Digital Forensic Framework Analysis in Cloud Computing

This report delves into the application of digital forensic frameworks within cloud computing environments. The study begins by highlighting the increasing interest in cloud computing and the subsequent opportunities and challenges it presents for law enforcement and forensic investigations. The r...Read More

Digital forensics Study
Digital Forensics
Name of the Student:
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Author Note:
Abstract- There has been increasing interests in the use
of cloud computing and thus it presents different types of
opportunities for the exploration as well as the proper
enforcement of the laws. There must be provision for the
identification of proper changes and this will lay
emphasis in the preservation of data for different types of
forensic purposes. Research is conducted to examine the
forensic methodologies for different deployment models
as well as cloud platforms. It has been found that the
benefits derived from the cloud storage device must be
secured with the help of forensic investigation. This will
help to understand the malicious practices that are being
carried out and thus it can be solved with digital
forensics. This research paper will analyse the use of
digital forensic framework in cloud computing
investigations.
Key Words- Digital forensic science, Data acquisition,
Cloud computing
I. Introduction
The concept related with the process of
virtualisation in computing includes the use of
operational system that is used in running the hardware
process. This virtualisation is provided on the grounds
from the birth of cloud computing. There are several
developments in the computing paradigm and this has
provided different types of opportunities in cybercrimes.
There were several types of developments and this has
helped in the presentation of new challenges that are
necessary for the law enforcement agencies. There were
different types of research efforts that were used in the
advanced stages to deal with the process of digital
forensics in traditional computing paradigms including
the virtual environment and thus there are different types
of solution that might be applicable in the cloud process.
The application of user data in the cloud environment is
often used in the distribution process that is within the
jurisdiction of the forensic investigators (Martini &Choo,
2012).
It can be said that digital forensic science is still in
the stage of infancy and this will help in the postulation
of new tools, methods as well as other types of rising
cloud crime as well as attack surface. There must be
application of digital forensic practices in the cloud
computing environment and this has helped to pay
special attention to the research. It is necessary to put
huge effort to address the challenges and this will help in
fulfilling the forensic investigation in the cloud process.

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There must be proper technical as well as fulfilment of
legal complexities in the cloud environment and this is
considered to be one of the most serious concerns of the
forensic investigation process (Sibiya, Venter &Fogwill,
2012). There must be provision for different kinds of
challenges and this will help in effective practices as well
as dealing with different types of entities. There must be
privacy in the presentation and this is considered to be
one of the most important aspects that is considered for
the future development of the process of cloud
computing and also addressing it from the perspective of
forensic cloud that will help in the protection of data in
the particular environment (Birk & Wegener, 2011).
A. Research Aim
The aim of this paper is to analyse the use of
digital forensic framework in the cloud computing
investigation process
B. Research Objectives
 To understand the usage of cloud computing
 To analyse the concepts related to digital
forensic framework
 To investigate the cloud computing process in
digital forensic framework
C. Research Questions
What is the use of digital forensic framework
in the cloud computing investigation process?
II. Background of the Study
It can be said that cloud computing is one of the
scalable computing resources that is provided by the
external service with the help of Internet. These services
are generally provided to the customers in the cloud pay
for services and thus they can use it from time to time.
There are different types of cloud model that provides
solution to the resources based on the constraint of small,
medium and micro enterprises. This can be provided in
different forms such as community cloud, private cloud,
hybrid cloud and public cloud. These types of clouds are
deployed within the system and thus it helps in the
fulfilment of common interests (Zawoad&Hasan, 2013).
The community clouds are shared by the organizations
for the fulfilment of common business interests. On the
other hand, the public clouds are deployed in such a way
that it is used by different research organizations
regardless of the business interests. Moreover, hybrid
cloud process is considered to be a combination of any of
the clod models. The services in the cloud model can be
grouped in different forms and layers and this makes it
easier to perform the task in a better way (Garfinkel,
2010).
The different layers in the cloud process
provides different types of services and thus it helps in
the provision of software as service (SAAS),
infrastructure as service (IaaS) and platform as a service
(PaasS). The most important service that is provided by
this cloud is referred to as the Hosted Desktop and this is
considered to be the virtual machine that is generally
hosted through the cloud process. There are different
types of applications that are connected to the remote
system and the local user with the help of this machine in
the same way that is done in the traditional computer
(Martini &Choo, 2012). There must be proper access to
the owners of the desktops regarding the application

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process and this cannot be done in the ordinary desktop
or in other types of services. Therefore, it is necessary to
use the process that involves crime in the computation of
cloud computing in such a way that it becomes easier for
the forensic experts to handle it in a proper way (Beebe,
2009).
The use of digital forensic is generally defined
as the discipline that combines the different types of
elements of computer science and law and therefore it
must be used in the analysis of proper computer systems,
communication, and storage as well as network devices.
There must also be provision for the collection of
artefacts and this will help in the potential value
collection, preservation of original artefacts in such a
way that is considered to be reliable, verifiable as well as
accurate. On the other hand, it is necessary to carry out
further analysis of the process and this will help in the
removal or inclusion of different items that are
considered to be of higher value. On the other hand, there
must be proper presentation of the different phases and
this will support the investigation process (Taylor et al.,
2011).
There are different categories of digital
forensic science and this are considered to be live digital
as well as static digital. There are different categories that
will help in the forensic evaluation as well as measuring
the sophisticated incidences in a proper way. There must
also be use of static data and this will help in the
acquisition processes as well as procedures in the proper
way. The live forensic analysis provides proper format of
the entire storage memory and there must be relevant use
of data that will help in the analysis of the entire system
in a proper way. Therefore the forensic challenges in the
cloud computing section in different organisations are
useful and beneficial to the organisation in different ways
(Damshenas et al., 2012).
III. Methodology
In this research paper, qualitative method will
be used in conducting the research. This qualitative
methodology will help in carrying out a detailed analysis
of the cause as well as the effect and this will make it
easier to understand the forensic investigation analysis.
On the other hand, a new process of composite based
approach will also be used in the paper and this will
make the research paper more effective. This composite
approach will attempt to improve the digital framework
approach and there should be provision for supporting
tools and documents that will identify and extract the
information. On the other hand, there should be proper
investigation carried out in the cloud based environment
and thus proper evidence must be collected for it. This
investigation in the cloud based environment will be
considered to be a challenge and this is possible with the
help of digital device. There should be provisions for
supporting framework as well as tools for the cloud
forensics. There should be strong legislation as well as
co-operation across multiple jurisdiction process and this
will alleviate the difficulties in carrying out the research.
There should be provision for privacy requirements that
is considered to be vital for the completion of the
forensic process. Therefore, the above mentioned
methodology will help in the improvement of clod
forensic process.

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IV. Conclusion
There are different types of framework that are
aimed at addressing the digital forensic challenges in a
particular cloud environment. This will help in
addressing the issues that helps in addressing the issues
related to data acquisition in the cloud processing device
that is beyond the jurisdiction of the investigators. This
also helps in the access of available information that is
necessary to build the case information along with the
process of data acquisition. There must be provision of
different types of environment that is vital in building the
desired setup framework from different foreign countries.
It also makes it easier to access the processes associated
with data acquisition that generally requires a cloud user
in such case. There must also be provision of virtual
machine that uses the particular network system in the
access of information and with the development of
proper monitoring tools. There must also be presentation
of the domain knowledge and this will help in the process
of reasoning while linking it with the data in the cloud
that requires further developmental process. Thus, it is
necessary to carry out research with proper guidelines
and this will help in the proper implementation of the
service in a better way.
V. References
[1] Beebe, N. (2009, January). Digital forensic research:
The good, the bad and the unaddressed. In IFIP
International Conference on Digital Forensics (pp. 17-
36).Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
[2] Birk, D., & Wegener, C. (2011, May).Technical
issues of forensic investigations in cloud computing
environments. In Systematic Approaches to Digital
Forensic Engineering (SADFE), 2011 IEEE Sixth
International Workshop on (pp. 1-10). IEEE.
[3] Damshenas, M., Dehghantanha, A., Mahmoud, R., &
bin Shamsuddin, S. (2012, June). Forensics investigation
challenges in cloud computing environments. In Cyber
Security, Cyber Warfare and Digital Forensic
(CyberSec), 2012 International Conference on (pp. 190-
194). IEEE.
[4] Garfinkel, S. L. (2010). Digital forensics research:
The next 10 years. digital investigation, 7, S64-S73.
[5] Martini, B., &Choo, K. K. R. (2012). An integrated
conceptual digital forensic framework for cloud
computing. Digital Investigation, 9(2), 71-80.
[6] Sibiya, G., Venter, H. S., &Fogwill, T. (2012).Digital
forensic framework for a cloud environment.
[7] Taylor, M., Haggerty, J., Gresty, D., & Lamb, D.
(2011).Forensic investigation of cloud computing
systems. Network Security, 2011(3), 4-10.
[8] Zawoad, S., &Hasan, R. (2013). Cloud forensics: a
meta-study of challenges, approaches, and open
problems. arXiv preprint arXiv:1302.6312.