Digital Analysis, Retrieval, and Tracing Forensic Toolkit: A Digital Forensic Analysis Platform

Muhammad Usama Tayyab; Muhammad Adeel; Muhammad Ahmad Masood Ul Hassan; Iftikhar Rasheed

doi:10.67535/tsp.000001.016

paper016

Digital Analysis, Retrieval, and Tracing Forensic Toolkit: A Digital Forensic Analysis Platform — ICACNC 2025 | TechShield Publications

ICACNC 2025 · Conference Article

Digital Analysis, Retrieval, and Tracing Forensic Toolkit: A Digital Forensic Analysis Platform

Authors: Muhammad Usama Tayyab, Muhammad Adeel, Muhammad Ahmad Masood Ul Hassan, Iftikhar Rasheed

Abstract

The Digital Analysis, Retrieval, and Tracing Forensic Toolkit (DART) is an open-source digital forensic platform designed to streamline disk image analysis for investigators. Built with Python, DART integrates pytsk3 for file system navigation, libewf-python for E01/SMART image handling, and the VirusTotal API for malware detection, offering a cost-effective alternative to comprehensive forensic platforms like Autopsy and FTK Suite. It supports file carving, metadata extraction, registry analysis, and image verification, achieving 90% recovery of deleted files in 1–2 minutes and image verification in under 2 minutes. DART’s intuitive interface, built with PySide6, and accessibility make it ideal for academic, law enforcement, and small-scale forensic investigations, prioritizing simplicity where other tools can overwhelm novice investigators with feature density or commercial licensing costs.

Digital Forensics Forensic Toolkit File Carving Forensic Analysis Malware Detection

Cite This Paper

M. U. Tayyab, M. Adeel, M. A. M. Ul Hassan, and I. Rasheed, “Digital Analysis, Retrieval, and Tracing Forensic Toolkit: A Digital Forensic Analysis Platform,” Proc. Int. Conf. on AI, Cybersecurity, and Next-Gen Computing (ICACNC 2025), The Islamia University of Bahawalpur, Jun. 2025, doi: 10.67535/tsp.000001.016.