Proximity, Fuzzy & Stem Search – Advance Search Methods In Digital Forensics

Approved By Anuraag Singh

Published On November 9th, 2022

Reading Time 4 Minutes Reading

Category Forensics

No doubt, it is a tedious process to find hidden evidence within the emails. In order to implement forensic search methods, the manual search mechanism takes a lot of time and effort to find potential evidence.

Therefore, MailXaminer Email Examiner Software comes into picture. It is one of the most advanced and powerful forensics software which is used to search case-relevant keywords and find the hidden evidence using forensic search methods. Moreover, the latest version of this software consists of numerous advance searching options which helps in systematic evidence collection and data analysis. So, let’s discuss the advanced searching techniques in detail along with its working.

Proximity Systematic Search Process in Digital Forensics

Proximity Search: It is a searching mechanism that helps a user to find two or more words that are separated by a specific distance. Users have to input the suspected words in the Search box and enter the distance between the searched words under the Distance field. After which, it will scan all the files and display the result for the same.

For Example:

If you want to search “final” and “Packing” which are separated in 5 words of the distance in the file. You can search as:

“final packing” 1

The result will be like: I hope that, when I’ve built up my savings, I’ll be able to travel to London and will do final packing.

How to Perform the Proximity Forensic Search Method Using This Software?

Select the Proximity Search Option: At first, you need to choose the Proximity Search option from the Search section.

Enter search words: During the forensic email search process, input the combination of words in the search box of the Proximity tab. Also, specify the number of words in the Distance field to perform the Proximity systematic search methodology.
Software will show all the emails that satisfy the search query.

Preview the Emails: Users can preview any email from the search result just by clicking on it.

What is Stem Forensic Search Method in Digital Forensics?

Stem Searches: Stem search is another advanced searching techniques that searches the words with the help of root word. This feature will help to find all the possible variants of search terms based on root words in this systematic search methodology.

For Example: If the user searches the word comes from “road” then, it will show all resultant files having possible variants based on the root word “road”, “roadway”, “roadside”, “roadmap”, etc.

How to Perform the Stem Forensic Search Method?

Select the Stem Search Option: To perform the systematic search process, select the Stem Search option from the Search Section.

Enter the Suspected Root Word: Input the root word under the search field and press enter. It will show all the emails according to the stem search algorithm.

Preview the Result: Users can preview all the emails in the search result. One can Preview and thoroughly analyze the emails to find the evidence.

Fuzzy Search – Systematic Forensic Search Method in Digital Forensics

Fuzzy Search: Fuzzy search is one of the forensic search methods used for systematic searching that helps to find the evidence in the emails. Along with that, it also helps the user to do premise search. It is a common search that helps to find the data without considering the spelling mistakes. This search method will provide the correct word in the result, even if the user searched with the wrong spelling.

For Example: If a users search words in the wrong way like “commniation” it will automatically detect and show results with “communication”.

How to Perform Fuzzy Systematic Search?

Select the Fuzzy Search Option: Select the Stem Search option from the Search Section.

Input the Misspelled Word: In forensic email search, mention the word in the search field and it will show all the corresponding emails related to that word.

Preview Fuzzy Search Result: The software will display all the emails related to the search query. From which, users can efficiently preview and analyze the emails to find the evidence.

The Closing Words

Forensic search methods are being used to improve the speed in finding the desired emails.. This is done to ease the process of finding evidence. Therefore, we have discussed how to easily search the desired email data with the powerful search mechanism of the tool. It includes Proximity Search, Stem Search and Fuzzy Search. This email forensic tool offers easy-to-use interface enabling non-technical users to easily implement the forensic email search. Besides this, it also helps to analyze large sets of email files and supports multiple file formats.

By Mohit

Mohit, a renowned digital and cyber forensics expert, specializes in extracting, analyzing, and preserving digital evidence. He helps organizations protect their sensitive data from cyber threats by uncovering hidden clues and providing actionable insights. Mohit's commitment to staying updated with the latest industry trends ensures he delivers valuable articles on safeguarding organizations from emerging cyber risks.

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