Digital Forensics 

Digital forensics, also known as cyber forensics, is used in criminal justice proceedings to procure digital evidence. This is evidence that can be used specifically in legal proceedings and can be used for an array of purposes such as identifying suspects or attackers, damages, gathering evidence on what events occurred, and can also be used to prevent further incidents (McAfee 2026). It is important because while digital forensics are used in a criminal justice manner, it is also a technique used in cybersecurity just with different methodology and purpose. It is important because it is used to investigate cybercrime, and determine what happened in the incident and who is the victim as well as who is the perpetrator. As well as, in a cybersecurity related manner it can be used to prevent future attacks, and can help to determine bad actors. This paper will cover applications of digital forensics in a criminal justice and cybersecurity related manner.

Social Science Principles 

Digital forensics would most closely relate to criminological theory which is a social science, however, it can be used to explain general cyber behavior, and in part understand cyber criminality. Social science theories such as the big five could be used to determine why someone chooses to participate in this form of criminality, such as psychodynamic traits in relation to cyberbullying or behavior theory in terms of where young hackers learn to hack. These apply to digital forensics as both of those things could be cybercrimes, and could be a part of larger cases with legal issues. Social science principles are integrated into cybersecurity because they create a foundation for best research practices, as well as some parts that could blend into actual practice, such as ethics. Using social science principles could help to develop training because social science is used to understand human behavior, by understanding human behavior and human interaction with technology 

Application of Key Concepts

The biggest concept that applies would have to be the big five, and in general personality traits. In the criminal justice, criminology, and psychology fields, behavior is extensively studied and is used to determine criminality. Oftentimes, crime is thought of as a product of psychological issues and specific, negative, personality traits. Victimization and offending relates to digital forensics because digital forensics are used to discover the perpetrators and victims of crimes, as well as find evidence of the crimes and further conceptualize what the incident may have entailed. Human factors are important as well because humans are the perpetrators as well as typically the victims of crime, and having a fundamental understanding of social sciences would make it easier to conceptualize crime and what each role means within the specific case. Professionals use this information to attempt to determine what caused the crime, as well as who is the victim.

Marginalization 

Cybersecurity affects marginalized people because those without access to cybersecurity training or information about phishing schemes or scams are more likely to fall for them. Programs like SHIELD look to bring access to cybersecurity education to elderly people in order to help bridge this gap and prevent elderly people from falling victim to these scams. Digital forensics is a field where professionals seek to help those who have been victimized, they help protect marginalized communities by investigating these crimes and protecting victims from further harm by bringing these people to justice. A specific area of note is CSAM cases, where investigators must investigate devices that have been seized and determine what has happened, who is involved, and process this evidence accordingly (Strickland, Kloess, Larkin 2023). 

Career Connection to Society 

Cybersecurity professionals relate to the stability of infrastructures because they act like security guards to the digital world, they defend systems and work to protect important infrastructure. In general, there is not enough policy regulating cyberbehavior, and regular legislation does not adequately cover all aspects of deviance in cyberspace (Usiagwu, 2025). This is especially with the constant evolution of not only technology but also broad advancements, like AI and the rise of AI based cyberattacks. The government’s structure and the timing it takes to release legislation does not align with the timing of cybersecurity incidents and technological advancements, it is always reactive and not proactive (Usiagwu, 2025). The implications to society are that cyberincidents continue to happen, crime continues to happen online. As technology continues to advance, there will continue to be cyberattacks especially considering that there is not a rigid enough structure to provide adequate deterrence. 

Journal Articles 

 Article 1; “digital forensics as key to solving crimes in the digital age”, this article is relevant to my paper because it is about digital forensics specifically and is inclusive about AI. It also recognizes the rapid advancement of technology. 

Article 2;” Barriers to and Facilitators of Older People’s Engagement With Web-Based Services: Qualitative Study of Adults Aged >75 Years”

This article was used to provide guidance on the theory that the elderly are targeted and education helps to avoid or lessen the damages 

Article 3; “An exploration of the personal experiences of digital forensics analysts who work with child sexual abuse material on a daily basis: “you cannot unsee the darker side of life””

This article contributes to the understanding of being a cyber analyst because it is fully about the job and its impact on these professionals. 

References 

Klasén, L., Fock, N., & Forchheimer, R. (2024). The invisible evidence: Digital Forensics as key to solving crimes in the Digital age. Forensic Science International, 362, 112133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2024.112133 

McAfee, J. P. (2026, January 29). McAfee Institute – Professional Law Enforcement & Intelligence Training. https://www.mcafeeinstitute.com/blog/cyber-forensics-unpacked-your-guide-to-digital-evidence 

Money, A., Hall, A., Harris, D., Eost-Telling, C., McDermott, J., & Todd, C. (2024). Barriers to and facilitators of older people’s engagement with web-based services: Qualitative study of adults aged >75 years. JMIR Aging, 7. https://doi.org/10.2196/46522 

Strickland, C., Kloess, J. A., & Larkin, M. (2023, June 2). An exploration of the personal experiences of digital forensics analysts who work with child sexual abuse material on a daily basis: “you cannot unsee the darker side of life.”Frontiers in psychology. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10292749/ 

Usiagwu, M. (2025, March 15). The intersection of public policy and cybersecurity: Building a framework for 2025 and beyond . tripwire. https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/intersection-public-policy-and-cybersecurity-building-framework-2025-and-beyond