MSAB Digital Forensics Glossary
Key Terms and Definitions
Welcome to Our Digital Forensics Glossary — A resource for clear, concise definitions of key terms used in digital forensic investigations. This glossary includes terminology used in the field of smartphone investigations, mobile data extraction, and the analysis of digital evidence from mobile devices.
As mobile phones become central to cybercrime and digital investigations, it’s essential to understand critical concepts such as IMEI, mobile data acquisition, app artifacts, and SIM card analysis. You’ll also find definitions of broader digital forensics terms like hash values, metadata, and chain of custody — all explained in a straightforward, accessible format. Whether you’re a mobile forensics specialist, law enforcement officer, cybersecurity professional, or student, this glossary offers up-to-date explanations to help you navigate the rapidly evolving field of mobile forensics.
Z-Wave
A wireless protocol used in IoT devices (e.g., smart home systems), analyzed in forensics to extract data or investigate breaches in connected environments.
Read full termZero-Day Exploit
An attack leveraging an unknown software vulnerability, investigated in forensics to identify its deployment, impact, or attribution before patches are available.
Read full termZettabyte (ZB)
A unit of digital storage equal to 10^21 bytes, referenced in forensics when dealing with massive datasets or projecting future data analysis challenges.
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Compressed archive files (.zip) using the ZIP format, examined in forensics to decompress and analyze contents, recover metadata, or detect hidden data within archives.
Read full termZombie Process
A terminated process still listed in a system’s process table, reviewed in forensics to detect anomalies or evidence of system manipulation on Unix-like OSes.
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