Forensic Investigation of Smart Digital Devices

The rapid advancement and ubiquitous presence of smart connected devices have transformed our daily lives, significantly increasing productivity, efficiency, and accessibility. However, this growth has also led to an exponential rise in electronic data generation and storage, which, in turn, has created new avenues for cybercrime. As devices ranging from home appliances to vehicles and wearable technology become integral to our everyday activities, they continuously produce data that can be exploited by malicious actors, necessitating robust forensic investigation techniques. “Forensic Investigation of Smart Connected Devices: A Hands-on Guide” provides a thorough and practical resource for addressing the forensic challenges associated with these technologies. This book explores the forensic investigation of a wide array of smart connected devices, including IoT devices, smartphones, SIM cards, drones, humanoid social robots, gaming consoles, smart wearables, applications, social networks, and digital vehicles. It details the methodologies for evidence extraction, analysis, and reporting, emphasizing the need for specialized approaches tailored to each type of device. This guide is designed to equip forensic investigators, cybersecurity professionals, law enforcement personnel, and researchers with the necessary skills and knowledge to conduct thorough forensic investigations. Through practical examples, case studies, and hands-on exercises, the book bridges the gap between theory and practice, providing a valuable resource for enhancing cybersecurity and effectively combating cybercrime in the digital era.

Author Biography

Dr. Farkhund Iqbal is a Full Professor and team lead for the Cybersecurity and Digital Forensics (CAD) research group in Center for Smart Cities and Intelligent Systems College of Technological Innovation, Zayed University, United Arab Emirates. He has more than 15+ years of teaching and research experience. He believes in student-centered, engaging, interactive and collaborative teaching and learning environments where students are equipped with the required knowledge, skills and competence to fit the emerging needs of society. He is using Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Service Robotics and Data Analytics techniques for problem-solving in digital security, digital forensics, healthcare, cybercrime investigation and smart city domains. He has successfully executed more than 30 internal and external research projects (with more than USD 3M funding), which have resulted in 200+ peer-reviewed impactful publications, a lead authored book (with Springer publisher), and more than 4454 citations and i-h:87 (on Google Scholar). He has served as a chair and co-chair for several IEEE/ACM conferences and has been guest editor and reviewer for multiple high-rank journals. He has successfully supervised Ph.D. and Master’s students and Capstone projects at McGill University, Ontario Tech University, Canada and Zayed University, UAE.