A technician receives a request to investigate illegal copyrighted content that may exist on a company laptop. Which of the following is the FIRST step in dealing with the request?

Preservation is a critical forensic step, but it comes after identification confirms that evidence worth preserving actually exists on the device.

Identification is the first phase of any digital forensics investigation - the technician must confirm that the suspected illegal content is actually present on the device before escalating, preserving, or documenting anything. This follows the standard forensic process order: identify, preserve, analyze, and report. Skipping identification risks taking disruptive actions (like confiscating a device) based on unverified claims.

Documenting changes is part of maintaining the chain of custody and occurs during and after the investigation process, not as the first step.

Reporting to a supervisor is an escalation step that should occur after the content has been identified and documented, not before confirming its existence.