Forensic Tool Use
Forensic Tool Use
This domain tests tool selection, operation, and limitations. A tool's output is evidence only when the examiner understands and documents how it was produced.
Core rules
- Use validated tools and record name, version, license, configuration, and command line or GUI settings. NIST CFTT and SWGDE provide testing and guidance frameworks.
- Verify tool behavior in a lab before casework. Confirm write blocking, hash calculation, timestamp interpretation, and parsing accuracy.
- Prefer two tools or manual verification for critical findings. Compare results and explain discrepancies.
- Preserve tool logs and error messages. A tool that silently skips bad sectors or misparses timestamps can mislead.
- Understand algorithms and data structures; avoid treating a GUI as a black box.
Worked example
A carving tool returns 200 JPEGs. The examiner validates headers, opens samples, and compares results with a second tool. Several are false positives from embedded thumbnails. The report documents the validation method and excludes invalid files rather than reporting a raw count.
Traps
Treating tool output as truth; not recording versions; using an untested tool on evidence; ignoring error messages; assuming vendor validation covers the lab's use case.
Key points
- Record tool name, version, settings, and outputs.
- Validate tools in the lab before casework.
- Verify critical findings with a second method.
- Preserve tool logs and errors.
- Understand the underlying algorithm, not just the interface.