What Is Cloud Forensics and How Is It Used?

 Cloud forensics are investigations that focus on crimes that primarily involve the cloud. Data breaches or identity theft are examples of this. The owner is protected and can better preserve evidence with cloud forensics. Without a cloud forensics strategy, the owner may not have access to all data or evidence stored in the cloud, particularly if it is hosted offsite or by a third party. 

While cloud services are the norm, cloud forensics is an important consideration when implementing them for your business. Cloud forensics differs from traditional digital forensics in that data may be hosted outside of local jurisdictions. 

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Cloud vs. Digital Forensics

To solve cybercrimes, traditional digital forensics are used. To track down hackers or investigate an event, digital forensics consultants collect evidence from software, data, and other resources.

Any evidence discovered using digital forensics is admissible in a court of law within the jurisdiction. Most of the time, the evidence discovered belongs to the owner of the technology, making it simple to obtain permission to use it in the case. 

The use of cloud forensics complicates the search for evidence. While the investigator uses the same methods as in traditional digital forensics, the lines between who owns the evidence and where it is admissible in court may blur. 

Data may be stored off-site in multiple locations or on a server owned by a third party when using cloud-based services. The rules are determined by the services provided.  

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Cloud Forensics in Three Dimensions

• The technical dimension includes a set of tools and procedures required to conduct forensics in cloud computing environments. This includes forensic data collection, elastic/static/live forensics, evidence segregation, virtualized investigations, and proactive planning. 
• When it comes to forensic investigations in cloud computing environments, there are always two parties involved: the cloud consumer and the cloud service provider. When the CSP outsources services to third parties, the scope of the investigation tends to broaden. When establishing an organization's capacity to investigate cloud anomalies, each cloud organization must establish a permanent or ad hoc department in charge of internal and external matters, with the following roles: investigators, IT professionals, incident handlers, legal advisors, and external assistance. 
• Cloud Service Providers and the majority of cloud apps rely on other CSPs. These dependencies can be highly dynamic, which means that investigating them will be dependent on the investigations of each link in the chain, as well as the level of complexity of the dependencies. Problems can arise as a result of an interruption or corruption in any of the numerous links in the chain, or as a result of a lack of coordination among all parties involved. As a result, organizational policies as well as legally binding SLAs must impose strict communication and collaboration between the parties involved.

Currently, establishing forensic capabilities for cloud organizations in the three dimensions described earlier in this document will be difficult without facing a slew of enormous challenges. For example, the legal dimension currently lacks agreements among cloud organizations regarding collaborative investigation, and the majority of SLAs lack terms and conditions regarding the separation of responsibilities between the cloud service provider and the customer. Policies and cyber laws from various regions must also play a role in resolving conflicts and issues that arise from multi-jurisdictional investigations. 

The rapid advancements and increase in popularity of cloud technology are certainly pushing digital forensics to a whole new level. Many existing challenges, such as various jurisdictional issues and a lack of international coordination, may be exacerbated by cloud technology, but the environment also provides unique opportunities for foundational policies and standards. The cloud is both a new cybercrime battlefield and a breeding ground for novel investigative approaches. Much work remains to be done, as with any new technology or area of research, and the information in this document merely points people in the right direction.