Who Solves Cases? Digital Forensics Tools or People?

We explore the need for human expertise in solving cybercrimes. We discuss forensic tool limitations, examiner competence, and evolving technology challenges in digital evidence analysis. We'll also share insights on effective forensic methodologies and discuss the strengths and weaknesses of tools in real cases we've worked. Please join Stacy Eldridge and Becky Passmore for this episode of Parsing the Truth: One Byte at a Time.

Digital Forensics Tools and Software Mentioned:

• Axiom
• SQLite Viewer
• Excel
• Celebrite UFED Reader
• Autopsy
• Fex Forensic

Takeaways

• Tools don't solve cases, people do.
• Digital forensic tools amplify expertise, not replace it.
• Understanding data structures is crucial for examiners.
• Networking and communication are key in digital forensics.
• Forensic tools are effective when data is stable and predictable.
• Examiner competence is critical for courtroom defensibility.
• Manual analysis provides precision, tool-assisted analysis offers feasibility.
• Forensic success depends on methodologies, not expensive tools.
• Tools assume metadata is intact, which isn't always the case.
• Expertise lives in the chair, not in the tool.
• Tools don't speak. People speak.