Digital evidence in fog computing systems

Abstract

Fog Computing provides a myriad of potential societal benefits: personalised healthcare, smart cities, automated vehicles, Industry 4.0, to name just a few. The highly dynamic and complex nature of Fog Computing with its low latency communication networks connecting sensors, devices and actuators facilitates ambient computing at scales previously unimaginable. The combination of Machine Learning, Data Mining, and the Internet of Things, supports endless innovation in our data driven society. Fog computing incurs new threats to security and privacy since these become more difficult when there are an increased number of connected devices, and such devices (for example sensors) typically have limited capacity for in-built security. For law enforcement agencies, the existing models for digital forensic investigations are ill suited to the emerging fog paradigm. In this paper we examine the procedural, technical, legal, and geopolitical challenges associated with digital forensic investigations in Fog Computing. We highlight areas that require further development, and posit a framework to stimulate further consideration and discussion around the challenges associated with extracting digital evidence from Fog Computing systems.