Forensic Science and Technology Commons^™

Developing A Process Model For The Forensic Extraction Of Information From Desktop Search, Timothy Pavlic, Jill Slay, Benjamin Turnbull

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Desktop search applications can contain cached copies of files that were deleted from the file system. Forensic investigators see this as a potential source of evidence, as documents deleted by suspects may still exist in the cache. Whilst there have been attempts at recovering data collected by desktop search applications, there is no methodology governing the process, nor discussion on the most appropriate means to do so. This article seeks to address this issue by developing a process model that can be applied when developing an information extraction application for desktop search applications, discussing preferred methods and the limitations of …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Guide To Computer Forensics And Investigations (3rd Ed.), Keyu Jiang, Ruifeng Xuan

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

An Evaluation Of Windows-Based Computer Forensics Application Software Running On A Macintosh, Gregory H. Carlton

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The two most common computer forensics applications perform exclusively on Microsoft Windows Operating Systems, yet contemporary computer forensics examinations frequently encounter one or more of the three most common operating system environments, namely Windows, OS-X, or some form of UNIX or Linux. Additionally, government and private computer forensics laboratories frequently encounter budget constraints that limit their access to computer hardware. Currently, Macintosh computer systems are marketed with the ability to accommodate these three common operating system environments, including Windows XP in native and virtual environments. We performed a series of experiments to measure the functionality and performance of the two …

Data Mining Techniques In Fraud Detection, Rekha Bhowmik

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The paper presents application of data mining techniques to fraud analysis. We present some classification and prediction data mining techniques which we consider important to handle fraud detection. There exist a number of data mining algorithms and we present statistics-based algorithm, decision treebased algorithm and rule-based algorithm. We present Bayesian classification model to detect fraud in automobile insurance. Naïve Bayesian visualization is selected to analyze and interpret the classifier predictions. We illustrate how ROC curves can be deployed for model assessment in order to provide a more intuitive analysis of the models.

Book Review: Challenges To Digital Forensic Evidence, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This issue presents the fifth Book Review column for the JDFSL. It is an experiment to broaden the services that the journal provides to readers, so we are anxious to get your reaction. Is the column useful and interesting? Should we include more than one review per issue? Should we also review products? Do you have suggested books/products for review and/or do you want to write a review? All of this type of feedback -- and more -- is appreciated. Please feel free to send comments to Gary Kessler ([email protected]) or Glenn S. Dardick ([email protected]).

Book Review: The Dotcrime Manifesto: How To Stop Internet Crime, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

The 2007 Analysis Of Information Remaining On Disks Offered For Sale On The Second Hand Market, Andy Jones, Craig Valli, Glenn S. Dardick, Iain Sutherland

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

All organisations, whether in the public or private sector, increasingly use computers and other devices that contain computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their business, their employees or their customers. Individual home users also increasingly use computers and other devices containing computer hard disks for the storage and processing of information relating to their private, personal affairs. It continues to be clear that the majority of organisations and individual home users still remain ignorant or misinformed of the volume and type of information that is stored on the hard disks that these devices contain …

To License Or Not To License: An Examination Of State Statutes Regarding Private Investigators And Digital Examiners, Thomas Lonardo, Doug White, Alan Rea

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In this paper the authors examine statutes that regulate, license, and enforce investigative functions in each US state. After identification and review of Private Investigator licensing requirements, the authors find that very few state statutes explicitly differentiate between Private Investigators and Digital Examiners. After contacting all state agencies the authors present a distinct grouping organizing state approaches to professional Digital Examiner licensing. The authors conclude that states must differentiate between Private Investigator and Digital Examiner licensing requirements and oversight.

The Forensics Aspects Of Event Data Recorders, Jeremy S. Daily, Nathan Singleton, Elizabeth Downing, Gavin W. Manes

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The proper generation and preservation of digital data from Event Data Recorders (EDRs) can provide invaluable evidence to automobile crash reconstruction investigations. However, data collected from the EDR can be difficult to use and authenticate, complicating the presentation of such information as evidence in legal proceedings. Indeed, current techniques for removing and preserving such data do not meet the court’s standards for electronic evidence. Experimentation with an EDR unit from a 2001 GMC Sierra pickup truck highlighted particular issues with repeatability of results. Fortunately, advances in the digital forensics field and memory technology can be applied to EDR analysis in …

Data Security Measures In The It Service Industry: A Balance Between Knowledge & Action, N. Mlitwa, Y. Kachala

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

That “knowledge is power” is fast becoming a cliché within the intelligentsia. Such power however, depends largely on how knowledge itself is exchanged and used, which says a lot about the tools of its transmission, exchange, and storage. Information and communication technology (ICT) plays a significant role in this respect. As a networked tool, it enables efficient exchanges of video, audio and text data beyond geographical and time constraints. Since this data is exchanged over the worldwide web (www), it can be accessible by anyone in the world using the internet. The risk of unauthorised access, interception, modification, or even …

Book Review: Mac Os X, Ipod, And Iphone Forensic Analysis Dvd Toolkit, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Apple's hold on the personal computer marketplace started dwindling on August 12, 1981, the day that the IBM PC was introduced. As an Apple ][+ bigot myself, I refused to touch a PC for some years. But I was also a command line bigot, so when the first Macintosh was introduced in 1983 and hermetically sealed the operating system from users, I did not go out and buy one. In fact, like many of my era, I did eventually end up on the PC side which, ironically, let me do many of the things that my trusty Apple ][+ had …

Securitycom: A Multi-Player Game For Researching And Teaching Information Security Teams, Douglas P. Twitchell

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

A major portion of government and business organizations’ attempts to counteract information security threats is teams of security personnel. These teams often consist of personnel of diverse backgrounds in specific specialties such as network administration, application development, and business administration, resulting in possible conflicts between security, functionality, and availability. This paper discusses the use of games to teach and research information security teams and outlines research to design and build a simple, team-oriented, configurable, information security game. It will be used to study how information security teams work together to defend against attacks using a multi-player game, and to study …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Providing A Foundation For Analysis Of Volatile Data Stores, Timothy Vidas

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Current threats against typical computer systems demonstrate a need for forensic analysis of memory-resident data in addition to the conventional static analysis common today. Certain attacks and types of malware exist solely in memory and leave little or no evidentiary information on nonvolatile stores such as a hard disk drive. The desire to preserve system state at the time of response may even warrant memory acquisition independent of perceived threats and the ability to analyze the acquired duplicate.

Tools capable of duplicating various types of volatile data stores are becoming widely available. Once the data store has been duplicated, current …

A Grounded Theory Approach To Identifying And Measuring Forensic Data Acquisition Tasks, Gregory H. Carlton

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

As a relatively new field of study, little empirical research has been conducted pertaining to computer forensics. This lack of empirical research contributes to problems for practitioners and academics alike.

For the community of practitioners, problems arise from the dilemma of applying scientific methods to legal matters based on anecdotal training methods, and the academic community is hampered by a lack of theory in this evolving field. A research study utilizing a multi-method approach to identify and measure tasks practitioners perform during forensic data acquisitions and lay a foundation for academic theory development was conducted in 2006 in conjunction with …

Information Governance: A Model For Security In Medical Practice, Patricia A. Williams

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Information governance is becoming an important aspect of organisational accountability. In consideration that information is an integral asset of most organisations, the protection of this asset will increasingly rely on organisational capabilities in security. In the medical arena this information is primarily sensitive patient-based information. Previous research has shown that application of security measures is a low priority for primary care medical practice and that awareness of the risks are seriously underestimated. Consequently, information security governance will be a key issue for medical practice in the future. Information security governance is a relatively new term and there is little existing …

Book Review: Conquest In Cyberspace: National Security And Information Warfare, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This is the Book Review column for the JDFSL. It is an experiment to broaden the services that the journal provides to readers, so we are anxious to get your reaction. Is the column useful and interesting? Should we include more than one review per issue? Should we also review products? Do you have suggested books/products for review and/or do you want to write a review? All of this type of feedback -- and more -- is appreciated. Please feel free to send comments to Gary Kessler ([email protected]) or Glenn Dardick ([email protected]).

Information Technology Act 2000 In India - Authentication Of E-Documents, R. G. Pawar, B. S. Sawant, A. Kaiwade

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The Information Technology Act 2000 has enacted in India on 9th June 2000. This Act has mentioned provision of authentication of electronic document. It is the need of hour at that time that such provision is needed in the Indian Law system, especially for electronic commerce and electronic governance. Electronic commerce”, which involve the use of alternatives to paper based methods of communication and storage information. To do electronic commerce there should be authentication of particular document. The working of internet is the documents are traveling in terms of bits from one destination to other destination, through various media like …

Monitoring And Surveillance In The Workplace: Lessons Learnt? – Investigating The International Legal Position, Verine Etsebeth

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

When considering the legal implications of monitoring and surveillance in the workplace, the question may be asked why companies deploy computer surveillance and monitoring in the first place. Several reasons may be put forward to justify why more than 80% of all major American firms monitor employee e-mails and Internet usage. However, what most companies forget is the fact that the absence or presence of monitoring and surveillance activities in a company holds serious legal consequences for companies. From the discussion in this paper it will become apparent that there is a vast difference in how most countries approach this …

Education Organization Baseline Control Protection And Trusted Level Security, Wasim A. Al-Hamdani

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Many education organizations have adopted for security the enterprise best practices for implementation on their campuses, while others focus on ISO Standard (or/and) the National Institution of Standards and Technology.

All these adoptions are dependent on IT personal and their experiences or knowledge of the standard. On top of this is the size of the education organizations. The larger the population in an education organization, the more the problem of information and security become very clear. Thus, they have been obliged to comply with information security issues and adopt the national or international standard. The case is quite different when …

Network And Database Security: Regulatory Compliance, Network, And Database Security - A Unified Process And Goal, Errol A. Blake

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Database security has evolved; data security professionals have developed numerous techniques and approaches to assure data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This paper will show that the Traditional Database Security, which has focused primarily on creating user accounts and managing user privileges to database objects are not enough to protect data confidentiality, integrity, and availability. This paper is a compilation of different journals, articles and classroom discussions will focus on unifying the process of securing data or information whether it is in use, in storage or being transmitted. Promoting a change in Database Curriculum Development trends may also play a role …

Book Review: No Place To Hide, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This issue presents the second Book Review column for the JDFSL. It is an experiment to broaden the services that the journal provides to readers, so we are anxious to get your reaction. Is the column useful and interesting? Should we include more than one review per issue? Should we also review products? Do you have suggested books/products for review and/or do you want to write a review? All of this type of feedback -- and more -- is appreciated. Please feel free to send comments to Gary Kessler ([email protected]) or Glenn Dardick ([email protected]).

The Evolution Of Internet Legal Regulation In Addressing Crime And Terrorism, Murdoch Watney

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Internet regulation has evolved from self-regulation to the criminalization of conduct to state control of information available, accessed and submitted. Criticism has been leveled at the different forms of state control and the methods employed to enforce state control. After the terrorist attack on the USA on 11 September 2001, governments justify Internet state control as a law enforcement and national security tool against the abuse and misuse of the Internet for the commission of serious crimes, such as phishing, child pornography; terrorism and copyright infringement. Some Internet users and civil rights groups perceive state control as an abomination which …

Computer Crimes: A Case Study Of What Malaysia Can Learn From Others?, Janaletchumi Appudurai, Chitra L. Ramalingam

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Rapid development of information technology (IT) has brought with it many new applications such as e-commerce and global business. The past few years have seen activities in the legislative arena covering issues such as digital signatures, the international recognition of electronic documents and privacy and data protection. Both the developed and developing countries have exhibited keenness to embrace the IT environment. Securing this electronic environment from intrusion, however, continues to be problematic. A particular favorite form of computer crime would be ‘hacking’. As more computer systems move on to on-line processing and improved telecommunications, computer hackers are now a real …

Identifying Non-Volatile Data Storage Areas: Unique Notebook Identification Information As Digital Evidence, Nikica Budimir, Jill Slay

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The research reported in this paper introduces new techniques to aid in the identification of recovered notebook computers so they may be returned to the rightful owner. We identify non-volatile data storage areas as a means of facilitating the safe storing of computer identification information. A forensic proof of concept tool has been designed to test the feasibility of several storage locations identified within this work to hold the data needed to uniquely identify a computer. The tool was used to perform the creation and extraction of created information in order to allow the analysis of the non-volatile storage locations …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Making Molehills Out Of Mountains: Bringing Security Research To The Classroom, Richard G. Taylor

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Security research published in academic journals rarely finds its way to the business community or into the classroom. Even though the research is of high quality, it is written in a manner that is difficult to read and to understand. This paper argues that one way to get this academic research into the business community is to incorporate it into security classrooms. To do so, however, academic articles need to be adapted into a classroom-friendly format. This paper suggests ways to do this and provides an example of an academic article that was adapted for use in a security management …

The Common Body Of Knowledge: A Framework To Promote Relevant Information Security Research, Kenneth J. Knapp, F. N. Ford, Thomas E. Marshall, R. K. Rainer

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This study proposes using an established common body of knowledge (CBK) as one means of organizing information security literature. Consistent with calls for more relevant information systems (IS) research, this industrydeveloped framework can motivate future research towards topics that are important to the security practitioner. In this review, forty-eight articles from ten IS journals from 1995 to 2004 are selected and cross-referenced to the ten domains of the information security CBK. Further, we distinguish articles as empirical research, frameworks, or tutorials. Generally, this study identified a need for additional empirical research in every CBK domain including topics related to legal …

Book Review: Computer Forensics: Principles And Practices, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This issue presents the third Book Review column for the JDFSL. It is an experiment to broaden the services that the journal provides to readers, so we are anxious to get your reaction. Is the column useful and interesting? Should we include more than one review per issue? Should we also review products? Do you have suggested books/products for review and/or do you want to write a review? All of this type of feedback -- and more -- is appreciated. Please feel free to send comments to Gary Kessler ([email protected]) or Glenn Dardick ([email protected]).