In the field of digital forensics, the tools used play a critical role in the success of investigations. Forensics experts rely on a range of tools to preserve, collect, analyse and present electronic data in a manner that is admissible in a court of law. Two of the most widely utilised tools in the industry are Foremost and bulk_extractor.
Foremost is an open-source file carving tool that is used to extract files from a raw disk image. It is efficient in retrieving files even when the file system is damaged or the file headers are corrupted, making it a go-to tool for digital forensics experts. With the ability to extract various file types including images, audio, and video files, Foremost has proven to be a valuable asset in investigations.
On the other hand, bulk_extractor is a fast and low-level digital forensics tool that scans disk images to extract useful information. Its efficiency in analysing large data sets and quickly extracting information such as email addresses, credit card numbers, and other types of data make it a valuable tool for digital forensics experts. bulk_extractor is also capable of identifying and extracting various types of data including cell phone numbers, social security numbers, and more.
Using Foremost, a disk image must be created first. Once done, the following command can be used to extract all JPEG files from the disk image:
foremost -t jpg -i disk_image.dd -o extracted_files/
The extracted files will then be saved in the specified directory.
To use bulk_extractor, the following command can be utilised:
bulk_extractor -o extracted_files disk_image.dd
The extracted files will be saved in the designated directory.
In the world of digital forensics, Foremost and bulk_extractor are two of the most widely utilised tools. Both tools serve specific purposes and are crucial in the success of investigations. The above example is just that – an example – and the actual usage of the tools may vary based on the requirements of a specific digital forensics investigation. However, the importance of these tools in the field of digital forensics cannot be overstated. They provide valuable insights into the data stored in disk images and play a critical role in criminal investigations and cyber security.
