What is the term for the process of extracting data from storage media without altering it?

The term for extracting data from storage media without altering it is known as static acquisition. This process involves creating a bit-by-bit copy of the digital evidence, such as hard drives or flash drives, ensuring that the original media remains unchanged. It is a critical step in forensic investigations as it preserves the integrity of the data, allowing forensic experts to analyze the duplicate or "image" without the risk of modifying the original evidence.

Static acquisition is essential because any alterations to the original data can lead to the loss of potential evidence or affect the validity of that evidence in court. This method typically involves using write-blockers to prevent any changes when the data is being copied, thus ensuring that the forensic process follows established protocols.

The other processes mentioned, such as volatile acquisition and dynamic acquisition, have different contexts. Volatile acquisition deals with capturing temporary data stored in RAM before it is lost, while dynamic acquisition refers to capturing data that is actively changing, such as live system data, which inherently risks altering the original state. Incremental acquisition typically refers to a method of collecting only the data that has changed since the last acquisition, which may not guarantee the unaltered state of all original data. Thus, these terms are not synonymous with the essential and meticulous nature