Advanced forensic format: An open extensible format for disk imaging

Abstract

This paper describes the Advanced Forensic Format (AFF), which is designed as an alternative to current proprietary disk image formats. AFF offers two significant benefits. First, it is more flexible because it allows extensive metadata to be stored with images. Second, AFF images consume less disk space than images in other formats (e.g., En-Case images). This paper also describes the Advanced Disk Imager, a new program for acquiring disk images that compares favorably with existing alternatives.