Student Ahmed Abu Aisha, a researcher in the Master's Program in Cyber-Criminology and Digital Evidence Analysis, defended his thesis entitled: "Digital Forensic Analysis Framework for Early Detection and Response to Insider Information Security Incidents in the Financial Sectors Environment."

This thesis presents a framework for the digital investigations used in the early detection and response to internal security threats and cyber security incidents that may arise in the institutions of global financial sector. Based on the grounded theory methodology as one of the most important tools of qualitative practical research and qualitative data collection, the proposed framework model was developed through reviewing the literature and comprehensive searches for a set of models for frameworks of digital investigations and response to security incidents and their improvement. Also, this study aimed at identifying the actual practices of digital investigations and responding to security incidents within the financial sectors spread globally through the use of evaluation questionnaires to collect information and ensure the introduction of appropriate improvements to the framework under development.

The proposed framework is based on five basic requirements (pillars), from which (14) sub-requirements (the assisting factors for the pillars) and (134) processes and sub-activities (mission lists) emerge. The framework has been validated by a group of experts, tested and found to be effective in early detection and response to insider threat activities and cyber security incidents within the financial sector. The objective and scientific contribution of the proposed framework was achieved by providing cyber-security specialists in financial institutions with a new framework to assist them during the investigation of internal cyber incidents in their institutions. In addition to closing the existing gap in the existing general digital investigation frameworks and designing a new framework for the banking sector.

The thesis was supervised by Dr. Majdi Owda and Dr. Amani Owda, and the examination committee included Dr. Hudhaifa Al-Ashqar and Dr. Muhammad Hossien.