Chapter 5 - Overview of Digital Forensics Tools

Abstract

This chapter looks upon the criteria for a forensically sound tool, and the organizations that provide testing and validation for forensics tools. It discusses various classes of forensics tools and types of forensic software and hardware tools currently in use. In the realm of digital forensics, a variety of tools are in use today. There are tools for acquiring digital evidence and tools for analyzing digital evidence. There are both hardware and software tools. There are tools commercially developed and available to anyone who can afford the price, open source tools available for free, and tools that are only available to law enforcement agencies. However, all of these tools, independent of their origination or who may use them, must meet minimum criteria to be considered forensically sound. These criteria are based on engineering and scientific principles that are translatable into the creation of both a testing and validation methodology. A list of all of the manufacturers of the tools covered in this chapter is included for further reading.