Applying a Digital Forensic Readiness Framework: Three Case Studies

A digital forensic investigation primarily attempts to reactively respond to an information security incident. While the predominant goal of an investigation is the maintenance of digital evidence of forensic value, little academic research has been conducted on an organization's proactive forensic capability. This capability is referred to as digital forensic readiness and aims to maximize the forensic credibility of digital evidence, while minimizing its post-incident forensic investigation. In this paper, we classify forensic investigation frameworks to expose gaps in proactive forensics research and we review three prominent information security incidents with regard to proactive forensics planning. The applicability of a proactive forensic plan into each incident is then discussed and put into context.