Shashvathi Forensic Lab provides Cloud Forensics services involving the examination of available cloud-related digital evidence to assist in investigating suspected cyber incidents, unauthorised access, data leakage, account compromise, and other digital security concerns.
Cloud platforms are widely used to store documents, exchange information, host applications, and manage business operations. When a security incident or digital dispute occurs, cloud-based records may contain relevant information about account activity, file access, sharing events, authentication attempts, and system operations.
Our cloud forensic examination focuses on identifying, preserving, analysing, and documenting available cloud-related evidence, subject to the platform, access permissions, data-retention policies, and technical information made available for examination.
What Is Cloud Forensics?
Cloud Forensics is a specialised area of Digital Forensics concerned with the identification, preservation, acquisition, examination, and interpretation of digital evidence associated with cloud computing environments.
Unlike traditional Computer Forensics, cloud investigations may involve remotely hosted data, virtual machines, cloud storage, online applications, identity services, audit records, and provider-maintained logs. Evidence availability may depend on the cloud service provider, account permissions, subscription level, retention settings, and applicable legal requirements.
A structured cloud forensic examination can help assess available records and identify technical indicators relevant to a reported incident.
Scope of Cloud Forensics Services
Shashvathi Forensic Lab may undertake the following examination activities, depending on the platform, available evidence, technical capabilities, and agreed scope of work:
- Cloud Account Activity Examination: Review of available sign-in records, authentication events, and account activity logs.
- Cloud Storage Examination: Assessment of available files, file properties, access records, and sharing information.
- Access and Permission Analysis: Examination of available records relating to user permissions, access changes, and sharing configurations.
- Audit Log Analysis: Review of available cloud audit logs to identify relevant recorded events and activity patterns.
- Data Modification and Deletion Assessment: Examination of available records relating to file changes, deletion events, or other relevant modifications.
- Cloud Security Incident Examination: Assessment of available evidence associated with suspected account compromise, unauthorised access, or suspicious activity.
- Virtual Machine and Cloud Workload Examination: Examination of supported virtual machine images, system logs, and related data where access and technical feasibility permit.
- Cloud Data Exfiltration Assessment: Review of available records for activity patterns that may be consistent with unauthorised data access or transfer.
- Timeline Reconstruction: Correlation of available records from different sources to establish a sequence of documented events.
- Digital Evidence Integrity Verification: Use of cryptographic hash values to verify the integrity of acquired files or evidence collections, where applicable.
- Forensic Reporting: Documentation of examination procedures, observations, findings, and limitations.
The precise scope depends on the cloud provider, service type, available records, retention period, and the evidence lawfully accessible for examination.
Cloud Forensics Examination Methodology
The examination process may include the following stages:
- Initial Consultation: Understanding the incident, investigation objectives, and specific questions requiring technical assessment.
- Authorisation and Scope Definition: Confirming the client's authority to provide access to the relevant cloud account, systems, or records.
- Evidence Identification: Identifying relevant cloud audit logs, account records, files, storage data, and supporting system information.
- Evidence Preservation and Collection: Collecting available records through appropriate procedures while documenting their source and collection details.
- Technical Analysis: Examining relevant access events, timestamps, file activities, permissions, and other available digital artefacts.
- Event Correlation: Comparing records from relevant cloud services, endpoints, and other sources where available.
- Assessment of Findings: Evaluating observations in the context of the incident and the limitations of the evidence.
- Report Preparation: Preparing a technical report documenting the methods used, findings, and relevant limitations.
Where appropriate, the examination may be supported by evidence from computers, mobile devices, network logs, or other systems connected to the reported incident.
Who May Require Cloud Forensics?
Our services may be relevant to:
- Businesses investigating suspected cloud account compromise.
- Organisations examining possible data leakage or unauthorised file sharing.
- Corporate IT and cyber security teams.
- Incident-response and digital investigation professionals.
- Advocates and legal professionals requiring technical examination of cloud-related evidence.
- Organisations investigating suspicious account activity or changes to cloud-hosted data.
- Clients requiring technical assessment of available cloud records.
Importance of Cloud Forensics
Cloud-based evidence may help establish what activities were recorded within a cloud environment, which accounts or systems were involved, and when certain events occurred. A structured examination can assist in identifying relevant technical indicators and documenting findings for further investigation.
However, a recorded account login or file-access event does not necessarily establish the identity of the individual who performed the action. Shared credentials, automated processes, synchronisation services, time-zone differences, incomplete logs, and other technical factors can affect interpretation. Findings must be assessed in the context of the available evidence and relevant limitations.