Role of metadata in cyber forensic and status of Indian cyber law

Reviews importance of metadata in computer forensic, examines how current types of information on common document file types can be useful for computer forensic experts to find guilty parties, and lists famous computer related crime cases that were solved using document metadata information. Defines metadata as “structured data which describes the characteristics of a resource.” Describes computer forensics as “the investigation of information contained within and created with computer systems and computing devices.” By examining the metadata of materials or files unsuitable for the public, a computer forensic researcher can trace the original owner or creator of the file. Within the realm of functional metadata, examines the risks for the user and advantages for the investigator, features of track changes and commenting, macros and fast saves, the Globally Unique Identifier number in Microsoft Office, and PDF documents. Reviews following metadata real life cases: the BTK Killer, Merck Report, Democratic National Committee, Weapons of Mass Destruction Report, and The Infamous Melissa Virus. Looks at metadata characteristics in Microsoft Office, OpenOffice.Org, and PDF. Also reviews Indian Cyber Law.