Edinburgh Napier University

  Forensics investigations can be flawed for many reasons, such as that they can lack any real evidence of an incident. Also, it can be the case that the legal rights of an individual has been breached, or that the steps taken in the investigation cannot be verified. This paper outlines an integrated framework for both data gathering, using mobile and static agents, and also in the creation of a data gathering system which logs data in a verifiable and open way. Forensic information which is gathered over a network is often more verifiable over host-based data gathering. The framework for logging data for future investigations uses a formal approach where a forensics policy is defined, which is then compiled into an implementation which can run on agent systems, such as with SNMP agents, and IDS (Intrusion Detection System) agents. The paper also proposes a system which uses mobile and static agents to formalize the investigation process. This should produce investigations which can be verified, and which are programmed the expertise of an investigator, and also contain legal and moral programming to constrain the limits of a forensic investigation.