As some of you already know, I am currently enrolled in a graduate program at New York University to earn my master's degree in cybersecurity. This was my first semester, and, for one of my classes, I was assigned a research project. Since it's best practice in the science community to make research available for peer review, I figured I'd share my extended abstract with my favorite readers of all time: you! Please feel free to email me to share your feedback as well as to offer insights into other problem domains.
Data generation and consumption has exploded since the internet was first introduced to the public almost 30 years ago. While this makes things, such as shopping, paying bills, and remote work/school, more accessible, it also creates challenges in other areas, like the justice system in particular. As the digital transformation continues to proliferate, law enforcement relies more and more on digital forensics when investigating criminal cases. Several researchers have proposed frameworks to guide digital forensics investigations; however, none have eliminated the line between criminal investigations and digital forensics investigations. This paper presents an abstract framework for the preservation, collection, validation, identification, analysis, interpretation, documentation, and presentation of digital evidence as a branch of the criminal investigation process.