Towards an Ontological Digital Forensic Investigation Framework for Autonomous Vehicles

The growing presence of autonomous vehicles (AVs) on our roads has been applauded by many people, including those in the transportation, military, and logistics industries. However, an equally growing concern about AVs is that they raise new cybersecurity challenges, including the need for a robust digital forensic investigation framework to investigate incidents or criminal activities involving AVs. Of more concern is that traditional digital forensic methods have been found wanting when investigating incidents involving AVs. This is primarily due to the complex interplay of sensors, software, and human interaction involved in AV operation. In this research, therefore, the authors review existing digital forensic investigation frameworks for AVs and then analyse their strengths, weaknesses, and suitability for addressing various AV forensic challenges. Additionally, we analyse the potential legal and ethical implications of digital forensic investigations in AV contexts. The authors aim to identify key AV forensic challenges and future directions through this research. As a new contribution, the authors propose high-level ontological digital forensic investigation framework components as a starting point towards a comprehensive framework and the basis for further exploration and future research. This includes the future implementation of the proposed components into a fully-fledged ontological framework that supports efficient and reliable digital forensic investigation processes for autonomous vehicles.