Forensic cloning of hard drives and storage devices

In any legal proceeding, it is essential that digital evidence stored on storage devices remains intact from the moment it is collected. This makes it possible to subsequently demonstrate its integrity and traceability. If this principle is not respected, the evidence may be challenged or lose evidential value. For this reason, the forensic IT expert must properly preserve and document the chain of custody of the digital evidence collected.

Common procedures used to perform a forensic acquisition include forensic cloning and the creation of a forensic image. Both procedures make it possible to obtain a copy of the contents of the original device. With forensic cloning, the data is copied directly onto another physical storage device, whereas a forensic image stores the acquired information in one or more files, allowing it to be analysed later without working directly on the original device.

During the acquisition process, hash values or digital fingerprints are calculated from the acquired data, making it possible to verify the integrity of the resulting clone or forensic image. A hash value is an alphanumeric result calculated from the data being examined. If the content changes, the resulting hash value will also be different, making it possible to detect that the evidence has been modified.

The forensic IT expert must document the entire acquisition process, whether performed by cloning or by creating a forensic image, including the identification of the original device, the characteristics of the destination media or format, the tools used and the hash values obtained. All this information should be included in the expert report in a clear and understandable manner, documenting how the evidence was acquired and preserved.

Forensic acquisition requires an appropriate technical environment and tools specifically designed for digital forensics that allow the evidence to be acquired while minimising the risk of modifying the original device. Improper handling may alter the evidence: for example, connecting a hard drive directly to a computer without the necessary precautions may result in unwanted writes and compromise its integrity.

At FORENSICTECH, we have a mobile forensic laboratory that enables us to carry out forensic acquisitions on site, including at court premises. Our firm uses a professional Image MASSter Solo-4 Forensic duplicator, capable of creating forensic copies of hard drives and USB storage devices either by cloning or by generating forensic images, calculating the corresponding hash values and producing technical documentation that makes it possible to demonstrate the integrity and traceability of the acquisition process.