Article: Efficient digital forensics in the IoT environment: a hybrid framework using deep-federated learning Journal: International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics (IJESDF) 2026 Vol.18 No.7 pp.1 - 33 Abstract: In an era of interconnected devices, robust cybersecurity is essential. This research presents a deep learning-based forensics framework for investigating and identifying cyber-attacks in IoT ecosystems. At its core, a hybrid CNN-LSTM model, enhanced by particle swarm optimisation (PSO), dynamically optimises parameters for peak performance. Integrating federated learning (FL), the framework ensures effective generalisation across diverse IoT datasets while preserving data privacy. This lightweight yet highly accurate solution outperforms existing models in accuracy and efficiency. The proposed framework achieves 97.66% accuracy and improves time efficiency by 76.82%, detecting various cyber-attacks across IoT applications such as vehicle networks, smart homes, and smart cities. This advancement strengthens IoT security and provides an efficient method for tracing malicious activities. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: Efficient digital forensics in the IoT environment: a hybrid framework using deep-federated learning

Authors: Waad Almadud; Asma Abdulghani Al-Shargabi

Addresses: Department of Information Technology, College of Computer, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia ' Department of Information Technology, College of Computer, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: In an era of interconnected devices, robust cybersecurity is essential. This research presents a deep learning-based forensics framework for investigating and identifying cyber-attacks in IoT ecosystems. At its core, a hybrid CNN-LSTM model, enhanced by particle swarm optimisation (PSO), dynamically optimises parameters for peak performance. Integrating federated learning (FL), the framework ensures effective generalisation across diverse IoT datasets while preserving data privacy. This lightweight yet highly accurate solution outperforms existing models in accuracy and efficiency. The proposed framework achieves 97.66% accuracy and improves time efficiency by 76.82%, detecting various cyber-attacks across IoT applications such as vehicle networks, smart homes, and smart cities. This advancement strengthens IoT security and provides an efficient method for tracing malicious activities.

Keywords: digital forensics; internet of things; IoT; attack detection; deep learning; federated learning; particle swarm optimisation; PSO; optimisation; efficient algorithm.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESDF.2026.150991

International Journal of Electronic Security and Digital Forensics, 2026 Vol.18 No.7, pp.1 - 33

Received: 21 Nov 2024
Accepted: 24 Feb 2025
Published online: 07 Jan 2026 *

Title: Efficient digital forensics in the IoT environment: a hybrid framework using deep-federated learning

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