National Workshop on Redefining Cyber Forensics

University Of New Haven, West Haven CT

Investigators

Abstract

The project proposes hosting a national workshop on redefining the domain of cyber forensics. Cyber forensics has encountered major obstacles over the last decade and is at a crossroads. Traditional computer forensics, although still valid, does not fully map to emerging sub-areas such as memory forensics, cloud forensics, social media forensics, network forensics and mobile forensics, since data in many instances may not be acquired without some form of modification. There is also an increase in the volume, velocity and variety of data and storage necessitating the need for more efficient analysis methods while still preserving the authenticity and privacy of the collected digital evidence. Device security and encryption has also improved and now, cyber forensics scientists and practitioners have to venture into ethical hacking to gain access to potential digital evidence as exhibited in the high profile Apple-FBI case. All these challenges have impacts on education and training, policy, law, the domain's ontology, and society as a whole. In parallel, there have been related extensive research areas emerging in social network analysis, psychology, data science, reverse engineering, and privacy without much interaction with cyber forensics. The proposed workshop with a blue-ribbon panel will stimulate the needed intellectual exchange of ideas and discussions on the future of the domain. It will help redefine the agenda for the future of cyber forensics, and will disseminate a progressive national report, setting the agenda for the field.