2025Industry Trends Survey
With the rise in digital devices involved in criminal investigations, digital forensics examiners are encountering an expanding set of challenges, including:
- Locked Devices: Nearly two-thirds of the devices they encounter are locked, limiting access to critical digital evidence.
- Encrypted Apps: 52% report encrypted apps complicate digital examinations by creating barriers to data extraction and analysis.
- Extraction Time: 39% feel the the time-consuming nature of extraction processes negatively impacts case turnaround times.
- Sharing Evidence: More than half report they still rely on hard drives (59%) and USB sticks (53%) to share digital evidence.
Cloud-based storage/sharing is the only practical path I see moving forward in DFIR within LE. The amount of data is just too large and traditional media is not a viable option to store/transfer.
The increasing volume and complexity of digital data are slowing down investigations. Investigators’ biggest challenges include:
- Spending an average of 69 hours per case reviewing multiple devices.
- Frequently searching public online data on persons of interest, with 71% doing so daily or multiple times a day.
- Time constraints that hinder thorough data analysis.
- Lacking proper investigative tools (8 in 10) for efficiently reviewing digital data.
Cellebrite has been a great tool for law enforcement.
Analysts dedicate substantial time to reviewing digital evidence, often requiring the cross-referencing of multiple datasets to identify patterns. Their challenges include:
- Conducting analysis on an average of 2 to 5 devices at a time.
- Spending an average of 79 hours per case reviewing these devices.
Speed has a huge impact on investigations and pathfinder is a tool that assist in achieving it.
Digital evidence is crucial for successful prosecution, but current data-sharing methods are hindering case closures. Approximately two-thirds of prosecutors express frustration over:
- Slow transfer speeds and security concerns with physical media.
- Dependence on portable hard drives, DVDs and USB sticks for sharing forensic data.
“I didn’t have the hours or the people to do what Pathfinder did. We wouldn’t have known things. This was so blatant, blatant and egregious. It really was, instead of doing just the smallest thing, they bought him a real deadly weapon.”
– Karen McDonald, Oakload County Prosecutor.
The increasing volume of evidence is putting significant strain on agencies, which are already dealing with limited budgets and outdated management tools.
- 58% of agency managers rate their digital data management strategy as mediocre or poor (unchanged since 2021).
- Agency management has seen a 76% growth in the role of digital data from devices over the past 3 years.
- More than a third are receptive to managing digital evidence in the cloud to improve investigations.
“Having that type of software and that technology that’s now out there has really made our investigations a lot easier, more effective and much more presentable to a prosecutor.”
– Capt. Kevin Urbanczyk of the Michigan City Police Department
Based on responses from over 2,100 digital forensic examiners, investigators, analysts, prosecutors and agency managers, the key insights we explore include:
- The critical role of digital evidence in modern investigations
- The growing influence of Artificial Intelligence and cloud computing in enhancing investigative outcomes
- How law enforcement agencies are embracing new solutions to transform digital investigations
Dig into the findings, see how your agency stacks up and learn how to get ahead of the trends.
