How to use the Autopsy Forensic tool and what it can do?

How to use the Autopsy Forensic tool and what it can do?

When it comes to X-Ways forensics, digital forensics tools are the newest kids on the block. But what is an autopsy forensic tool? Autopsy forensic tools are GUI-based programs that provide room for efficient analysis of hard drives and smartphones (Raji, M., Wimmer, H., & Haddad, R. J.,2018). The programs describe the computer software that facilitates the deployment of various open-source programs and plug-ins used in The Sleuth Kit.

The tools have a plug-in architecture that allows users to locate add-on modules or develop Java or Python custom modules. Autopsy provides multiple search frameworks either by timeline, keywords, analysis, hash filtering, checking the image, file system analysis, ability case management, integrity checking the image, and other digitalized operations.

An Autopsy forensic tool performs the following roles:

Recovery of deleted details and content

Investigation of files’ contents

Examination of the time sequence of the facility

Investigation of folders’ contents

Reporting activities

Metadata analysis

Steps to follow in digital Forensic

Basically, there are five crucial steps that you should follow when it comes to a comprehensive investigation (Kohn, M. D., Eloff, M. M., & Eloff, J. H.,2013)

Identification

For a user to be successful in their forensic investigation, procedures used in the identification modalities are essential in cyber-attack. In other words, identification should be on point. This is because identification provides you with the particulars of the prescribed case and the attack classification.

Before starting an investigation, the digital forensic expert should outline various categories of evidence that she is searching for and understand how to preserve the data. Besides, the expert should establish data’s source and integrity before applying it as evidence.

Acquisition and preservation

After identification, now it’s acquisition and preservation of data. This means that data should be obtained in careful and legit ways because any mishandled data is null and void in a court of law.

Evidence examination

Here, the computer hacker forensic investigator (CHFI) examines data from various archives using different methodologies and techniques to evaluate the acquired information. The examination involves applying analysis software to comb vast data records, processing the recovery of deleted and lost files, and other anti-forensics techniques.

Documentation

All the digital tools used and other techniques applied by IT investigators on a certain case should be analyzed and explained in a digital format then properly documented in an authorized archive. In the documentation, the investigator must appropriate and reliable activities that are connected with the prescribed investigation.

These include the techniques used to identify, examine, and assess evidence, together with the performed actions to test system functionality, copy, retrieve, and store data. In this way, the expert ensures the validity of the conclusions and grants. It provides IT experts, an opportunity to understand where, when, why, and how the evidence’s recovery took place.

Reporting

After everything, you need to prepare you’re the findings of your investigation in a comprehensive manner. In other words, you should be detailed. Your audience may not be forensic experts; hence, your choice of words matters a lot so as the non-technical audience may understand the report.

This also provides other experts with an opportunity to interrogate and verify the evidence that you have presented (.Shrivastava, A. K., Payal, N., Rastogi, A., & Tiwari, A.,2013)

Conclusion

Autopsy forensic tools are so effective if they are used in the right manner. The steps that are provided above enables the experts to have the right results.

References