What is the purpose of using IIS logs in digital forensics?

Using IIS logs in digital forensics primarily serves the purpose of tracking user activities on web servers. IIS (Internet Information Services) logs contain a wealth of information about requests made to a web server, including details such as the IP addresses of clients accessing the site, timestamps of requests, requested URLs, HTTP status codes, and the types of browsers used.

This information can be critical in investigations, allowing forensic analysts to determine which users accessed specific resources, when those interactions occurred, and whether any malicious activities, such as unauthorized access or data breaches, took place. By reviewing these logs, forensic investigators can identify patterns of behavior, correlate events, and even identify potential suspects in cases of web-related incidents.

Other options, while pertinent to server and network management, do not specifically relate to the core functionalities of IIS logs in the context of digital forensics. For example, while capturing network traffic is important for understanding broader network activity, IIS logs are specifically focused on interactions with the web server. Similarly, analyzing system performance and managing server backups address operational aspects of web server management but do not involve the detailed activity tracking that IIS logs provide to support forensic investigations.