312-49V11 · Question #82
Detective Harris is leading a digital forensics investigation into a cyberattack on a local bank's database. During the investigation, Detective Harris emphasizes the importance of maintaining the…
The correct answer is A. Creating a duplicate bit-stream image of the suspicious drive or file. According to the CHFI v11 objectives under Data Acquisition Concepts and Rules and Digital Evidence Handling, the most critical step in preserving original evidence integrity is the creation of a duplicate bit-stream image of the suspect media. A bit-stream image (also known as…
Question
Detective Harris is leading a digital forensics investigation into a cyberattack on a local bank's database. During the investigation, Detective Harris emphasizes the importance of maintaining the integrity of the evidence. He instructs his team to follow the established rules of thumb for data acquisition to ensure the admissibility of evidence in court. In Detective Harris's digital forensics investigation of the cyberattack on the bank's database, what step is crucial to preserving the original evidence and ensuring its integrity?
Options
- ACreating a duplicate bit-stream image of the suspicious drive or file
- BUsing multiple forensic tools simultaneously for data acquisition
- CIgnoring the duplication process and proceeding with analysis directly on the original evidence
- DPerforming forensic analysis directly on the original evidence
How the community answered
(49 responses)- A76% (37)
- B12% (6)
- C4% (2)
- D8% (4)
Explanation
According to the CHFI v11 objectives under Data Acquisition Concepts and Rules and Digital Evidence Handling, the most critical step in preserving original evidence integrity is the creation of a duplicate bit-stream image of the suspect media. A bit-stream image (also known as a forensic image) is an exact sector-by-sector copy of the original storage device, including allocated space, unallocated space, slack space, and hidden data. This ensures that no data is altered, added, or omitted during acquisition. CHFI v11 clearly states one of the fundamental rules of thumb for data acquisition: never perform analysis on original evidence. Instead, investigators must work exclusively on verified copies while the original evidence is preserved in a secured state. Hash values are calculated before and after imaging to confirm that the duplicate image is an exact replica, thereby supporting chain of custody and court admissibility.
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