Cyber Forensics In Law Enforcement

Computer forensics (which applies to personal computers, mobile phones, pagers, etc.) has been indispensable in cracking cases involving terrorism, sexual predation, and even murder . Unfortunately, though, more recently technology has become more secure, password-protected, and encrypted, which causes intense difficulty in the use of computer forensics in investigative work. There have been dozens of crimes committed where technology, if it were accessible, would have played a critical role in its solution. Yet due to the passwords on these phones, information that might be so crucial is unavailable to police. In particular, there was a murder committed in Baton Rouge in April 2015, where a pregnant woman named Brittney Mills was shot by—law enforcement cannot tell. They believe that it was someone she knew, but were incapable of getting many leads, and they were not able to access the young woman’s phone, though they strongly believe that Mills’s iPhone could hold the key to unlocking the mystery of her death. The victim’s mother shared that she knew Brittney had a diary on her phone, recording all the negative things that happened to her, and perhaps this would have held some clue to the woman’s killer. Alas, her phone had not been backed up to iCloud for a few days, and nobody knew Brittney’s phone’s password. The intelligence on the phone could not be recovered for

While suspects are getting smarter by using more technical and advance ways of committing their crimes. Law enforcement has tried to keep up and even get one step in front of the criminals by finding more advanced technology. This paper will show just some of the new technology that law enforcement has started using in helping capture criminals. It will also show some of the technology that has come out to track the criminals that have been caught in the past. As the criminals come out with new ways to commit crimes law enforcement must keep up with their tactics.

FUTURETech also are beneficial to the partnership of both private and public law enforcement agencies. Nowadays there are a lot of different technologies law enforcement officials use to help them solve crime and to share information. “Mobile technologies bring a new sense of immediacy and accuracy to intelligence gathering that can further empower officers. Sharing information interactively at the crime scene enables real-time analysis and investigation and, most importantly, captures suspect information while it is fresh in the minds of victims and witnesses. Once a suspect is identified, mobile devices can be used check photographic, voice or fingerprint biometric details, as well as confirming the suspect’s identity with the victims and witnesses” (n.d.,

There are a number of clear advantages of computers and the use of computer technology in investigations. Most police departments are now equipped with technologies allowing them to implement computer forensics investigations. Computer forensics help solve cases where hacking or other internet crimes like the distribution of child pornography have taken place. The FBI has specialized departments working with computer technology to track crimes as they are conducted on the Internet, and therefore in federal jurisdiction. Such technologies allow investigators to track through time in ways that many criminals may not have even thought possible. In addition, the use of advancements in computer technology has begun to empower law enforcement in criminal investigations in real life as well. Understanding of computer technology helps investigators gather more evidence from suspects' computers and internet usage. Here, the research suggests that "computer forensics is now used to solve crimes such as endangering the welfare of a child, sexual assault, embezzlement,

A proliferation in the amount of crimes and crime related data has lead to a demand in digital forensic investigation tools that helps the investigator to detect, analyze and investigate the criminal data stored on digital devices.

All crimes come in different forms. Computer-related crimes are no different (“Most common schemes: Identity crimes,” 2009). In some computer-based crimes, a computer is used to commit the crime, such as in copyright infringement and illegal file-sharing cases (Volonino, Anzaldua & Godwin, 2007, p. 67). To best investigate these crimes, an investigator must understand how to “preserve and authenticate” all electronic evidence that pertains to the case (Volonino, Anzaldua & Godwin, 2007, p. 67). This training manual will provide an overview of copyright infringement and illegal file-sharing crimes, as well as explain how to conduct a seizure and search of evidence. In addition, the manual addresses investigative concerns related to these cases.

There is a guideline proposed by the UK Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) that defines some rules for the handling of digital evidence [10]. The device must be kept separate from the network, and the investigation process should be properly planned. The functionality of the tool or software must be known also for having a secure wireless connection with device in order not to delete any information while running it [4]. A “dummyrun” approach can be used with same type of device under investigation. The device must be seized and analyzed by well-trained persons. In Subscriber Identity Module Analysis law enforcement collects the network and user data through various types of SIM. Integrated Circuit Card ID (ICCID, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), Mobile Country Code (MCC), Mobile Network Code (MNC), Mobile Station International Subscriber Directory Number (MSISDN) and Abbreviated Dialing Numbers (ADN) analysis is performed on SIM. Using forensics software and sophisticated tools which can retrieve data logically or directly from a mobile device can result in valuable evidence. The growing industry of mobile phones is creating a challenge for forensics investigators to be able to extract evidence at all even when using different tools. Forensics tools should be developed with advancement in technology.

Technological advancements, the increased prevalence of personal computing, and the exponential rise in electronic crime over the past few decades, has predicated the emergence of the cyber forensics field as experts seek to increase the effectiveness of administrative and criminal investigations. Though still in its infancy, the field purposes to apply the fundamental concepts and systematic methodologies utilized in traditional forensic investigations to the cyber realm. This is accomplished through the identification, preservation, examination, interpretation, and documentation of electronic media and digital evidence, conducted in a systematic fashion adhering to legislative rules of evidence, in order to provide an expert testimony for use in legal and/or administrative proceedings (EC-Council, 2010, p. 1-1). While specific investigative actions/processes will vary depending on the investigating entity, these core concepts remain consistent throughout the field, and provide a basis for all computer forensic activities.

Criminal justice today means having the opportunity to utilize robots, GPS systems, advanced cameras, and high-powered computer systems. These important technologies have improved investigation, surveillance, and analysis procedures as long as they are backed by the skill set and intelligence to properly use them. Law enforcement has a computer program for every job they need, from DNA testing to robotic cameras to automatic license plate recognition systems and those are just a few. As technology advances in the world, there are more electronics available to make criminal justice jobs more effective. One of the most important technological tools in the field today is the computer database. There are now

The dawn of the computer age brought with it new and exciting ways to improve our daily routines. Unfortunately, that also brought with it the dawn of a new technological criminal age that would vigorously pursue ways to exploit email, the internet, mobile devices, personal identifiable information (PII), and etc. Information technology experts have done their best to counter these threats; however, in some cases, the criminal triumphs, which may or may not lead to them being caught by an expert cyber forensics team. Cyber forensics teams must carefully consider their terms, limitations, protocols and procedures in collecting evidence. Computer related incidents or crimes increases daily and it is imperative that law experts understand how to obtain this information off of electronic devices.

Computer services are normally offered physically. Here the user of the computer can have access to the resources that the computer use. The resources includes network, storage and operating system. The term cloud computing refers to the offering of such services over the internet. Many companies offer cloud services and in turn charge for the service that they offer, while others don’t. Cyber-forensic investigations have been affected by cloud computing since the beginning of the cloud. Computer Forensics is based on the investigation of crimes or policy breaches that are done through the examination of electronics and computers and other storage devices. This paper seeks to access the impact of cloud computing and storage on

This thesis will review in detail the two rapidly growing areas of technology. That of Smart phone forensics and Cloud computing, with specific consideration given to Smart phone forensics procedures and methodologies. Android, Blackberry and iPhone are the three most popular mobile devices (Smart phones) in the mobile market, owned by consumers of all age groups, all over the world. Smart phones are no longer used just for making a phone call. They offer a myriad of features, such as: browsing the internet, checking emails, editing documents, GPS navigation, playing music, video conferencing, and much more. These features make Smart phones much more popular than other mobile phones. However, there are some constraints, such as weight, size, battery life and heat dissipation, which can greatly reduce the capacity of the mobile device for any applications. Nonetheless, with Cloud computing at the forefront of growing technologies, these constraints can be overcome by running and storing applications outside the mobile device.

Cybercrime is a common crime that is done by a person to take advantage of computers or technology devices by receiving another person’s personal information or committing acts of fraud or larceny. Cybercrime has expanded since the technology era and has advanced with several new devices that allows information to be stored or recorded by gathering evidence that is pertaining to a crime. There are many types of cybercrime and anybody can be a victim by providing information through financial transactions or being naïve. In order to conduct a criminal investigation, forensic computing is used to examine a variety of technology devices that are used or could be used has a mechanism for a criminal to get what they want.

Digital Forensics is a field of computer science that aids in determining what may or may not have occurred during some computer task. The bit-by-bit concept satisfies computer media, it does not apply to smartphones. Two experiments were designed using three devices; Android HTC Aria, Apple iPhone 3G, and Windows Mobile HTC TouchPro 6850. These experiments will compare and contrast the device by carrier, manufacturer, file size by category, file size by test, and folder size. These types of experiments will create a baseline for change in specific model smartphones depending on the specific user function performed. If such a baseline is determined, one may be able to prove that a set of tasks occurred given the current state of the device.

Computer access and information storage has drastically evolved with the increase of computer usage and internet access across a wide range of areas including homes, businesses, schools and government departments. These changes make requirements for more specific laws to regulate the use of computers and storage of data as well as new forensic techniques and tools to investigate such offences.