The Handbook of Research on Computational Forensics, Digital Crime, and Investigation: Methods and Solutions addresses a broad range of electronic devices and software for crime prevention and investigation. This defining body of research covers a wide spectrum of topics useful to a broad cross-sectional and multi-disciplinary readership ranging from academic and professional research communities to industry consultants and practitioners.
The last two decades have seen the unprecedented development of information and communication technology (ICT), computational hardware, and multimedia techniques. These techniques have revolutionized the ways we exchange information and run businesses. This wave of ICT revolution has undoubtedly brought about enormous opportunities for the world economy and exciting possibilities for every sector of the modern societies. Traders can now operate their e-business without distance constraint. Educators are now equipped with ‘e-tools’ to deliver their knowledge and expertise to the remote corners of the world with Internet access. Harnessing these ICT resources, ‘e-governments’ can provide various aspects of ‘e-services’ to the people. Willingly or reluctantly, directly or indirectly, we are all now immersed in some ways in the cyberspace, full of ‘e-opportunities’ and ‘e-possibilities,’ and permeated with data and information. However, this type of close and strong interweaving poses concerns and threats either. When exploited with malign intentions, the same tools provide means for doing harm on a colossal scale. These concerns create anxiety and uncertainty about the reality of the information and business we deal with. Due to the rise of digital crime and the pressing need for methods of combating these forms of criminal activities, there is an increasing awareness of the importance of digital forensics and investigation. As a result, the last decade has also seen the emergence of the new interdisciplinary field of digital forensics and investigation, which aims at pooling expertise in various areas to combat the abuses of the ICT facilities and computer techniques.