Next-Generation: DIGITAL FORENSICS.

The article reports that digital forensics investigators are experiencing an increase in both the number and complexity of cases that require their attention. The number of cases is rising for a variety of reasons, including better awareness of the capabilities of digital forensics techniques at all levels of law enforcement and in the private sector. The complexity of cases is growing because forensic targets with hundreds of gigabytes or terabytes of storage are becoming common and cases routinely involve more than a single computer. This leaves digital forensics investigators in need of tools that are significantly better, both in richness of features and in speed. Providing practitioners with these tools will require a critical look at current offerings and significant levels of innovation on the part of researchers. Most current digital forensics tools are designed to run on a single workstation, with the investigator issuing queries against copies of the acquired digital evidence. A typical digital forensics investigation consists of several major steps, including acquisition and duplication of digital evidence, analysis of evidence, and presentation of results.