Abstract
Chain of custody (COC) is a concept and process designed to ensure the integrity of evidence including digital evidence (DE). Also, it defines a set of procedures to document files according to its chronological [1]. In this paper, the authors design a Chain of custody application software in order to document all digital evidence in order to ensure its integrity. Thus, a chain of custody application design to document the digital evidence from the time it collected to the time where the evidence actually presented at the court to ensure the digital evidence integrity and authenticity. It can help the investigator to follow clear documentation during the investigation process because of the conventional method considered a problematic issue when it used for digital evidence. In addition to physical evidence and digital evidence have different features and characteristics.The Chain of Custody application for digital evidence is designed using the SQL and XML [3] schema approach to save case information and compute DE hash value. then compare it with its value stores in the COC tab. This solution comes as one of the solutions to enrich the existing solution of the digital chain of custody.
Highlights
Chain of custody can define a set of procedures to document files according to its chronological [1]
The Chain of custody (COC) should include at least (Five W’s and 1 H), The 5 Ws are the When, Who, Where, Why, What and the 1 H is the How [5], and answer the question [6] which are: 1) Who came into contact, manage, and discovered the digital evidence ? 2) What procedures executed on digital evidence? 3) When the digital evidence is discovered, accessed, examined, or transferred ? 4) Where was digital evidence discovered, collected, managed, saved, and examined ? 5) Why the digital evidence was collected ?
There are few solutions provided by other researchers the keep the integrity and document the digital evidence such as proposed framework for handling digital chain of custody with the digital cabinet concept [13], creating the business model of digital evidence handling and cybercrime investigation [7], build a framework of the to improve a chain of custody of digital evidence investigation [14], the ontology approach using in managing the information needed in chain of custody [15], [16], using an XML document type for digital evidence documentation like the concept of plastic bag of evidence [17] and imply XML approach to document a digital evidence in chain of custody application [18]
Summary
Chain of custody can define a set of procedures to document files according to its chronological [1]. Chain of custody is a significant part in the investigation process to ensure the admissibility of evidence in the courtroom. Digital evidence has different form so in order to document it and preserve its integrity is very hard using register book or forms unlike the physical evidence. They have different characteristic but they have the same information and concept to be documented in chain of custody [7] , [8]. The aim of the proposed application is to present a solution that improve the integrity and credibility of digital evidence in order to be acceptable and admissible in the court of law.
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