mlsanityData to 14 Oct 2026

Digital Forensics in the Age of Large Language Models

arXiv 2504.02963 ↗First posted 3 Apr 2025cs.CR cs.AIcited by 10

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Abstract (arXiv)

Digital forensics plays a pivotal role in modern investigative processes, utilizing specialized methods to systematically collect, analyze, and interpret digital evidence for judicial proceedings. However, traditional digital forensic techniques are primarily based on manual labor-intensive processes, which become increasingly insufficient with the rapid growth and complexity of digital data. To this end, Large Language Models (LLMs) have emerged as powerful tools capable of automating and enhancing various digital forensic tasks, significantly transforming the field. Despite the strides made, general practitioners and forensic experts often lack a comprehensive understanding of the capabilities, principles, and limitations of LLM, which limits the full potential of LLM in forensic applications. To fill this gap, this paper aims to provide an accessible and systematic overview of how LLM has revolutionized the digital forensics approach. Specifically, it takes a look at the basic concepts of digital forensics, as well as the evolution of LLM, and emphasizes the superior capabilities of LLM. To connect theory and practice, relevant examples and real-world scenarios are discussed. We also critically analyze the current limitations of applying LLMs to digital forensics, including issues related to illusion, interpretability, bias, and ethical considerations. In addition, this paper outlines the prospects for future research, highlighting the need for effective use of LLMs for transparency, accountability, and robust standardization in the forensic process.

Key facts. Cited by 10 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026). Builds on 31 of its 114 references that are in the map. First posted on arXiv 3 Apr 2025.

Builds on

31 of 114 references.

References · 31

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  4. 2023A Comprehensive Overview of Large Language Modelscited by 648
  5. 2023Harnessing the Power of LLMs in Practice: A Survey on ChatGPT and Beyondcited by 411
  6. 2023A Survey on Large Language Model (LLM) Security and Privacy: The Good, the Bad, and the Uglycited by 387
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19 more
  1. 2020Disentangled Dynamic Graph Deep Generationcited by 27
  2. 2022Longitudinal Fairness with Censorshipcited by 22
  3. 2024Generative AI in Cybersecurity: A Comprehensive Review of LLM Applications and Vulnerabilitiescited by 21
  4. 2022Fairness Amidst Non-IID Graph Data: A Literature Reviewcited by 20
  5. 2024A Survey of AI-generated Text Forensic Systems: Detection, Attribution, and Characterizationcited by 19
  6. 2023Rethinking Learning Rate Tuning in the Era of Large Language Modelscited by 16
  7. 2025LLM-based event log analysis techniques: A surveycited by 16
  8. 2023Fair Decision-making Under Uncertaintycited by 15
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  15. 2023Individual Fairness under Uncertaintycited by 11
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  17. 2024Exploring the Potential of Large Language Models for Improving Digital Forensic Investigation Efficiencycited by 7
  18. 2024Fairness in Large Language Models in Three Hourscited by 7
  19. 2016Current Challenges and Future Research Areas for Digital Forensic Investigationcited by 1

Built on by

Cited by year (2026 to 14 Oct)

Citing papers per year: 2025: 9; 2026: 1.

10 papers.

  1. 2025SoK: Trust-Authorization Mismatch in LLM Agent Interactionscited by 11
  2. 2025Generative AI in Depth: A Survey of Recent Advances, Model Variants, and Real-World Applicationscited by 5
  3. 2025DFIR-Metric: A Benchmark Dataset for Evaluating Large Language Models in Digital Forensics and Incident Responsecited by 4
  4. 2025AMCR: A Framework for Assessing and Mitigating Copyright Risks in Generative Modelscited by 3
  5. 2025Towards Transparent AI: A Survey on Explainable Language Modelscited by 3
  6. 2025Fairness-Aware Graph Representation Learning with Limited Demographic Informationcited by 1
  7. 2025INSIGHT: An Interpretable Neural Vision-Language Framework for Reasoning of Generative Artifactscited by 1
  8. 2025Generation of Programmatic Rules for Document Forgery Detection Using Large Language Modelscited by 1
  9. 2025ForensicsData: A Digital Forensics Dataset for Large Language Modelscited by 0
  10. 2026Structural Inference in Undocumented Mobile Databases: A Reproducible Benchmark for Evaluating Agentic Reasoning in Digital Forensicscited by 0