Abstract
The cloud computing environment is one of the most promising technologies in the development of computing resources. The cloud service providers provide almost every resource for computing to their users through the internet. With all its advantages, cloud computing has major security issues. Especially in the case of public clouds, anyone can misuse the services for performing unlawful activities. The traditional approaches used for cyber forensics and network forensics are not adequate for the cloud environment because of many technical constraints. There is a need for setting up effective countermeasures that can help an investigator to identify and track unlawful activities happened in a cloud environment. Cloud forensics is an emerging area of research where the researchers aim to provide effective digital forensic techniques that help in the investigation of digital crimes in a cloud environment. The cloud environment helps to extract data even from devices that are not physically accessible. However, cloud forensics is not as easy as it seems; a lot of the success depends on the cloud service model implemented in the context. Getting the support of cloud service providers in accessing the potential sources of evidence necessary for investigation is also a major concern. Another critical aspect of cloud forensics is dealing with legal issues. This chapter discusses the basic concepts of cloud forensics, its challenges, and future directions.
TopTechnical Aspects Of Cloud Forensic
We know that the traditional forensic approach is not effective in the cloud environment due to the intrinsic characteristics of cloud computing. Hence there is a need for tailored methods and tools to help investigators to perform the forensic process in a cloud computing environment. The process includes a collection of forensic data, live forensic, evidence segregation, investigation in virtualized environments and taking proactive measures.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Network Forensics: Network forensics is a sub-branch of digital forensics relating to the monitoring and analysis of computer network traffic.
ICT: Information and communication technology, which makes use of digital systems for storing, retrieving, and sending information.
Cloud Forensics: Cloud forensics is cross-discipline between cloud computing and digital forensics.
Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is the use of hardware and software to deliver a service over a network (typically the internet). With cloud computing, users can access files and use applications from any device that can access the internet.
Digital forensics: Computer forensics, also known as digital forensics, on the other hand is a much more specific discipline, which involves the analysis of computers and other electronic devices in order to produce legal evidence of a crime or unauthorized action.
Live Forensics: Live data forensics is one part of computer forensics which is a branch of digital forensic science pertaining to legal evidence found in computers.