Computers and networks have become so ubiquitous in our society, such an
integral part of our daily lives, that any investigation or legal dispute will
likely involve some form of digital evidence. Crimes like child exploitation,
fraud, drug trafficking, terrorism, and homicide usually involve computers
to some degree (see Chapter 2, “Forensic Analysis”). Electronic discovery has
become so common in civil disputes that countries are updating their legal
guidelines to address digital evidence (see Chapter 3, “Electronic Discovery”).
Investigations of intrusions into corporate and government IT systems rely
heavily on digital evidence, and are becoming more challenging as offenders become more adept at covering their tracks (see Chapter 4, “Intrusion Investigation”).