Certified: The Security+ Prepcast

Digital forensics is as much about precision and process as it is about technology. When an incident occurs and you’re asked to gather evidence, it’s not just about collecting data—it’s about doing so in a way that preserves its integrity, supports legal proceedings, and leads to clear, actionable conclusions. In this episode, we focus on two essential pillars of digital forensics: how to properly acquire data and how to report your findings effectively.
Let’s begin with data acquisition techniques. When collecting digital evidence, the first and most important rule is this: do no harm. The goal of data acquisition is to preserve information in its original state. That means avoiding any activity that alters the source data, such as opening files directly on a live system, running unverified tools, or allowing system processes to overwrite memory. Every step must be deliberate, traceable, and designed to protect the integrity of the evidence.
There are several types of data you may be called on to acquire: hard drives, removable media, mobile devices, memory dumps, network captures, or log files. Each comes with its own challenges, and the method you choose must match the context. In most cases, forensic investigators rely on imaging—a technique that creates a bit-for-bit copy of a device or partition. This image is stored separately and used for analysis, so the original system remains untouched.
Let’s walk through a real-world example. A retail company suspects that a point-of-sale system has been compromised. Rather than examining the machine directly, the forensics team uses a hardware write blocker and forensic imaging software to create a full disk image. The image is hashed using a SHA-256 algorithm, and the hash value is recorded to verify that the copy remains unchanged. The original device is secured, and all further investigation happens on the image. This ensures that the evidence can later be defended in court if necessary.
One of the biggest challenges in data acquisition is collecting live data from a running system. Sometimes you have no choice—especially if the system is volatile or cannot be shut down. In those cases, you may need to acquire data from memory, active network connections, running processes, or open files. But live acquisitions carry risk. Memory changes constantly, processes evolve, and logging can be inconsistent. That’s why live captures must be carefully documented, and analysts must use validated tools designed for forensic reliability.
Let’s consider another example. A university’s IT department receives reports that a faculty member’s laptop may be leaking data to an unknown server. Because the device is actively running and suspected of being compromised, the team conducts a live acquisition. They use a trusted tool to collect memory, running processes, and a snapshot of active network connections. They capture this volatile data before powering down the system to perform a full disk image. In this case, both live and static acquisition were necessary to understand the full scope of the incident.
Acquisition must also respect legal and ethical boundaries. You need appropriate authorization to collect data, especially if that data includes personal information, protected health data, or communications. Chain of custody procedures must be followed, hash values must be recorded, and access to the collected data must be limited to authorized personnel.
Mobile devices introduce their own complexity. Many phones and tablets have encryption enabled by default, making acquisition difficult without unlocking the device. In some cases, forensic investigators must rely on logical acquisition—capturing app data, call logs, and media files—rather than full physical imaging. In other cases, specialized tools may be able to extract data directly from flash memory, depending on the model and operating system.
Cloud environments add another layer of difficulty. You may not have direct access to the hardware, and logs may be ephemeral—meaning they disappear after a short time. That’s why forensic readiness in the cloud is critical. Organizations must configure logging properly, archive snapshots, and retain access credentials so that data can be acquired in the event of an incident.
Once data is acquired, the next challenge is analysis—but that leads directly into the importance of forensic reporting. Even the most thorough investigation won’t matter if the findings can’t be clearly explained, documented, and defended. That’s where effective forensic reporting comes in.
A good forensic report is more than just a technical summary. It’s a narrative. It tells the story of what happened, how it was discovered, what evidence was collected, how that evidence was handled, what analysis was performed, and what conclusions were drawn. The report must be written for multiple audiences: legal teams, technical staff, executive leadership, and potentially regulators or law enforcement.
Let’s return to our earlier retail scenario. After acquiring the compromised point-of-sale system and analyzing the disk image, the forensics team determines that malware was introduced through a remote desktop session using stolen credentials. The report includes a timeline of events, screenshots of the malware installation, logs of the remote session, and the hash values of the disk image and extracted artifacts. The report also documents the tools used, the analysts involved, and the location and status of all evidence. Most importantly, the report offers clear, defensible conclusions: how the compromise occurred, what data was affected, and how it can be prevented in the future.
Every claim in a forensic report must be supported by evidence. If the analyst states that malware was installed at 2:17 p.m., there must be a corresponding timestamped log or file creation record. If they say that data was exfiltrated to an external IP address, there must be network traffic or firewall logs to prove it. Anything less risks undermining the report’s credibility.
Reports must also clearly distinguish between fact and interpretation. Facts are the evidence—the log entries, the file hashes, the registry changes. Interpretation is the analyst’s assessment of what that evidence means. Good reports present both, but never confuse the two.
Formatting and clarity matter. Reports should use clear headings, consistent terminology, and concise explanations. Screenshots, log excerpts, flowcharts, or diagrams can help clarify complex sequences of events. References to tools and procedures should be included, especially if the analysis may be subject to review by another party or used in legal proceedings.
Effective forensic reporting also includes recommendations. These may involve patching vulnerabilities, revising access controls, implementing new monitoring tools, or conducting additional investigations. Even if the investigation is complete, the report should help the organization strengthen its defenses and reduce the risk of recurrence.
Timeliness is another key factor. Forensic reports should be delivered as quickly as possible after analysis, while the incident is still fresh and decisions are being made. Delays in reporting can lead to missed remediation opportunities or compliance deadlines.
To summarize, digital forensics depends on two tightly linked skills: the ability to acquire data correctly, and the ability to report findings clearly. Proper data acquisition techniques ensure that evidence is preserved, authentic, and admissible. Effective forensic reporting translates technical findings into actionable conclusions that support legal, technical, and strategic decision-making. Together, these capabilities form the backbone of a professional, trustworthy forensics process.
For the Security Plus exam, expect questions about data acquisition methods, including imaging, live capture, and volatile data handling. You may be asked about evidence preservation, hashing, or chain of custody. You’ll also see questions that involve proper reporting practices—what information belongs in a report, who the audience is, and how findings should be documented. Review terms like forensic imaging, write blocker, SHA-256, evidence integrity, volatile memory, and reporting narrative—they’re all important and likely to appear on the test.
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