ABSTRACT
As cloud computing continues to mature, providing organizations with an inexpensive means of deploying computing resources, it is driving a fundamental change in the ways technology is becoming a common layer of service-oriented architectures. Cloud computing presents a unique challenge to an organization's digital forensics capabilities because of the dynamic nature in which information exists and a shift to less control for organizations over physical infrastructure assets. This chapter outlines that challenges within cloud computing environments that cannot be solved solely based on technology, law, or organizational principles. The growth of cloud computing has heightened concerns of who has custody over data and where it is located. As a subset of network forensics, and ultimately of digital forensics, organizations must address these concerns head on by understanding and identifying how (and where) their digital forensic capabilities must adapt to support cloud-based service offerings.
