Skip to main Communities My dashboard Log in Sign up Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology Published April 15, 2026 | Version v1 Journal article Open APPLICATION OF DIGITAL FORENSIC TECHNOLOGIES TO DETECT AND PRESERVE DIGITAL TRACES IN PRE-COURT INVESTIGATIONS Authors/Creators VIACHESLAV KULIUSH, OLEKSANDR SHEVCHENKO, VLADAS TUMALAVIČIUS, VALERII NIKITCHENKO, OLEKSANDR HRUZD Description The article presents the results of a comprehensive study of the application of digital forensic technologies for the detection and preservation of digital traces in pre-trial investigation. The cases of Ukraine, Lithuania, and Latvia were used in the study. The relevance of the study is determined by the growing need for the implementation of modern digital forensic technologies capable of ensuring reliable detection, fixation, and preservation of digital traces in pre-trial investigation. The aim of the study is to assess the effectiveness of forensic platforms (Autopsy, FTK, X-Ways, Magnet AXIOM), cryptographic algorithms SHA-256 and SHA-3, as well as blockchain solutions to maintain the continuity of the “chain of evidence” in three countries with different levels of digital maturity. The object of the study was forensic platforms (Autopsy, FTK, X-Ways, Magnet AXIOM), cryptographic algorithms SHA-256 and SHA-3, as well as blockchain solutions to maintain the continuity of the “chain of evidence”. The research employed the following methods: experimental testing of forensic tools on simulated datasets, performance assessment of hash algorithms and blockchain logs, and comparative analysis of practices in Ukraine, Lithuania, and Latvia. The results of the study revealed significant differences between countries. In Ukraine, certified forensic tools are used in only 35% of units, and the reliability of the “chain of evidence” does not exceed 0.72, which reduces the level of trust in digital evidence in more than 40% of criminal cases. In Lithuania, the level of certification reaches 85%, compliance with EU directives and GDPR ensures the stability of procedures at the level of 0.91, and the speed of digital data processing is 28% higher than in Ukraine. Latvia occupies an intermediate position: the level of certification is 65%, independent verification of digital evidence exceeds 75%, and the transparency of blockchain logs is estimated at 0.87 with an average transaction delay of 250 ms. The academic novelty of the study is the comprehensive technical and legal analysis of digital forensic technologies in three countries with different levels of maturity of digital infrastructure and the development of a model of optimal workflow for pre-trial investigation. Files 8Vol104No7.pdf Files (872.9 kB) Name Size Download all 8Vol104No7.pdf md5:400aeda3c7e012210b8f286003c852be 872.9 kB Preview Download 68 Views 50 Downloads Show more details All versions This version Views Total views 68 68 Downloads Total downloads 50 50 Data volume Total data volume 56.7 MB 56.7 MB More info on how stats are collected.... Versions External resources Indexed in OpenAIRE Communities Keywords and subjects Keywords Digital Forensics, Electronic Evidence, Blockchain, SHA-256, SHA-3, Forensic Platforms, Criminal Justice, Rule Of Law, Ukraine, Lithuania, Latvia Details DOI DOI Badge DOI 10.5281/zenodo.19593411 Markdown [](https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19593411) reStructuredText .. image:: https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19593411.svg :target: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19593411 HTML <a href="https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19593411"><img src="https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19593411.svg" alt="DOI"></a> Image URL https://zenodo.org/badge/DOI/10.5281/zenodo.19593411.svg Target URL https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19593411 Resource type Journal article Publisher Little Lion Scientific Published in Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, 104(7), ISSN: 1992-8645, 2026. Rights License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International The Creative Commons Attribution license allows re-distribution and re-use of a licensed work on the condition that the creator is appropriately credited. Read more Copyright Little Lion Scientific Citation Export Technical metadata Created April 15, 2026 Modified April 15, 2026 Jump up About About Policies Infrastructure Principles Projects Roadmap Contact Blog Blog Support Help FAQ Developers REST API OAI-PMH Contribute GitHub Donate Funded by Powered by CERN Data Centre & InvenioRDM Status Privacy policy Cookie policy Terms of Use This site uses cookies. Find out more on how we use cookies Accept all cookies Accept only essential cookies