Abstract
Given the dramatic increase in evidence of a digital or electronic nature in cases brought before the U.S. Court System, there is a growing concern over its admissibility. The question becomes whether the tools used and actors involved to extract and analyze the digital evidence meet the requirements for scientific evidence. This thesis explores how it may be possible to meet the scientific evidence requirements in the U.S. Court Systems by analyzing the legal issues and how other relevant communities such as accounting, auditing, Internet transaction security, and Underwriters Laboratories. The thesis concludes with a proposed certification and standardization system for testing of tools and actors involved in the computer forensics investigation process to mitigate the risks to the computer forensics community. The goal of this process is to bring credibility and reliability to the computer forensics field while at the same time meeting the requirements of the U.S. Court Systems for scientific evidence.
