Understanding the order of volatility
When it comes to digital forensics, understanding the order of volatility is essential. This concept is especially important when dealing with Windows forensic evidence. The order of volatility refers to the order in which data is lost from a computer system when it is powered off or shut down. It is important to understand this concept to properly analyze and interpret Windows forensic evidence.
The order of volatility can be broken down into two categories, as follows:
- Volatile data: Volatile data is the most ephemeral and will be lost first when a system is powered off or shut down. This includes data stored in RAM, such as running processes, open files, and network connections.
- Non-volatile data: Non-volatile data includes information stored on hard drives or other storage media that may remain intact after a system has been powered off or shut down. This includes information such as filesystem metadata, registry entries, user...