Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Memory Foreshadow: Memory Forensics Of Hardware Cryptocurrency Wallets – A Tool And Visualization Framework, Tyler Thomas, Mathew Piscitelli, Ilya Shavrov, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

We present Memory FORESHADOW: Memory FOREnSics of HArDware cryptOcurrency Wallets. To the best of our knowledge, this is the primary account of cryptocurrency hardware wallet client memory forensics. Our exploratory analysis revealed forensically relevant data in memory including transaction history, extended public keys, passphrases, and unique device identifiers. Data extracted with FORESHADOW can be used to associate a hardware wallet with a computer and allow an observer to deanonymize all past and future transactions due to hierarchical deterministic wallet address derivation. Additionally, our novel visualization framework enabled us to measure both the persistence and integrity of artifacts produced by the …

Exploring The Learning Efficacy Of Digital Forensics Concepts And Bagging & Tagging Of Digital Devices In Immersive Virtual Reality, Courtney Hassenfeldt, Jillian Jacques, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

This work presents the first account of evaluating learning inside a VR experience created to teach Digital Forensics (DF) concepts, and a hands-on laboratory exercise in Bagging & Tagging a crime scene with digital devices. First, we designed and developed an immersive VR experience which included a lecture and a lab. Next, we tested it with (n = 57) participants in a controlled experiment where they were randomly assigned to a VR group or a physical group. Both groups were subjected to the same lecture and lab, but one was in VR and the other was in the real world. …

Impact Of Denial Of Sexual Offenses On Sentencing And Treatment Strategies, Jenna Luallen

Honors Theses

The prevalence of sexual offenses calls for a reevaluation of how the system treats offenders and addresses indicators of risk. How an individual convicted of a sexual offense accepts or denies the assault can weigh heavily on the sanctions imposed upon them, and how the system processes the offender. Acceptance of guilt is an important goal in offender treatment programs, and denial is reportedly used as an indicator of high risk of recidivism. Deeper examination into how individuals who deny their offense are understood and processed throughout treatment aids in the identification of best practices for working with sex offender …

Delinquency In The Caribbean: Stakeholder Perceptions Of Root Causes, Laura Nolterieke

Honors Theses

There is a gap in the research on juvenile delinquency within the Caribbean context. As countries such as St. Lucia, Guyana, St. Kitts, and Nevis have growing delinquency and crime rates, there is a need to bridge this gap in the literature. This research sought to examine the main causes of juvenile delinquency within St. Lucia, Guyana, St. Kitts, and Nevis, as described by juvenile justice stakeholders, such as probation officers, prosecutors, and judges, within their respective countries. Through the use of grounded theory, the data were coded and analyzed using a constant comparison method. From these data, six themes …

Investigating The Efficacy Of Dna Damage With Bleach In Forensic Laboratories And At Crime Scenes, Alyssa Tuccinardi

Honors Theses

Household/commercial bleach (6% NaOCl, sodium hypochlorite) degrades DNA through oxidative damage, production of chlorinated base products, and cleavage of DNA strands (breaking it into smaller and smaller fragments). The presence of these lesions significantly impacts the ability to generate a full genetic profile from an evidentiary sample. In fact, knowledge of the damaging effect of bleach on DNA is the basis for its use in forensic laboratories to clean workbenches and prevent cross-contamination of samples between cases. Additionally, bleach is used intentionally by criminals to clean up crime scenes and destroy DNA evidence. A previous study demonstrated that bleach has …

Photofading Of Black Dyes In Cotton And Polyester Fibers Resulting From Environmental Exposure To Sunlight, Maggie E. Mahaney

Honors Theses

Color is one of the most important properties analyzed during forensic fiber examinations due to its discriminatory power. Differing colors in fibers are usually sufficient grounds for exclusion, but in cases where a lengthy period has passed between crime commission and evidence recovery, the high probability of environmental degradation having altered the questioned fibers’ properties could lead to false exclusions. Photofading, the loss of color resulting from exposure to light, is a common form of degradation observed in fibers. Although well-known in the dyeing industry, it is not typically factored into forensic fiber examinations. Published photofading research has been limited …

Small Island Taphonomy In Western Australia, Courtney J. Newberry

Honors Theses

Forensic death investigations rely on postmortem interval estimations to establish a timeline surrounding a decedent’s death. Several methods are used, often together, to make such estimations. One of the main methods is the evaluation of the stage of decomposition; although decomposition follows the same general steps, the length of the process can vary by location and environmental factors. Animal scavenging can also impact decomposition by consuming flesh and impacting insect activity on the remains.

This study investigates the scavenging guilds and rate of decomposition of pig (Sus scrofa) legs on Rottnest Island, Australia. Three sites with unique environments were selected …

Investigating The Potential And Pitfalls Of Ev-Encapsulated Micrornas As Circulating Biomarkers Of Breast Cancer, Brian M. Moloney, Katie E. Gilligan, Doireann P. Joyce, Clodagh P. O'Neill, Killian P. O'Brien, Sonja Khan, Claire L. Glynn, Ronan M. Waldron, Ciarán M. Maguire, Emma Holian, Erin Naughton, Mohamed Elhadi, Andrea B. Grealish, Carmel Malone, Emma Mcdermott, Peter Dockery, Thomas Ritter, Adriele Prina-Mello, Michael J. Kerin, Róisín M. Dwyer

Forensic Science Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) shuttle microRNA (miRNA) throughout the circulation and are believed to represent a fingerprint of the releasing cell. We isolated and characterized serum EVs of breast tumour-bearing animals, breast cancer (BC) patients, and healthy controls. EVs were characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), protein quantification, western blotting, and nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA). Absolute quantitative (AQ)-PCR was employed to analyse EV-miR-451a expression. Isolated EVs had the appropriate morphology and size. Patient sera contained significantly more EVs than did healthy controls. In tumour-bearing animals, a correlation between serum EV number and tumour burden was observed. There was no significant relationship …

Potential Applications Of Microrna Profiling To Forensic Investigations, Claire L. Glynn

Forensic Science Publications

Within the forensic science community, there is a continued push to develop novel tools to aid in criminal investigations. microRNA (miRNA) analysis has been the focus of many researcher’s attention in the biomedical field since its discovery in 1993; however, the forensic application of miRNA analysis has only been suggested within the last 10 years and has been gaining considerable traction recently. The primary focus of the forensic application of miRNA analysis has been on body fluid identification to provide confirmatory universal analysis of unknown biological stains obtained from crime scenes or evidence items. There are, however, other forensic applications …