What Is Digital Forensics? Process, Types, Tools and Use Cases

Learn what digital forensics is, how investigators preserve and analyze electronic evidence, the main forensic processes and types, essential tools, and enterprise use cases.

By CyberTech Intelligence Research Desk
14 Aug, 2026
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Digital forensics is the application of scientific and investigative methods to identify, collect, preserve, examine, analyze, and report information stored or transmitted electronically. A digital forensic investigation aims to determine what happened, when it happened, how it happened, which systems or identities were involved, and what evidence supports those conclusions. NIST defines digital forensics as applying science to the identification, collection, examination, and analysis of data while preserving the integrity of the information and maintaining a strict chain of custody. The discipline requires reliable and repeatable methods because findings may influence in…

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is digital forensics?

Digital forensics is the scientific identification, collection, preservation, examination, analysis, and reporting of electronic evidence. Its purpose is to reconstruct events and produce reliable findings while protecting evidence integrity.
What are the main stages of digital forensics?

The main stages are preparation, identification, preservation, collection, examination, analysis, reporting, and evidence retention. NIST’s core computer and network forensic model groups the operational work into collection, examination, analysis, and reporting.
What is chain of custody?

Chain of custody is the documented record of who collected, controlled, transferred, examined, and stored evidence. It helps demonstrate that evidence was handled consistently and protected against unauthorized alteration.
Can digital forensics recover deleted files?

Sometimes. Recovery depends on the storage technology, file system, deletion method, encryption, subsequent activity, and whether the deleted data has been overwritten or removed by storage-management processes.
What is digital forensics and incident response?

Digital forensics and incident response, or DFIR, combines evidence analysis with operational containment, eradication, and recovery. Forensics establishes what occurred, while incident response uses those findings to control the incident and restore secure operations.