A disk Image is defined as a computer file that contains the contents and structure of a data storage device such as a hard drive, CD drive, phone, tablet, RAM, or USB. Additionally, it can be used to create an exact replica of a hard drive or other device (CD, USB, etc.) for the purpose of analysis during the course of an investigation.
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A disk image can be used in several instances, including: restoration of a hard drive s contents during disaster recovery, for the transfer of contents of a hard drive from one computer to another, or to restore the contents of a hard drive after hardware upgrade or repair. Disk Imaging Definition Disk images are used to transfer a hard drive s contents for various reasons. The process of working on a digital forensics case include creating disk image (copies of the original suspect s drive), hashing or verifying the integrity of the disk image, write blocking the disk image (setting it to read-only to verify disk image integrity), and analyzing the drive and its contents. A large part of digital forensics is working on cases to process and analyze digital evidence collected from crime scenes. 1 Digital Forensics Tutorials Acquiring an Image with FTK Imager Explanation Section Digital Forensics Definition The use of scientifically derived and proven methods toward the preservation, collection, validation, identification, analysis, interpretation, documentation and presentation of digital evidence derived from digital sources for the purpose of facilitating or furthering the reconstruction of events found to be criminal, or helping to anticipate unauthorized actions shown to be disruptive to planned operations.