The Role of Digital Forensics in Cybercrime Investigations

The explosion of technology in recent years has revolutionized the face of cybercrime and requires new and innovative approaches to investigating digital crimes. In this research, we present the all-encompassing role of digital forensics in cybercrime investigations with a focus on methodologies, tools, and techniques for computer forensics, mobile forensics, network forensics, and IoT forensics solutions. With the steady growth of digital systems, and the integration of these systems, has come an increase in the importance of accurate and efficient forensic methods. This paper studies the effectiveness of current digital forensic strategies and presented the challenges faced while implementing them, i.e. encryption, anti- forensic measures, and the proliferation of digital forensic evidence. The key findings now include increasing dependence on specialist forensic software, the challenges of legality and jurisdiction, and the urgent necessity of global legislation and standards so that cross-border collaboration may be effective. The paper also looks at AI and ML in automating forensics and increasing the speed and accuracy of gathering evidence. By filling the current methodological gaps and examining the existing real-life cases, this study highlights the need to keep pace with innovation in digital forensics to counteract the ever growing cyber threats adequately.