Advancing Web Browser Forensics: Critical Evaluation of Emerging Tools and Techniques

As the use of web browsers continues to grow, the potential for cybercrime and web-related criminal activities also increases. Digital forensic investigators must understand how different browsers function and the critical areas to consider during web forensic analysis. Web forensics, a subfield of...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:SN computer science Vol. 6; no. 4; p. 355
Main Authors: Chand, Rishal Ravikesh, Sharma, Neeraj Anand, Kabir, Muhammad Ashad
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Singapore Springer Nature Singapore 05.04.2025
Springer Nature B.V
Subjects:
Browsing
Computer forensics
Computer Imaging
Computer Science
Computer Systems Organization and Communication Networks
Crime
Criminal investigations
Cybercrime
Data recovery
Data storage
Data Structures and Information Theory
Evidence
Forensic computing
Forensic sciences
Information Systems and Communication Service
Internet
JavaScript
Malware
Original Research
Pattern Recognition and Graphics
Privacy
Software Engineering/Programming and Operating Systems
User behavior
User interface
Vision
Web browsers
Forensics tool
Cybercrime
Browser artifacts
Digital forensics
Web browser
Browser forensics
ISSN:2661-8907, 2662-995X, 2661-8907
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:As the use of web browsers continues to grow, the potential for cybercrime and web-related criminal activities also increases. Digital forensic investigators must understand how different browsers function and the critical areas to consider during web forensic analysis. Web forensics, a subfield of digital forensics, involves collecting and analyzing browser artifacts, such as browser history, search keywords, and downloads, which serve as potential evidence. While existing research has provided valuable insights, many studies focus on individual browsing modes or limited forensic scenarios, leaving gaps in understanding the full scope of data retention and recovery across different modes and browsers. This paper addresses these gaps by defining four browsing scenarios and critically analyzing browser artifacts across normal, private, and portable modes using various forensic tools. We define four browsing scenarios to perform a comprehensive evaluation of popular browsers—Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Brave, Tor, and Microsoft Edge—by monitoring changes in key data storage areas such as cache files, cookies, browsing history, and local storage across different browsing modes. Overall, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of browser forensic analysis and identifies key areas for enhancing privacy protection and forensic methodologies.
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ISSN:2661-8907
2662-995X
2661-8907
DOI:10.1007/s42979-025-03921-6