As the world’s financial systems advance in digital technology and cryptocurrency, the need for digital forensics grows greater. The use of blockchain technology has allowed crimes to go undetected through the eyes of a regular investigator. These crimes no longer take months of in-depth planning and deception before executing but can now be committed within minutes because of the processing power of computers and the speed of the internet. Crimes such as:
become more complex to detect, digital forensics has kept pace to make investigators’ lives easier.
The uses of digital forensics in financial crime have grown significantly in the last few years because of how society has adapted and advanced cloud technology and internet services. For example, every day billions of business emails are sent around the world. Sorting through these emails by simple clicking and scrolling would take years to track. But by digital forensic processing methods, you can eliminate evidence that is irrelevant to your case and speed along the timeline by following the correct audit trail. This will allow analysts and investigators to go through select pieces of evidence with a fine-tooth comb and begin the process of seeing how the money stolen was hidden or moved, and who was involved in the crime based on artifacts and digital fingerprints found by the forensic tools. Digital forensics can also help identify recurring sets of data that may be an important clue in the case.