Semester of Graduation

Summer 2026

Degree

Master of Science in Computer Science (MSCS)

Department

Computer Science and Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

Digital forensics is the process of collecting and contextualizing digital evidence from electronic devices and activity. The sources of this evidence include on-device artifacts from devices, such as cell phones, computers, thumb drives, and IoT systems, as well as logs from cloud and network-based devices. When investigating file system content, analysis may be hindered as data can be missing or damaged due to intentional or unintentional actions, such as missing metadata, physical damage, fragmentation, or deleted files. File carving is a technique that analyzes raw file content on disk, rather than file system metadata, to determine which files can be recovered. Carving faces accuracy challenges when files are fragmented, as the file must be pieced together in order, as well as efficiency challenges due to the sheer volume of modern storage mediums. Scalpel3 is a command-line interface (CLI) file carving tool that addresses performance challenges through multi-threading and an optimized toolchain. It also supports human-in-the-loop (HITL) operations, allowing an analyst to gain insight into and guide the file carving process. This thesis presents a scalable, modular architecture for a graphical user interface (GUI) component of the Scalpel3 tool with the goal of streamlining the file carving process by providing analysts with significant visual insight. It explores the requirements of an interface for Scalpel3, as well as the use-case considerations that contribute to its novelty. It then concludes with a discussion of the research and its usability within real-world digital forensic workflows.

Date

7-13-2026

Committee Chair

Richard, Golden

LSU Acknowledgement

1

LSU Accessibility Acknowledgment

1

Download

Available for download on Tuesday, July 13, 2027

Included in

Cybersecurity Commons

Share

COinS