Development of a Self Assessment Application to Measure Digital Forensics Readiness in Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

The advancement of digital transformation in higher education institutions has increased the need for measurable digital forensics readiness, particularly in addressing the risks of data breaches, account misuse, cyberattacks, and the need for digital evidence preservation. This research aims to develop a self assessment application to measure digital forensics readiness in higher education institutions in a self-directed, structured, and indicator-based manner. The development method employs the System Development Life Cycle, which consists of six stages: requirement analysis, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The developed application features seven primary functional requirements: user login, indicator management, instrument completion, score calculation, readiness level classification, improvement recommendations, and results reporting. Additionally, the application meets five non-functional requirements: usability, reliability, security, maintainability, and portability. Testing results using black-box testing across seven test scenarios showed that all major features achieved a valid status. During the deployment phase, the application successfully generated a digital forensics readiness score of 3.2031 for the test institution HE1. These results demonstrate that the application is capable of performing the assessment process automatically, from instrument input, score calculation, maturity level determination, to the presentation of improvement recommendations. Thus, this self assessment application can be used as a self-evaluation tool to help universities map their digital forensic readiness levels, identify implementation gaps, and prioritize improvements in information security governance.