Part 1:- quality assurance mechanisms for digital forensic investigations: Introducing the Verification of Digital Evidence (VODE) framework

Quality assurance measures in the field of digital forensics play a vital role for upholding and developing investigatory standards. Coupled with the fast pace of technology, practitioners in this discipline are often faced with the challenge of interpreting previously unseen or undocmented forms of potentially evidential digital data, content which may be crucial to a current case under investigation. Mechanisms to support this interpretative process offer support for the practitioner, helping to guide them through this task and the steps involved in ensuring any reported information is accurate. This work presents the Verification of Digital Evidence (VODE) framework, designed to support digital forensic practitioners when testing and verifying their interpretation of digital data. The stages of VODE are discussed and its application placed in context.