What You Should Know About IoT Forensics

What You Should Know About IoT Forensics

Gov CIO Outlook | Tuesday, April 27, 2021

IoT forensics helps identify, preserve, analyze, and present digital evidence of a cyber attack.

FREMONT, CA: With the use of the Internet of Things (IoT), the world of technology has seen evolution like never before. The smart devices people rely on in their daily lives are all part of IoT. However, with every good thing come challenges. All IoT applications rely on network connectivity and massive data transfer, which makes them vulnerable to attacks. Cybersecurity threats are high, and therefore, people should be aware of how to identify and mitigate such risks. This is where IoT forensics comes into the picture.

IoT forensics handles the investigation of cybercrime-related to IoT. It involves applying techniques for identification, preservation, analysis, and presentation of digital evidence after a crime. Apart from mobiles, tablets, sensors, and other smart IoT devices, cloud computing is also a part of IoT. Cloud computing is responsible for storing the massive datasets of IoT and enhancing various services. IoT is greatly reliant on the cloud for its capacity, scalability, and convenience of use. Therefore, cloud data breaches are also part of crimes connected to IoT forensics.

IoT forensics focuses on crimes related to IoT and its sub-domains only. It is complex and multifaceted as compared to digital forensics. Unlike digital forensics, there are no tools or techniques to find the sources of digital evidence when it comes to IoT devices. Most data is stored remotely in the cloud, which makes retrieval of evidence daunting. IoT forensics is still facing various hurdles due to the large assortment of devices, scattered data, and geographical restrictions related to cloud data centers. Cloud data is also subject to alteration, which can be a huge concern when investigating a crime.

Gathering and analyzing traces from IoT devices is a challenging task and can be done only by certified professionals. Enter Computer Hacking Forensic Investigation (CHFI). This digital forensics program is focused on certifying individuals who can find various hacking attacks and extract sufficient digital evidence to report the attack. The certification opens the gates for people to work in digital forensics or even specialized IoT forensics.

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