What Is Drone Forensics? Analysis Using Open Source Tools

 


The phrase “drone forensics” describes the forensic processing, inspection, and analysis of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). It entails using drones to secure and collect evidence in a forensically sound manner (UAVs).

In general, it’s known as UAV forensics, and the goal is to retrieve the drone’s video as well as other information about its flight history, geolocations, unique ID, etc.

The Fundamental Idea And Widespread Use Of Drones

Unmanned aerial vehicles, sometimes known as drones or UAVs, are useful for both commercial and recreational uses.

Drones have advanced significantly since their debut, and even the most basic versions are now capable of shooting photos and making films. The consumer-grade devices are affordable, starting at only a few hundred dollars, making them available to practically everyone. There are also tiny models suitable for kids — these small toys often go for even less than that.

The operator can command them using a radio controller, a useful portable device with extensive coverage, to control them. The majority of more expensive, current versions also have a smartphone app that allows users to adjust settings and issue complex orders.

Unfortunately, these useful aerial gadgets may also be used for a wide range of illicit crimes, including voyeurism, smuggling, physical assaults, and others. Drone forensics can help in this situation. This is essentially a branch of mobile and wireless forensics. A drone may be thought of as a smart device with sensors connected in its most basic form.

The prevalence of drone-related criminal actions is growing as a result of how inexpensive, manageable, and accessible these devices are. As a result, drone forensics is playing an increasingly important role in the investigation of corporate and urban crime.

Methodology Of Drone Forensics

Three steps may be used to summarise the complete drone forensics process:

  • Acquisition
  • Analysis
  • Reporting

The material must be protected and sent to the digital forensics lab for additional analysis before the inquiry can start. Making a forensic picture of the data, which serves as a digital replica of the data, is one of the first steps in the investigation to ensure that the integrity of the evidence is always protected.

Additionally, we must take care to rule out any chance of data manipulation from a distance. Before continuing with the inquiry, it’s crucial to turn off the drone if it’s still in use.

A thorough digital forensics report must be written as the last step in the drone forensics process. Historically, this has been a very labor- and time-intensive operation. But now that this aspect of the process may be fully automated, owing to the digital forensic lab, a forensic data analyst can devote more time and effort to solving the case and learning the truth about what happened.



Drone Forensics Challenges

1. Not Having GPS Data

The EXIF data won’t include any geographic locations if the GPS signal was interrupted during the trip or if there were any connection problems. This may make it more challenging to determine its precise location while in flight.

2. Absence Of Suitable Digital Forensics Tools

You need a complete all-in-one solution since drone forensics is an extremely specialized and sometimes difficult subject. The knowledge that the digital evidence’s integrity will be preserved, will enable you to get over any technological obstacles you could encounter during the investigation, such as encryption or program incompatibility.

When you’re done, you won’t need to spend a lot of time creating a digital forensics report; you can just click a button to produce one.

3. Use Of Cloud Storage

In other circumstances, the data might not be physically saved on the aircraft device that was seized but rather transferred to the cloud or a private server.

In situations like these, getting access to the device presents a significant issue because passwords and encryption are considerably simpler to crack or overcome if the drone forensics analyst has physical access to the device.

Wrapping Up!

The science of drone forensics can be a challenging beast to tame because drones haven’t been around for very long.

Nevertheless, a lot can be accomplished with the correct digital forensics tools, strategy, technique, and commitment. Law enforcement authorities are able to keep on top of their game when new issues and associated solutions appear.

Location: Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

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