Digital Forensics In Today's World

Time has come to move from reactive to proactive and predictive digital forensics

- Lt Col (Dr.) Santosh Khadsare

During and post COVID 19 work from home is a new normal. The attack surface has increased and the number of attacks as well as attack vectors have multiplied manifold. With technology occupying a prominent place in our daily lives, cybercriminals have become hyperactive to execute their nefarious designs and steal sensitive information from users. From corporate houses to individual users and from government officials to small traders, no category today is immune from hacking attempts. India faces around 3700 cyberattacks every day. The National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data suggests 11 per cent jump in cybercrime cases in 2020 and an exponential increase in 2021.The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) reported more than 2.12 Lakhs cybersecurity incidents in first 2 months of 2022 while the total number of incidents in 2021 was 14.02 Lakhs.

Every cybercrime incident requires investigation which can assist the law enforcement to bring perpetrators to justice. Every crime is associated with one or many digital assets which needs to be analysed. This analysis is carried out by digital forensics.

Understanding Digital Forensics

It is the newest branch of forensic science approximately three decades old, But the most rapidly evolving one With change in technology. Digital forensics is study of traces. An event is a result of trace modification which is observable. Cyber forensics or digital forensics is one and the same as the terminology is being interchangeably used by different experts. The outcome of digital forensics is the report which should not only be accurate, but credible and also stand legal scrutiny.