Digital Forensics Accountability of Information Using Blockchain Technology

Digital Forensics is used to identify a network intrusion. When an unauthorized person has accessed the network to steal data and bring in some damage, it becomes essential to determine the invasion.
The mode of collecting and preserving evidence has a significant role to play in ensuring that the evidence is accountable in the courtroom in a lawsuit or criminal complaint. Accountable evidence will help to further the discovery to track down to the point of compliance violation.

Identifying the breach and generating the required documents about what led to the cyber-attack or cyber fraud can be trustworthy and accountable using blockchain technology.
Truth-based evidence is significant in any cybercrime investigation. This helps linking people with criminal activities.
Digital evidence moves down the hierarchy through the chain of custody in the different levels of transactions in any investigation process.

Blockchain technology can provide with a clear and exhaustive view of the transactions that have taken place concerning the evidence, right from the time the evidence originated from the source.

XinFin with the XDC Protocol proposes to use blockchain in forensic applications with the relevant features like tamper resistance.

This technology is necessary because there are many reported cases of missing police evidence and several of them go unaccounted for giving an easy way out for criminals.

The application can enable appropriate authorization to those who are permitted to enter the evidence room, whether electronic, magnetic or by using private keys. The scientific approach in digital forensics flow through the search authorities, the chain of custody of evidence, imaging and hashing function, validation of data using appropriate tools, report-ability, and repetition of presentation. The entire process can be made data-centric using blockchain technology.

The hash validation with the blockchain and the timestamp will prevent repeatability and contamination of information. Keeping a clear and unique track of who accessed what and when will help to avoid the contamination of evidence and information.

The blockchain technology-based application can be used to ensure proper operating practice when it comes to evidence management practices. How the core data is stored, how it is communicated, who are the personnel responsible in handling the data, and the factors that contribute to the physical security of the data can all be streamlined efficiently.

As best data practices go, the idea of working with the duplicate copy and not with the original can be validated using the hash. The Hash function will take the data and will generate a fixed sized bit sequence in the output. Thus creating a digital fingerprint of the input data. Being on the cloud also provides for high scalability and re-silence. Thus helping to keep crimes on a check.