A Layered Digital Investigation Framework for Internet of Things (IoT) Forensics: A Smart Home Camera Case Study

Authors

  • Desylo Santicho Indonesia
  • Ahmad Luthfi Indonesia
  • Tito Yuwono Indonesia
Pages Icon

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63158/journalisi.v8i1.1468

Keywords:

IoT Forensics, Framework, Chain of Custody, Digital Evidence, Home Security Camera

Abstract

The rapid adoption of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in various sectors, such as smart homes, healthcare, and transportation, has provided significant efficiency. Nevertheless, many IoT devices are developed without a serious review of security standards, and forensic readiness consideration. As a result, these IoT devices are vulnerable to cyber-attacks that can potentially lead to malware attacks, and system manipulation. This study aims to propose and validate a digital forensic investigation framework in the IoT ecosystem. The framework layers designed in this study consist of the device layer, network layer, and cloud layer. Validation is carried out through a simulated crime scenario recorded by the Mi 360° smart home camera. Meanwhile, the analysis phase focuses on data source artifacts from the device layer, video metadata, technical attributes, and cryptographic integrity verification using hash values (MD5 and SHA-1) documented in the Chain of Custody (CoC) method. The experimental results of this study indicate that digital evidence artifacts sourced from across layers have reliable temporal and structural consistency in reconstructing the chronology of events. This framework successfully correlated artifacts across three layers to reconstruct a complete event timeline, demonstrating its practical validity in distributed IoT forensic investigation.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

[1] A. Salam, “Internet of Things for Sustainable Community Development: Introduction and Overview,” in Springer Nature, Springer, Cham, 2024, pp. 1–31. doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-62162-8_1.

[2] S. Mishra and A. K. Tyagi, “The Role of Machine Learning Techniques in Internet of Things-Based Cloud Applications,” in Springer Nature, Springer, Cham, 2022, pp. 105–135. doi: 10.1007/978-3-030-87059-1_4.

[3] A. Ullah, S. M. Anwar, J. Li, and L. Nadeem, “Smart cities: the role of Internet of Things and machine learning in realizing a data-centric smart environment,” Complex & Intelligent Systems, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 1607–1637, Feb. 2024, doi: 10.1007/s40747-023-01175-4.

[4] H. H. Alshammari, “The internet of things healthcare monitoring system based on MQTT protocol,” Alexandria Engineering Journal, vol. 69, pp. 275–287, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.aej.2023.01.065.

[5] U. Inayat, M. F. Zia, S. Mahmood, H. M. Khalid, and M. Benbouzid, “Learning-Based Methods for Cyber Attacks Detection in IoT Systems: A Survey on Methods, Analysis, and Future Prospects,” Electronics (Basel)., vol. 11, no. 9, p. 1502, May 2022, doi: 10.3390/electronics11091502.

[6] I. Coston, E. Plotnizky, and M. Nojoumian, “Comprehensive Study of IoT Vulnerabilities and Countermeasures,” Applied Sciences, vol. 15, no. 6, p. 3036, Mar. 2025, doi: 10.3390/app15063036.

[7] Y. R. Siwakoti, M. Bhurtel, D. B. Rawat, A. Oest, and R. C. Johnson, “Advances in IoT Security: Vulnerabilities, Enabled Criminal Services, Attacks, and Countermeasures,” IEEE Internet Things J., vol. 10, no. 13, pp. 11224–11239, Jul. 2023, doi: 10.1109/JIOT.2023.3252594.

[8] M. K. Kagita, N. Thilakarathne, T. R. Gadekallu, P. K. R. Maddikunta, and S. Singh, “A Review on Cyber Crimes on the Internet of Things,” in Springer Nature, Springer, Singapore, 2021, pp. 83–98. doi: 10.1007/978-981-16-6186-0_4.

[9] F. Neves, R. Souza, J. Sousa, M. Bonfim, and V. Garcia, “Data privacy in the Internet of Things based on anonymization: A review,” J. Comput. Secur., vol. 31, no. 3, pp. 261–291, May 2023, doi: 10.3233/JCS-210089.

[10] E. Rodríguez, B. Otero, and R. Canal, “A Survey of Machine and Deep Learning Methods for Privacy Protection in the Internet of Things,” Sensors, vol. 23, no. 3, p. 1252, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.3390/s23031252.

[11] M. A. Albreem, A. M. Sheikh, M. J. K. Bashir, and A. A. El-Saleh, “Towards green Internet of Things (IoT) for a sustainable future in Gulf Cooperation Council countries: current practices, challenges and future prospective,” Wireless Networks, vol. 29, no. 2, pp. 539–567, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11276-022-03133-3.

[12] N. J. Singh, N. Hoque, Kh. R. Singh, and D. K. Bhattacharyya, “Botnet‐based IoT network traffic analysis using deep learning,” SECURITY AND PRIVACY, vol. 7, no. 2, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.1002/spy2.355.

[13] A. O. Akinbi, “Digital forensics challenges and readiness for 6G Internet of Things (IoT) networks,” WIREs Forensic Science, vol. 5, no. 6, Nov. 2023, doi: 10.1002/wfs2.1496.

[14] M. Kim, Y. Shin, W. Jo, and T. Shon, “Digital forensic analysis of intelligent and smart IoT devices,” J. Supercomput., vol. 79, no. 1, pp. 973–997, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.1007/s11227-022-04639-5.

[15] V. R. Kebande and A. I. Awad, “Industrial Internet of Things Ecosystems Security and Digital Forensics: Achievements, Open Challenges, and Future Directions,” ACM Comput. Surv., vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 1–37, May 2024, doi: 10.1145/3635030.

[16] H. N. Fakhouri, M. A. AlSharaiah, A. k. Al hwaitat, M. Alkalaileh, and F. F. Dweikat, “Overview of Challenges Faced by Digital Forensic,” in 2024 2nd International Conference on Cyber Resilience (ICCR), IEEE, Feb. 2024, pp. 1–8. doi: 10.1109/ICCR61006.2024.10532850.

[17] A. Gerodimos, L. Maglaras, M. A. Ferrag, N. Ayres, and I. Kantzavelou, “IoT: Communication protocols and security threats,” Internet of Things and Cyber-Physical Systems, vol. 3, pp. 1–13, 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.iotcps.2022.12.003.

[18] C. Bayılmış, M. A. Ebleme, Ü. Çavuşoğlu, K. Küçük, and A. Sevin, “A survey on communication protocols and performance evaluations for Internet of Things,” Digital Communications and Networks, vol. 8, no. 6, pp. 1094–1104, Dec. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.dcan.2022.03.013.

[19] M. Mansour et al., “Internet of Things: A Comprehensive Overview on Protocols, Architectures, Technologies, Simulation Tools, and Future Directions,” Energies (Basel)., vol. 16, no. 8, p. 3465, Apr. 2023, doi: 10.3390/en16083465.

[20] A. A. Ahmed, K. Farhan, W. A. Jabbar, A. Al-Othmani, and A. G. Abdulrahman, “IoT Forensics: Current Perspectives and Future Directions,” Sensors, vol. 24, no. 16, p. 5210, Aug. 2024, doi: 10.3390/s24165210.

[21] G. Liang, J. Xin, Q. Wang, X. Ni, and X. Guo, “Research on IoT Forensics System Based on Blockchain Technology,” Security and Communication Networks, vol. 2022, pp. 1–14, Jun. 2022, doi: 10.1155/2022/4490757.

[22] M. Williams, I. Emeteveke, O. J. Adeyeye, and O. Emehin, “Enhancing Data Forensics through Edge Computing in IoT Environments,” International Journal of Research Publication and Reviews, vol. 5, no. 10, pp. 2970–2985, Oct. 2024, doi: 10.55248/gengpi.5.1024.2903.

[23] A. A. Maftei, A. Lavric, A. I. Petrariu, and V. Popa, “Massive Data Storage Solution for IoT Devices Using Blockchain Technologies,” Sensors, vol. 23, no. 3, p. 1570, Feb. 2023, doi: 10.3390/s23031570.

[24] A. Jahangeer, S. U. Bazai, S. Aslam, S. Marjan, M. Anas, and S. H. Hashemi, “A Review on the Security of IoT Networks: From Network Layer’s Perspective,” IEEE Access, vol. 11, pp. 71073–71087, 2023, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3246180.

[25] H. Mrabet, S. Belguith, A. Alhomoud, and A. Jemai, “A Survey of IoT Security Based on a Layered Architecture of Sensing and Data Analysis,” Sensors, vol. 20, no. 13, p. 3625, Jun. 2020, doi: 10.3390/s20133625.

[26] A. Raj and S. D. Shetty, “IoT Eco-system, Layered Architectures, Security and Advancing Technologies: A Comprehensive Survey,” Wirel. Pers. Commun., vol. 122, no. 2, pp. 1481–1517, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1007/s11277-021-08958-3.

[27] A. Cañete, M. Amor, and L. Fuentes, “Supporting IoT applications deployment on edge-based infrastructures using multi-layer feature models,” Journal of Systems and Software, vol. 183, p. 111086, Jan. 2022, doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2021.111086.

[28] M. Aldossary, “Multi-Layer Fog-Cloud Architecture for Optimizing the Placement of IoT Applications in Smart Cities,” Computers, Materials & Continua, vol. 75, no. 1, pp. 633–649, 2023, doi: 10.32604/cmc.2023.035414.

[29] A. Morchid, R. El Alami, A. A. Raezah, and Y. Sabbar, “Applications of internet of things (IoT) and sensors technology to increase food security and agricultural Sustainability: Benefits and challenges,” Ain Shams Engineering Journal, vol. 15, no. 3, p. 102509, Mar. 2024, doi: 10.1016/j.asej.2023.102509.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-03

Issue

Section

Articles

How to Cite

[1]
D. Santicho, A. Luthfi, and T. Yuwono, “A Layered Digital Investigation Framework for Internet of Things (IoT) Forensics: A Smart Home Camera Case Study”, journalisi, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 1075–1104, Mar. 2026, doi: 10.63158/journalisi.v8i1.1468.

Most read articles by the same author(s)