Mobile forensics is a specialized branch of digital forensics dedicated to the recovery and analysis of evidence from devices such as smartphones, tablets, and SIM cards. Unlike traditional computer forensics, this field must constantly adapt to unique challenges, including proprietary operating systems (like iOS and Android), rapidly evolving hardware, and sophisticated encryption. The process follows a strict methodology—comprising seizure, acquisition, analysis, and reporting—to ensure that any retrieved data, such as deleted messages, location history, or application logs, remains forensically sound and admissible in a court of law.  An examiner can use various mobile forensic tools depending on the objective of the examination and the type of mobile device involved. Experts use the Mobile Forensic Tool Leveling System to assess a tool's capability in data acquisition. 

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Computer forensics—also known as digital or cyber forensics—is a specialized branch of forensic science that focuses on the identification, preservation, recovery, and analysis of data stored on computers and other digital storage media. Unlike general data recovery, the primary goal of this field is to extract digital evidence in a way that is legally sound and admissible in a court of law. To achieve this, investigators use specialized tools to create a bit-for-bit "mirror image" of a device's hard drive, ensuring the original data remains unaltered while they search for deleted files, internet history, and hidden system logs. By maintaining a strict chain of custody and using validated scientific methods, professionals in this field can reconstruct digital activities to solve cybercrimes, corporate fraud, or even physical-world offenses like theft and assault. 

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DFIR collections (Digital Forensics and Incident Response collections) are the strategic process of gathering digital artifacts and forensic evidence during or after a security breach to reconstruct an attack and inform containment efforts. This process prioritizes the acquisition of both volatile data—such as system memory (RAM) and active network connections that disappear if a machine is rebooted—and persistent data, including disk images, event logs, and file system artifacts. By following a forensically sound methodology, investigators ensure the integrity of the data remains intact, creating a documented chain of custody that allows the collected evidence to be used for root cause analysis, insurance claims, or legal proceedings. In modern environments, these collections have expanded to include cloud-native artifacts like API logs and ephemeral states.

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