Evidence Intake Terminal

Chain of Custody

Two pieces of digital evidence were seized this morning. Before either item leaves your bench, you have to document it — completely, accurately, and in a form that will hold up if it's ever challenged in court. This lab is offline and self-graded: everything you need is on this page.

Objective 1: Identify device details

Objective 2: Build a custody log

Reference: NDG Lab 21 photos

00Briefing

You are the first responder logging two items of digital evidence into custody: a 3.5" hard drive and a cell phone. Each item has been photographed with its identifying markings circled. Use those photos — not outside research — to complete every field below. Read each label carefully; forensic intake forms are graded on precision, not guesswork.

01
Learn what details matter. Manufacturer, model, and — most importantly — the unique serial number or IMEI are what let an examiner (or a courtroom) tie an exhibit back to this exact device.
02
Build the log. A chain-of-custody entry isn't just "what is it" — it's who collected it, when, where, and where it's being stored, so every future handoff can be traced.

⚠ Before you start: Enter your name below — it's used to auto-fill "Collected By" and appears on your completion record at the end.

Investigator (Your Name) *

01Evidence Item 001 — Hard Drive

5 PTS

Hitachi Deskstar 3.5-inch hard drive, labels circled 1 through 5

TAG #001 Numbered callouts on the label correspond to the fields below.

① Make / Manufacturer *

② Manufacture Date *as printed, e.g. Mon-YYYY

③ Capacity *

④ Model Number *

⑤ Serial Number (S/N) *the single best unique identifier for this drive

02Evidence Item 002 — Cell Phone

3 PTS

Samsung Galaxy S7 rear label, callouts 1 and 2

TAG #002 Callout ① = model number, ② = IMEI

① Model Number *

② IMEI *unique — transmitted to the carrier on every call/SMS

03Chain of Custody Log

17 PTS

Now build the actual custody record. Case-level details apply to both items; item-level details are logged separately for each. This is what would physically travel with the evidence bag.

Case Information 5 pts

Case Number *any reasonable format, e.g. 2026-DF-014

Date of Collection *

Location Collected *e.g. Suspect's residence, office desk

Collecting Agency / Organization *

Log Entry — Item 001 (Hard Drive) 6 pts

Evidence Tag # *

Identifying Number *carry over the serial number

Description *

Condition of Evidence *

Collected By *

Storage Location *e.g. Evidence Locker B, Shelf 3

Log Entry — Item 002 (Cell Phone) 6 pts

Evidence Tag # *

Identifying Number *carry over the IMEI

Description *

Condition of Evidence *

Collected By *

Storage Location *

✓Grading Report

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