Chain of Custody
In digital forensics, a mechanism for documenting the entire process proving that evidence was not tampered with or contaminated from acquisition to presentation in court, typically recording each evidence transfer, the persons who handled it, and timestamps in written or electronic log form.
Timeline (last 90 days)
The chain of custody is a full-process record-keeping mechanism in digital forensics used to prove that evidence was not tampered with or contaminated from acquisition to presentation in court.
Chain-of-custody records should be used in conjunction with hash values: compare the hash before and after each access to the evidence, and archive the comparison result together with the operator and timestamp, to form a closed loop.
In court, a break in the chain of custody often becomes the opening through which opposing counsel questions the authenticity of the evidence.
Confirming legal authorization before beginning any digital forensics operation is a step that comes even before the chain of custody.
Hash verification cannot prove that the source of the evidence is lawful, nor can it replace the chain of custody; it addresses the integrity problem, whereas the chain of custody addresses the continuity problem.
All Facts (5)
The chain of custody is a full-process record-keeping mechanism in digital forensics used to prove that evidence was not tampered with or contaminated from acquisition to presentation in court.
50%UnverifiedChain-of-custody records should be used in conjunction with hash values: compare the hash before and after each access to the evidence, and archive the comparison result together with the operator and timestamp, to form a closed loop.
50%UnverifiedIn court, a break in the chain of custody often becomes the opening through which opposing counsel questions the authenticity of the evidence.
50%UnverifiedConfirming legal authorization before beginning any digital forensics operation is a step that comes even before the chain of custody.
50%UnverifiedHash verification cannot prove that the source of the evidence is lawful, nor can it replace the chain of custody; it addresses the integrity problem, whereas the chain of custody addresses the continuity problem.
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