Expert Talk on “Forensic Investigation in Cyber World”
Event Date: 01 November 2025.
Event brief description
In an era where digital forensics has become vital to cybercrime investigation, an expert talk on “Forensic Investigation in Cyber World” was organized to provide participants with practical insights into modern forensic techniques and tools.
The session was conducted by Dr. Pankaj Sharma, Assistant Professor, National Forensic Sciences University (NFSU), Delhi. Dr. Sharma began by introducing the fundamentals of cyber forensics and its critical role in uncovering digital evidence from various devices and online platforms. He provided a detailed walkthrough of several open-source forensic tools, explaining how investigators can utilize them to extract, analyze, and interpret data effectively.
The session highlighted the use of Google Takeout for retrieving user activity data and demonstrated multiple real-world case studies, including investigations involving smart fridges, car audio systems, and IoT-based smart devices. These examples illustrated how everyday connected devices can serve as valuable sources of digital evidence in cybercrime cases. Dr. Sharma also discussed the challenges of handling digital evidence, emphasizing the importance of maintaining chain-of-custody, data integrity, and admissibility in court. Participants gained hands-on understanding of how modern tools and methodologies are applied to trace incidents, recover deleted files, and reconstruct digital activities.
Overall, the expert talk provided an engaging and insightful exploration of digital forensic investigation practices, combining theoretical knowledge with practical case-based learning. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of how forensic experts operate in the cyber world to detect, investigate, and prevent digital crimes.
Department Name – Department of Cyber Security/ SCSE, Galgotias University.
Event Outcome
Enhanced Understanding of Digital Forensics-Participants gained practical knowledge of digital forensic investigation workflows, including evidence acquisition, preservation, and analysis using open-source tools.
Hands-On Exposure to Forensic Tools-Dr. Pankaj Sharma demonstrated the use of widely adopted open-source utilities and Google Takeout for extracting and analyzing data from digital platforms, enabling participants to understand real-world investigation techniques.
Awareness of Emerging Cybercrime Scenarios-Through case studies such as smart-fridge and car-audio-system forensics, attendees learned how IoT and smart devices can serve as digital evidence sources in modern cybercrime investigations.
Bridging Theory and Practice-The talk effectively connected academic knowledge of cybersecurity with industry-level forensic applications, helping students visualize how theoretical principles are applied in real investigative cases.
Encouraged Research and Innovation-The session motivated participants to explore advanced areas like IoT forensics, network evidence analysis, and cloud-based forensic frameworks, fostering a research-oriented mindset among students.
Career Awareness and Professional Development-Students became aware of growing career opportunities in digital forensics, cyber-investigation, and incident response, with emphasis on the skills and certifications valued by law-enforcement and cybersecurity agencies.
Interactive and Engaging Session-An active Q&A session encouraged students to discuss practical challenges, ethical considerations, and emerging technologies in digital forensics, promoting analytical and communication skills.
Positive Feedback and Participation-With enthusiastic participation from over 70 attendees, the session received excellent feedback for its practical relevance, clarity, and demonstration-based learning approach.
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