SHA-256
Definition
A Secure Hash Algorithm 2 variant producing a 256-bit hash; the current recommended standard for forensic digital evidence integrity verification under SWGDE, FBI, and NPCC guidelines.
Related terms
- BSA 2023 § 63
- The electronic record admissibility provision (replacing IEA § 65B), requiring a certificate from a person in a responsible official position confirming the...
- Daubert Standard
- The US federal evidentiary standard (Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, 1993) requiring that expert testimony be based on scientifically valid methods with...
- DNG (Digital Negative)
- Adobe's open-standard RAW format providing a vendor-neutral archival container for camera sensor data; accepted as an archival format by SWGDE and several...
- EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format)
- A metadata standard embedded in JPEG and TIFF files by capture devices. EXIF fields record camera make and model, lens data, exposure...
- Image Enhancement
- Processing of a digital image to improve the visibility of features already present in the original data; permitted under SWGIT, FBI, and...
- JPEG Compression
- A lossy codec that divides an image into 8×8 pixel blocks, applies the discrete cosine transform, quantises the coefficients, and entropy-codes the...
- MD5
- A 128-bit hash algorithm widely used in legacy forensic systems; known collision vulnerabilities (Wang and Yu, 2004) mean SHA-256 or SHA-3 are...
- R V. Tobi (2019)
- UK Court of Appeal decision affirming that forensic image enhancement is permissible provided the original is preserved, the enhancement steps are documented,...
- RAW File Format
- The unprocessed output of a digital camera sensor, stored before demosaicing, white balance, or tonal curve application. Preserves full bit-depth and all...
- SWGDE
- Scientific Working Group for Digital Evidence. A US multi-agency body that publishes consensus best-practice documents for digital forensic disciplines, including image authentication,...
- Write-Once Media
- Optical or other media (DVD-R, BD-R) that physically prevents modification after initial recording; the preferred first-write medium for forensic digital images as...
Explained in
- Digital Imaging Evidence and Court AdmissibilityA Secure Hash Algorithm 2 variant producing a 256-bit hash; the current recommended standard for forensic digital evidence integrity verification under SWGDE,...