Computer Science and Electrical Engineering Session:

Title:            Cloud Forensics: the Need and Challenges
Authors:       Siva Rama Krishna T., A. S. N. Chakravarthy
Abstract:      Cloud computing, where applications and data storage are provided as services to users via the Internet, is becoming more and more prevalent - and because of it, law enforcement and cyber forensics investigators are facing new challenges in obtaining evidence. Instead of the evidence being on a device that they can seize, the evidence is likely located in a data centre at a service provider that is often not geographically easily accessible. In fact, the data may be stored in multiple physical locations (and jurisdictions) across the world. The problem is particularly acute for law enforcement investigators where extensive travelling to obtain evidence is not feasible. Furthermore, the volume of data kept by these service providers is so vast and the data is so complex that it is often impractical for an investigator armed with a warrant to extract the evidence from the data centers of most service providers, even if he/she were physically present. This paper provides an overview of cloud forensics including the issues and the existing challenges in order to give better future prospects and also offers some steps to be taken to overcome these challenges.

Keywords:   Cloud Computing; Digital Forensics; Cloud Forensics; Cyber Laws; Forensic Investigation; Cloud Security
Pages:           551-555

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