When the Wipers Win: How Practitioner Training and Tool Diversity Predict Success Against Anti-Forensic Techniques

Travis Eygabroad

doi:10.71097/IJSAT.v16.i4.9223

When the Wipers Win: How Practitioner Training and Tool Diversity Predict Success Against Anti-Forensic Techniques

Author(s)	Dr. Travis Eygabroad
Country	United States
Abstract	Anti-forensic techniques such as data wiping, encryption, and log tampering increasingly thwart digital investigations. This Year 1 survey of 83 practitioners examines whether formal cybersecurity credentials or the number of forensic platforms used predict perceptions of tool effectiveness and real-world anti-forensic encounter rates. We grouped training into “Trained” (CEH, EnCase Certified Examiner, CompTIA Security+, etc.) versus “Untrained,” and effectiveness ratings into “Effective” versus “Ineffective,” then applied Fisher’s Exact and χ² tests. A Kruskal–Wallis H test (with Mann–Whitney U follow-up) assessed ordinal ratings, and a negative-binomial GLM modeled yearly anti-forensic impact counts by training, role, tool diversity, and experience. None of the credential or tool-diversity predictors reached significance across analyses (all p > .12), suggesting that operational context and workflow integration—not résumé variables—drive both tool satisfaction and exposure to hiding techniques. Free-text responses identify practitioner priorities (e.g., threat-intel feeds, cross-tool hash sharing) that will guide Year 2 open-source enhancements.
Keywords	anti-forensics; digital forensics; training effectiveness; survey; negative-binomial GLM; Kruskal–Wallis.
Field	Computer > Data / Information
Published In	Volume 16, Issue 4, October-December 2025
Published On	2025-11-06
DOI	https://doi.org/10.71097/IJSAT.v16.i4.9223
Short DOI	https://doi.org/g99qkt

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When the Wipers Win: How Practitioner Training and Tool Diversity Predict Success Against Anti-Forensic Techniques

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