Digital Forensics

Digital forensics has always been known across technologists and law enforcement as the art of hacking into a computer and retrieving important information. Information that holds the key to important crimes and issues surrounding criminal activity. More importantly, digital forensics has the ability to make the non-believer surrounding a criminal case into a swift prosecutor ready to use his or her fullest extent of the law; regarding the sensitive data that comes out of that powerful piece of machinery as we know today as technology. Digital forensic scientists have begun to venture into the world of cloud computing and its familiar components. Components such as remote servers, web browsers, and web based media devices that are connected to the cloud.

For this reason, it is imperative that the information gathered is reliable and accurate to ensure the evidence collected can be utilized by the digital forensic investigator for the current case (Ingalls & Rodriguez, 2011). Additionally, cyber incidents require digital forensic investigators to interview various individuals regarding the information needed for the case. According to the National Institute of Justice (2004), interviewing the system administrator, users, and employees of an organization regarding a cyber incident would provide investigators with valuable information; for example, user accounts, email accounts, network configuration, logs, and passwords. Furthermore, for digital forensic investigators to conduct an effective interview, they must have the proper tools and training to employ the interview process. For instance, formal procedures or instructions should be developed and implemented to ensure that the investigator follows a standard during all investigations. Additionally, training should be provided to ensure that digital forensic investigators comprehend by what means to prepare, conduct, and evaluate an interview. Furthermore, resources should be made available for digital forensic investigators to accomplish their tasks; for example, recording devices and references. Also, definitions should be provided to the digital forensic investigators for

Digital crime has been on the increase due to the increasing use of computer and internet. This has led the investigators with another method of fighting this crime. This is Computer Forensics, a process of going into computer hard drive and capturing basic information the user believed it has been erased.

Data is crucial to the success of any company and they are now increasing their efforts in soliciting and retrieving customer data to learn more about their client's preferences, likes, and dislikes. This, among other factors has attributed to a growing field of data science where data scientists learn to collect crucial data. While there are many types of data, this paper will primarily focus on digital data and how digital scientists can retrieve these data to support provide information for the crown or for the defense. This area has received more attention because criminals such as terrorists have realized the effectiveness of using digital devices to aid in their criminal endeavors (Reith, Carr & Gunsch, 2002, p.2). To combat this, law enforcement agencies are now relying on digital scientists to preserve, collect, analysis and interpret "digital evidence derived from digital sources" (Vincze, 2016, p.184) to help prevent cybercrime and prosecute (or exonerate) suspects. The purpose of this paper is then to illustrate why digital forensic is crucial to addressing the new dangers presented in our society by analyzing the strengths and demonstrating why the weaknesses of the field

Although computer forensics is a relatively young field of crime investigation, it has become a useful area of knowledge. Organizations and companies are finding it necessary to recruit computer and network forensics investigators. These experts can detect and report various computer crimes. The reports of their findings can be used to provide useful evidence in court. This paper discusses various aspects of computer forensics. It is based on a scenario involving a computer, which is suspected to contain evidence on child pornography.

Having digital forensic capabilities is very important in this era we are in. At our company, we have an in house forensics team that consists of a senior forensic investigator, project manager, computer forensic examiner, legal counsel, IT specialist, and three lab assistants.

To ensure accuracy programs rely on mathematical cyclic redundancy check (CRC). By using the CRC validation processes compare the original source of data with the acquired data collected. If the data that had been collected has not been altered in any way then the hash values will be exactly the same. If there is even a slight difference the MD5 will be different when it is hashed again. Anyone can be custodian of the duplicate drive because an undetected alteration would be impossible. The MD5 is one-way which means the procedure cannot be reversed to reveal anything about the data collected except that is

Forensic science has assisted law enforcement agencies across the nation with solving crimes with well-known techniques to include but not limited to fingerprint analysis, DNA analysis, ballistic analysis, and any type of digital forensics. These types of forensic analysis have become very popular with jury’s during trial because of shows like CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Services, and Bones. What many jurors do not understand is what happens on television does not represent what actual crime scene investigators and forensic examiners do every day. Television shows like these show that forensic sciences are flawless.

Technology is used in this world by many people. They use it to perform research, communicate, teach, perform medical procedures, commit a crime, and so forth. Since it can be used for various reasons, it can be also be used against a person in a court of law as evidence in a case. As technology advances and more people use technology for their own purposes, cybercrime also increases in society.

Since the introduction of computer and technology, they have become the new weapon in committing crime, and to the burgeoning science of digital evidence, law enforcement now use computers to fight crime. Nevertheless, digital evidence is information stored, transmitted, and received in binary form that can potentially be relied on as evidence in court. Notwithstanding, digital evidence is commonly associated with crimes that involve such devices, such as a computer hard drives, external storage devices, mobile phones, among others, and are often referred to as e-crimes. However, to fight e-crime, law enforcement must collect relevant digital evidence for such crimes, law enforcement agencies are incorporating the collection and analysis of digital evidence, also referred to as computer forensics, into many of their infrastructures.

I suppose one thing that goes along with graduating high school is constantly being asked where you are going to college and what degree you are planning to get. Every time I answer this question with Forensic Chemistry, a few questions will inevitably follow it such as: “Wow so you must be one of those crazy/ smart people?” or “Okay, so you must watch those CSI shows?” Well too answer those questions, no, I would not consider myself to be the smartest person in my class and no, I have never seen CSI or NCIS and yes, obviously I know that those shows are not even close to an accurate portrayal. When people ask me why I chose Forensic Science I love to freak them out, so I always say that I took a Buzzfeed Quiz that said I should be one, for the record that is only partially a lie, because I do always get some kind of scientist when I take those “incredibly accurate” career quizzes. Honestly I think I only get that result every time is because whenever it gives me options about what my dream workspace would be, for some reason I always click on the picture with a microscope in the background.

I chose to write my critique over an article which explains how physicists can use their science to help figure out what really happened in certain forensic cases such as faulty products or murder trials. Within this article it is explained exactly how we can use science to distinguish what really happened such as whether or not something was a suicide or a murder, whether or not a car was actually speeding, or even just to double check a witness testimony. While some courts do not take seriously the testimonies of physicists it is important for the scientific community to acknowledge them and the different ways that they can use their trade.

The aim of this report is to investigate where and how anti-forensic tools work as well as looking at the challenges forensic investigators are faced when such tools are used. After anti-forensic tools are used certain artefacts will be left behind, this report will also cover the procedures and difficulties when trying to uncover these artefacts as well as the tools used to find them.

In a world where technology is increasingly becoming the way of life, it was only a matter of time before crime was no longer just in the streets but happening online as well. Criminals now get a new approach to carry out their crimes with the use of computers. Since technology is more like a murder mystery than catching the bad guy in the act, a new discipline of forensics needed to be put into place. This is known as computer forensics. Forensic science is any science used for the purpose of law. In the case of computer forensics it is “the discipline that combines elements of law and computer science to collect and analyze data from computer systems, networks, wireless communications, and storage devices in a way that is admissible as evidence in a court of law” (U.S. Cert, 2008). Meaning if you do something illegal on the Internet it can be found.

The purpose of anti-forensics is to intentionally make digital investigations and the examination of digital media more difficult through several means including data forgery, data hiding or data deletion. The techniques differ in what they do but the purpose is to make sure data is unrecoverable. (Lucia, 2013)