ACE Legal, Ethical & Reporting Standards 2

Question 1

Under the Federal Rules of Evidence (FRE) Rule 901, what must a forensic examiner establish before digital evidence is admissible?

Accepted Answer

Authentication that the evidence is what it purports to be

Answer

Chain of custody only

Answer

The evidence was collected by law enforcement

Answer

A court-approved hash algorithm was used

Question 2

A forensic examiner discovers child exploitation material during a civil litigation investigation. What is the correct course of action?

Accepted Answer

Stop examination and report to law enforcement per mandatory reporting obligations

Answer

Continue the civil investigation and note the finding in the final report

Answer

Immediately delete the material to protect the victim

Answer

Inform only the retaining attorney and await instructions

Question 3

Which doctrine allows a court to exclude evidence obtained through unlawful means, even if the evidence itself is valid?

Accepted Answer

Exclusionary Rule (Fruit of the Poisonous Tree)

Answer

Best Evidence Rule

Answer

Chain of Custody Doctrine

Answer

Work Product Privilege

Question 4

When writing a forensic report, an examiner should attribute findings to:

Accepted Answer

Objectively observed artifacts and data with supporting technical detail

Answer

Personal opinion based on years of experience

Answer

The suspect's known behavior patterns

Answer

Information provided by the retaining attorney

Question 5

The Stored Communications Act (18 U.S.C. § 2701) primarily governs:

Accepted Answer

Law enforcement access to emails and data stored by third-party service providers

Answer

Physical search of computing devices at the border

Answer

Chain of custody for cloud-based evidence

Answer

Encryption standards for forensic tools

Question 6

An examiner working for the defense discovers evidence that clearly inculpates the defendant. Ethically, the examiner should:

Accepted Answer

Include the finding in the report and let the attorney decide on disclosure strategy

Answer

Destroy or withhold the evidence to protect the client

Answer

Disclose the finding to the retaining defense attorney only

Answer

Immediately contact the prosecution directly

Question 7

Which type of legal hold notice is typically issued to preserve electronically stored information (ESI) in anticipation of litigation?

Accepted Answer

Litigation hold (preservation letter)

Answer

Search warrant

Answer

Subpoena duces tecum

Answer

Ex parte order