In recent years, there has been rapid growth in the take up of cloud services, from simple personal use of cloud storage to significant cloud service uptake by large organizations. Like everyone else, criminals also recognize the potential benefits of cloud computing. If used for illegal activities, cloud computing introduces complications for subsequent investigations by law enforcement. How, for example, do law enforcement agencies gather and preserve evidence that may be spread across data centers in other countries outside of their jurisdiction? The authors discuss the challenges that the use of cloud computing presents for investigators, and propose a framework to support forensic investigations that involve cloud storage.

Chapter 1 gives a brief introduction to cloud computing and explains the complications that cloud use by criminals present for law enforcement. In chapter 2, the authors outline their proposed framework for dealing with these issues. A framework of processes is described for identifying, collecting, and preserving evidence from cloud storage in a manner suitable for use in forensic investigations.

Chapters 3 through 6 present four case studies that use this proposed framework to examine each of four cloud storage services in detail. Microsoft SkyDrive, Dropbox, Google Drive, and ownCloud (an open-source cloud offering) all go under the microscope. Each of these chapters details the remnants that are left on computers to indicate that cloud components have been used, helps to identify which cloud services have been involved, and details the steps that can be taken to preserve and secure evidence in a timely fashion.

The processes that can be employed to identify, collect, and preserve data located on cloud storage are discussed in more detail in chapter 7. Techniques for the analysis of cloud-based data are also briefly discussed, covering topics such as the interpretation of dates and times associated with data fragments, files, and logs. Chapter 8 provides a brief summary of the authors’ work and future research goals.

Each chapter concludes with a summary and list of references. There is a detailed table of contents, a glossary of technical terms, and a thorough index. Those pressed for time could simply read chapters 1 and 8 to gain an overall understanding of the issues. There are several other books that deal with cloud forensics, but in this case, the authors focus on cloud storage. They propose practical processes for gathering evidence from cloud storage and validate their framework by employing it in several case studies. This is a good, concise work on a subject of growing importance.

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