The prevalence of digital evidence is on the rise. However, there are still certain risks associated with digital evidence since authentication is necessary where the internet is involved. There are ways to prevent the risk and challenges we face.
Risks and Challenges
1. Volatility
Here volatility means that the digital evidence can change quite quickly. If there are any changes in the data you present in court, the court might completely negate the evidence due to tampering or data breach. This data is also highly susceptible to cyberattack, so it may not be as reliable as physical data.
2. Diversity in Digital Devices, Data Types, and Other Computer Issues
Digital evidence is currently present in numerous formats and has been collected from various sources, including CCTV, body cameras, drone cameras, home security cameras, etc. The challenge for agencies is that digital evidence is growing exponentially.
The storage capacity of digital devices is insufficient to preserve all types of digital evidence. Additionally, it is lengthy to manually comb through all the data spread across many devices and file kinds to uncover insightful information.
3. Environmental Issues
Digital evidence is generally present in some devices. These electronic devices can easily be destroyed if water is poured over them or if they are kept in the sun for too long. Their physical protection is critical.
4. Access Regulation
Agencies must limit access to authorized persons and keep digital information in a controlled setting or secure physical location.
Organizations frequently run across this issue when handling digital evidence, especially when there are many.
Agencies must restrict access based on user responsibilities while keeping the data virtual to ensure that only authorized workers can access the evidence.
Prevention:
1. Volatility
Keeping audit logs to monitor the evidence lifecycle, guarantee chain of custody, and keep digital evidence in its original condition will surely help.
When storing data, it’s critical to use encrypted file formats and devices with built-in security procedures. Finding a cloud provider with top-notch security in its data centers is a wise move.
2. Diversity in Digital Devices, Data types, and Other Computer Issues
A comprehensive digital evidence management system that can automatically ingest evidence from many sources and support multiple formats would offer a centralized interface for storage, protection, and analysis, making computer issues all the easier.
3. Environmental Issues
Practice caution and care regarding the location of different CDs and digital devices that store evidence. Make sure you have a backup storage device with all the information present in the device.
4. Access Regulation
Preserving audit logs makes it possible to determine who examined the evidence and when. Another way to protect access is by selecting a digital evidence management system that enables this user and content segregation through secure, independent portals and case files.
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