Build a Digital Forensics Toolkit for Data Recovery

In cybersecurity and legal investigations, the ability to recover deleted files and analyze storage devices is critical. A toolkit that performs raw disk analysis and file carving helps uncover hidden evidence and supports breach forensics or criminal probes.

This toolkit reads raw disk images, scans for deleted or hidden files, reconstructs fragmented data, and extracts relevant metadata like timestamps, user actions, and file signatures. It also generates tamper-proof forensic reports for evidence presentation.

Users provide a disk image or device path. The toolkit parses file system structures (FAT, NTFS, EXT), scans for deleted entries and slack space, and carves recoverable files based on known headers/footers. All recovered data is stored securely with metadata and optional hash validation.

• Mount or read disk image using read-only mode to ensure data integrity.
• Scan for deleted file entries and file carving opportunities using signatures.
• Recover files, rename them based on content, and hash results (MD5/SHA-256).
• Extract timeline metadata for forensic reconstruction.
• Export a forensic report with integrity checks and chain-of-custody records.

• The Sleuth Kit & Autopsy
• pytsk3 Documentation (TSK Python Bindings)
• DFVFS – Digital Forensics Virtual File System
• Forensic File Carving Guide
• Volatility Framework (Memory Forensics)