To present the evidence in a way the court deems admissible and bring the guilty to justice, formulating a coherent and comprehensive digital forensics report is crucial. Without one, retelling the events that occurred in a structured manner, all while backing up every claim with concrete evidence, would be next to impossible (hence they are a requirement in the court proceedings).
Digital forensics reports play an instrumental role in coordinating the work between multiple investigators, law enforcement officers, administrative, and legal personnel involved in the case, not all of which may share the same professional background and field of expertise.
They are the interdisciplinary focal point that tells the truth of what happened and documents the findings, all while presenting them in a factual yet understandable manner.
At the same time, investigators should keep in mind that other law enforcement institutions may ask for the report in order to:
- Get a recap of events
- Determine the next steps to take
- Review the evidence
- Verify what digital forensics tools have been used
- Get an overview of the investigation’s objectives
- etc.
Before we reveal the exact steps on how to formulate one, keep in mind that the exact structure of a digital forensic report depends on the case, which means what you will find below is a general overview of the entire process in a step-by-step manner as well as a general outline to follow which should give you some ideas on how to tackle the task at hand.
To give you a better idea how the final result should look, we’ve also provided some concrete digital forensic report examples from different cases.
With that out of the way, let’s begin with :