What is the goal of forensic science?

The fundamental goal of forensic science is the application of scientific principles to legal matters. Its primary purpose is to analyze physical or digital evidence from a crime scene or incident to objectively establish facts. This process involves identifying, collecting, preserving, and examining evidence to determine its significance and value in a legal context. The ultimate aim is to provide unbiased, scientifically-backed information that can support or refute claims in a court of law, thereby aiding the justice system.

B. Mitigating the effects of an information security breach is the primary goal of incident response, not forensic science, although forensics can be a component of that process.
C. Saving the goodwill of an organization is a public relations or business continuity objective, not the scientific goal of a forensic investigation, which must remain impartial.
D. Forensic science is a discipline that supports legal processes by providing evidence; its goal is not to manage or "deal with" the legal processes themselves.

1. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). (2006). Special Publication 800-86, Guide to Integrating Forensic Techniques into Incident Response. Section 2.1, "Digital Forensics," defines the discipline as "the application of science to the identification, collection, examination, and analysis of data while preserving the integrity of the information... for the ultimate purpose of developing evidence to be used in a court of law." This directly supports the goal of determining evidential value.

2. George Mason University. Course Syllabus for CFRS 660: Digital Forensics. The course description states its objective is to teach students to "apply forensic science techniques to the collection and analysis of digital evidence to support investigations of criminal or civil incidents." This highlights the focus on analyzing evidence for investigations.

3. Casey, E. (2011). Digital Evidence and Computer Crime: Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet (3rd ed.). Academic Press. Chapter 1, "Digital Evidence and the Field of Digital Forensics," defines the field's purpose as using scientifically derived methods for the "preservation, collection, validation, identification, analysis, interpretation, documentation and presentation of digital evidence derived from digital sources for the purpose of facilitating or furthering the reconstruction of events found to be criminal." This entire process is centered on establishing the evidential value of artifacts.