Cookies – The first thing that come to mind are those delicious, chocolate-filled snacks that you eat whenever possible. They are also the first thing to understanding the science of gathering and analyzing or gathering digital evidence, otherwise known as, ‘cyberforensics’.

     The Internet is a technological milestone of the 21st century. What had initially begun as an idea to link up various university networks, resulted into the vast and complex infrastructure of today. With Internet protocols, virtual private networks, remote access, scripts, and yes, cookies, it is no wonder that this system of sharing information could be exploited. It has changed how people shop and research information – and it has also brought forth a new way to commit crime

     The information age has evolved quite quickly over the past few years. PDAs and laptops have turned the Internet into a portable necessity. It has made the consumer remain more anonymous and has made it even more difficult into tracing ‘e-crime’. Almost every crime committed results in some collection of digital evidence.

     Like physical evidence, the gathering of digital evidence is a tedious and meticulous task. It must remain under a chain of custody and cared for exactly like physical evidence. Whether it be e-mails, or even a floppy diskette, all types of evidence do eventually end up in court to be validated, so digital evidence must retain a chain of custody in order for it to be used in a court of law. To prove a chain of custody, the following questions must be answered: