Which standard addresses practices related to acquisition of forensic artifacts and can be directly applied to a cloud environment?

The standard that addresses practices related to the acquisition of forensic artifacts and can be directly applied to a cloud environment is ISO/IEC 27050-1. This standard is specifically focused on information technology and provides guidelines for the management of electronic evidence, making it particularly relevant for forensic investigations in various environments, including cloud computing.

ISO/IEC 27050-1 outlines best practices for handling digital evidence and emphasizes the importance of maintaining the integrity and confidentiality of that evidence during forensic activities. It covers aspects such as the acquisition, analysis, and presentation of forensic data, making it suitable for cloud environments where data can be distributed across multiple locations and managed by various service providers. This ensures that organizations can handle forensic incidents effectively while adhering to compliance requirements.

In contrast, the other standards mentioned do not have a specific focus on the acquisition of forensic artifacts in a cloud context. For example, NIST SP 500-291 relates more to cloud computing reference architecture, ISO/IEC 27001 provides requirements for an information security management system (ISMS), and NIST SP 800-145 focuses on definitions and essential characteristics of cloud computing, rather than forensic procedures. Hence, ISO/IEC 27050-1 is the most relevant and applicable standard for the