Computer Forensics Services BC and Canada

Digital Forensics Services

What is Digital Forensics?

Digital forensics is a critical field in modern law enforcement and investigations, which focuses on the acquisition, analysis, and preservation of digital evidence. Digital forensics is used in a variety of cases, including cybercrime investigations, data breaches, intellectual property theft, and many other types of cases that involve digital evidence.

At its core, digital forensics involves the use of specialized techniques and tools to examine digital devices and media, such as computers, smartphones, servers, and cloud storage, in order to uncover evidence of criminal activity. This evidence can include anything from emails, instant messages, and social media posts to images, videos, and other types of digital files. The primary goal of digital forensics is to identify and analyze digital evidence that can be used to support or refute allegations in a criminal or civil case.

Digital forensics typically involves a four-step process: acquisition, analysis, presentation, and archiving. The first step is to acquire the digital evidence in a way that preserves its integrity and ensures that it can be used as evidence in court. This involves creating a forensic image of the digital device or media, which is a bit-by-bit copy of the data on the device.

The next step is to analyze the forensic image using specialized software and techniques to search for evidence of criminal activity. This can involve recovering deleted files, analyzing metadata, and identifying patterns in the data that might indicate criminal activity.

Once the analysis is complete, the evidence is presented to law enforcement or other investigators in a way that is clear and concise. This might involve creating reports, charts, and visual aids to help explain the significance of the evidence and its relevance to the case.

Finally, the evidence is archived in a way that preserves its integrity and ensures that it can be used in future legal proceedings. This might involve storing the forensic image on a secure server or in a cloud-based storage system, along with documentation that verifies its authenticity and chain of custody.

Overall, digital forensics is an essential tool for modern investigations, particularly those involving digital evidence. It requires specialized training, equipment, and techniques to be carried out effectively, and the field is constantly evolving as new technologies and methods are developed. As the amount of digital data in the world continues to grow, digital forensics will remain a critical component of law enforcement and investigations for years to come.

Live vs Dead box forensics

Live device digital forensics and dead device digital forensics are two different approaches to acquiring and analyzing digital evidence, each with advantages and limitations.

Live device digital forensics involves acquiring and analyzing data from a device currently in use or powered on. This might involve analyzing data from a computer still running, a smartphone still powered on, or a server still in operation. One of the key advantages of live device digital forensics is that it allows investigators to access data in real-time, potentially capturing important evidence that might be lost if the device is shut down or disconnected. However, live device digital forensics can also be challenging due to the potential for data corruption or alteration during the analysis process.

Dead device digital forensics, on the other hand, involves acquiring and analyzing data from a device powered off or disconnected. This might involve analyzing data from a hard drive or other storage devices removed from a computer or smartphone that is no longer in use. One of the key advantages of dead device digital forensics is that it allows investigators to work with a stable copy of the data, reducing the risk of data corruption or alteration during the analysis process. However, dead device digital forensics may not capture important evidence that might be lost if the device is still in use.

Both live device and dead device digital forensics play important roles in digital investigations, and the approach used will depend on the case’s specific circumstances. In some cases, investigators may use a combination of live and dead device digital forensics.

Mac Forensics

Mac forensics involves the acquisition, analysis, and interpretation of digital evidence from devices running the macOS operating system. While the basic principles and techniques of digital forensics apply to Mac forensics as well, there are some unique traits and challenges associated with this type of digital investigation.

Here are some of the unique traits of Mac forensics:

HFS+ and APFS File Systems: Mac computers use HFS+ or APFS file systems, which can be different from the file systems used in other operating systems such as Windows. Mac forensics requires a thorough understanding of these file systems and their structures, as well as the tools and techniques to recover data from them.
Spotlight Indexing: Spotlight is a powerful search tool that indexes the contents of a Mac computer’s hard drive. This can be a valuable source of information for investigators, but it can also complicate the analysis process, as the indexing process may create temporary files and modify file timestamps.
Time Machine Backups: Mac computers come with a built-in backup tool called Time Machine, which can create incremental backups of the entire system. This can be a valuable source of evidence, but it requires specialized tools and techniques to analyze the backups.
MacOS Artifacts: Mac computers have unique artifacts that can provide valuable evidence, such as the Spotlight database, Safari browser history, and the system log files.
macOS Security Features: Mac computers have built-in security features such as FileVault encryption and Gatekeeper, which can make it more difficult to access and analyze data. Mac forensics requires specialized tools and techniques to bypass or work around these security features.

RAID and Server Forensics

Raid and server forensics involve acquiring, analyzing, and interpreting digital evidence from multiple hard drives and server systems. These digital investigations require specialized knowledge and tools to overcome the unique traits and challenges of RAID and server environments. Here are some of the unique traits of RAID and server forensics:

Multiple Hard Drives: RAID systems typically consist of multiple hard drives, complicating the acquisition and analysis process. Investigators must use specialized tools and techniques to acquire data from all the drives and reconstruct the RAID array to access the stored data.
RAID Levels: There are several different RAID levels, each with its own characteristics and benefits. Understanding the RAID level used in the system is essential for effective and thorough analysis.
Server Logs: Servers generate many log files, which can provide valuable evidence of system activity and potential intrusions. Analyzing server logs requires specialized knowledge and tools to extract and interpret the relevant information.
Remote Access: Servers are often accessed remotely, making it more difficult to identify and track potential suspects. Investigators must use specialized techniques to trace the source of remote access and gather evidence of unauthorized access.
System Complexity: Servers are often complex systems with multiple hardware and software layers. Understanding the entire system architecture is essential for conducting effective forensic analysis.
High Volume of Data: Servers often store a high volume of data, making it difficult to identify relevant evidence.