disk. Importance includes:

• Identifying Deleted Files: Tools can recover deleted files if their data blocks haven’t
been overwritten.
• Metadata Analysis: Provides timestamps (created, accessed, modified) useful in
timeline reconstruction.
• File Attributes: Permissions, ownership, and access control information help determine
who accessed what.
• Detection of Steganography or Encryption: Files hidden inside others or encrypted
files can be flagged.
• Support for Various File Systems: Investigators must know FAT32, NTFS, ext3/ext4,
HFS+, etc.

File system analysis is a foundation of digital forensics, enabling evidence recovery and context
building.

6. What is Data Carving and how is it used in forensics?

Answer:

Data Carving is a recovery technique that extracts files from unallocated disk space using known
file signatures, without relying on the file system structure. Use cases include:

• Recovering Deleted Files: Even if the file table entry is gone, data remnants can be
carved.
• Damaged File Systems: Useful when the file system is corrupted or formatted.
• Signature-Based Tools: Tools like Scalpel, Foremost, and PhotoRec scan for file
headers and footers.

Limitations include:

• May recover incomplete or fragmented files.

• Difficult to reconstruct complex file types (e.g., databases).

Still, data carving remains a crucial tool for deep-dive recovery operations.

7. Explain RAID levels and their forensic relevance.

Answer:
RAID (Redundant Array of Independent Disks) is a method to distribute data across multiple
disks for performance and fault tolerance. Common levels include:

• RAID 0: Striping (no redundancy) – faster but risky.

• RAID 1: Mirroring – duplicate data for safety.
• RAID 5: Striping with parity – balances speed and fault tolerance.

Forensic Challenges:

• Reconstructing RAID configuration if metadata is missing.

• Accessing data spread across multiple drives.
• Recovering from partially failed arrays.

Tools like UFS Explorer or ReclaiMe can help reconstruct RAID structures during forensic
analysis.

8. What are challenges in analyzing SSD data storage?

Answer:

SSD forensics poses challenges due to built-in mechanisms like:

• TRIM Command: When a file is deleted, SSDs immediately mark it for erasure,
complicating recovery.
• Wear Leveling: Distributes writes across the disk, making data location unpredictable.
• Garbage Collection: Periodically erases unused blocks in the background.

Solutions:

• Capture data quickly after seizure.

• Use forensic tools that support SSD-specific recovery.
• Avoid powering on the device to prevent automatic erasure.

Investigators need specialized techniques and tools to handle SSDs effectively.

9. How is a forensic image created from a remote location?

Answer:

Remote imaging is used when physical access to a system isn’t feasible. It involves:

• Secure Access: Use SSH, VPN, or other encrypted channels.

 • Trusted Tools: F-Response, FTK Imager Lite, and X-Ways allow read-only access.
• Bit-by-bit Copying: Create full disk images with hashing (MD5/SHA1) to ensure
integrity.
• Minimal Impact: Imaging should not interfere with ongoing operations.

Challenges include bandwidth limitations, latency, and risks of alerting threat actors.

10. Compare Cloning vs Imaging in digital forensics.

Answer:

Feature Cloning Imaging

Definition Direct copy of one disk to another Copy of disk stored as a file or archive
Use Case When replacing a hard disk For forensic analysis and evidence storage
Speed Faster for immediate boot Slower due to hashing and verification
Flexibility Less portable Easier to store, archive, and examine later
Tamper Safety High risk (live system write) Safer with write blockers

Imaging is preferred in forensics due to better integrity preservation and documentation.