Keyword Indexing And Searching Tool (KIST): A Tool to Assist the Forensics Analysis of WhatsApp Chat

Syafiqah Hanisah Shahrol Nizam (Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia)
Nurul Hidayah Ab Rahman (Faculty of Computer Science and Information Technology, Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia)
Niken Dwi Wahyu Cahyani (School of Informatics Telkom University, Bandung, Indonesia)

IJoICT (International Journal on Information and Communication Technology)
Vol. 6 No. 1 (2020): June 2020

Digital forensics is a field that concerned with finding and presenting evidence sourced from digital devices, such as computers and mobile phones. Most of the forensic analysis software is proprietary, and eventually, specialized analysis software is developed in both the private and public sectors. This paper presents an alternative of forensic analysis tools for digital forensics, which specifically to analyze evidence through keyword indexing and searching. Keyword Indexing and Searching Tool (KIST) is proposed to analyze evidence of interest from WhatsApp chat text files using keyword searching techniques and based on incident types. The tool was developed by adopting the Prototyping model as its methodology. KIST includes modules such as add, edit, remove, display the indexed files, and to add WhatsApp chat text files. Subsequently, the tool is tested using functionality testing and user testing. Functionality testing shows all key functions are working as intended, while users testing indicates the majority of respondents are agree that the tool is able to index and search keyword and display forensic analysis results.