Browsers are utilized in one form or another to browse the internet since
they have become an essential component of our online lives. Additionally, we may use
browsers to navigate the OS's file system in addition to using them for web browsing. It
has been noticed that by default, browsers save data including credit card numbers,
usernames, passwords, form data, emails, and other sensitive information. Additionally,
downloaded media including images, videos, executables, documents, etc. are present
in browsers. A user's browsing habits and interests can be inferred from their
bookmarks and browsing history. Thus, browsers keep a lot of private data about users
and their browsing patterns. Due to the type and volume of data they store with them,
they play a crucial role in forensics. Depending on the platform being used, there are a
variety of web browsers accessible, including Safari, Chrome, Firefox, IE, and Opera.
This chapter will teach us how to do forensics on various types of browsers. The
following are some of the numerous places an investigator could look for evidence
online like Bookmarks, Downloads, Cache, Cookies by surfing history, and many
more. This chapter also discusses browser exploitation and issues involved in forensic
investigation.
Keywords: Browser investigation, Browser exploitation, Computer forensics, Chromium vrowsers, Web browser forensics.