Digital Archaeology: The Art and Science of Digital Forensics

Preface

In performing an investigation that explores the use of computers or digital data, one is basically embarking on an archaeological expedition. To extract useful artifacts (information, in our case), one must be exceedingly careful in how one approaches the site. The similarities between a digital investigation and an archaeological excavation are much closer than you might imagine. Data, like physical artifacts, gets dropped into the oddest places. The effects of time and environment are just as damaging, if not more so, to digital artifacts as they are physical mementos.

Why This Book?

Archaeologists are fully aware that, due to the passage of time, there are things they can never recover. The skin that once covered a skeleton long ...