Research Area:  Digital Forensics

Abstract:

Network forensics enables investigation and identification of network attacks through the retrieved digital content. The proliferation of smartphones and the cost-effective universal data access through cloud has made Mobile Cloud Computing (MCC) a congenital target for network attacks. However, confines in carrying out forensics in MCC is interrelated with the autonomous cloud hosting companies and their policies for restricted access to the digital content in the back-end cloud platforms. It implies that existing Network Forensic Frameworks (NFFs) have limited impact in the MCC paradigm. To this end, we qualitatively analyze the adaptability of existing NFFs when applied to the MCC. Explicitly, the fundamental mechanisms of NFFs are highlighted and then analyzed using the most relevant parameters. A classification is proposed to help understand the anatomy of existing NFFs. Subsequently, a comparison is given that explores the functional similarities and deviations among NFFs. The paper concludes by discussing research challenges for progressive network forensics in MCC.

Keywords:  

Author(s) Name:  Muhammad Shiraz, Ainuddin Wahid Abdul Wahab, Abdullah Gani, Qi Han and Zulkanain Bin Abdul Rahman

Publisher name:  Hindawi

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/547062

Volume Information:  Volume 2014

Paper Link:   https://www.hindawi.com/journals/tswj/2014/547062/