Forensic Science and Technology Commons^™

Legal Issues Regarding Digital Forensic Examiners Third Party Consent To Search, Thomas Lonardo, Doug White, Tricia P. Martland, Alan Rea

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This paper focuses on Federal law as it relates to consent to search relating to Fourth Amendment privacy in the practice of Digital Forensics. In particular, Digital Examiners should be aware of how decisions in Federal Court may impact their ability to acquire evidence in both civil and criminal settings. Digital Forensics, being a relatively new field, is particularly subject to change as cases and appeals are decided. This paper provides an overview of relevant case law relating to issues in Digital Forensics. More importantly, our research provides Digital Forensic Examiners (DFE), as defined by Lonardo, White, and Rea (2008, …

Exploring The Iphone Backup Made By Itunes, Mario Piccinelli, Paolo Gubian

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Apple’s™ iPhone™ is one of the widest selling mobile on the market, thanks to its simple and user-friendly interface and ever growing pool of available high quality applications for both personal and business use. The increasing use of the iPhone leads forensics practitioners towards the need for tools to access and analyze the information stored in the device. This research aims at describing the process to forensically analyze a logical backup of an iPhone made by the Apple iTunes™ utility, understanding the backup’s structure, and creating a simple tool to automate the process of decoding and analyzing the data. In …

A Case Study In Forensic Analysis Of Control, Fred Cohen

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This paper describes a case study in which a method for forensic analysis of control was applied to resolve probative technical issues in a legal action. It describes one instance in which the analysis was successfully applied without challenge, addresses the details of most of the different facets of the analysis method, and demonstrates how such analysis provides a systematic approach to using technical methods to address legal issues as a case study.

Extraction Of Electronic Evidence From Voip: Forensic Analysis Of A Virtual Hard Disk Vs Ram, David Irwin, Jill Slay, Arek Dadej, Malcolm Shore

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The popularity of Voice over the Internet Protocol (VoIP) is increasing as the cost savings and ease of use is realised by a wide range of home and corporate users. However, the technology is also attractive to criminals. This is because VoIP is a global telephony service, in which it is difficult to verify the user’s identification. The security of placing such calls may also be appealing to criminals, as many implementations use strong encryption to secure both the voice payload as well as to control messages making monitoring such VoIP calls difficult since conventional methods such as wire-tapping is …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Book Review: Ios Forensic Analysis: For Iphone, Ipad And Ipod Touch, Christopher Schulte

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

As Digital Forensics practitioners, we know that our discipline is constantly evolving. Keeping abreast means we need to continually refine and broaden our knowledge pools through experience, education, research, peer exchange, and more. Mobile device forensics can be especially dynamic and challenging. With multiple standards in place at the hardware, operating system, and user interface levels, it can be daunting to preserve, analyze, search and report on these tiny yet ubiquitous hand-held computers. Apple Computer’s line of mobile products (iOS devices - iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) is no exception to this rule.

Column: Every Last Byte, Simson Garfinkel

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Inheritance powder is the name that was given to poisons, especially arsenic, that were commonly used in the 17th and early 18th centuries to hasten the death of the elderly. For most of the 17th century, arsenic was deadly but undetectable, making it nearly impossible to prove that someone had been poisoned. The first arsenic test produced a gas—hardly something that a scientist could show to a judge. Faced with a growing epidemic of poisonings, doctors and chemists spent decades searching for something better

Technology Corner: Brute Force Password Generation -- Basic Iterative And Recursive Algorithms, Nick V. Flor, Haile Shannon

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Most information systems are secured at minimum by some form of password protection. For various reasons a password may be unavailable, requiring some form of password recovery procedure. One such procedure is software-based automated password recovery, where a program attempts to log into a system by repeatedly trying different password combinations. At the core of such software is a password generator. This article describes the basic iterative and recursive algorithms for generating all possible passwords of a given length, which is commonly referred to as brute-force password generation. The paper ends with a discussion of alternative password recovery procedures one …

The Scavenging Behaviour Of The Australian Raven (Corvus Coronoides): Patterns And Influencing Factors, R. Christopher O'Brien, Alexande Larcombe, Jan Meyer, Shari L. Forbes, Ian Dadour

Forensic Science Publications

The Australian Raven (Corvus coronoides) is a widespread, abundant corvid which is often considered a pest species, due to the thought that it predates on livestock, ruin crops, and is often seen feeding on refuse, in both urban and rural areas. The species is known to feed on a range of material from seeds in ploughed fields to human refuse and decomposing organic material. A large proportion of its diet consists of carrion, and as such, the Australian Raven is an effective detrivorous species capable of removing and consuming dead and decomposing carcasses. This research examined the scavenging …

Refining The Digital Device Hierarchy, F. Chevonne Dancer, David Dampier

Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering Faculty Research

Smartphones are increasing in popularity due to functionality, portability, convenience and affordability. Because of this, examiners must acquire and analyze these devices when criminal activity is suspected to have occurred. In order to obtain this information, it has to be extracted in a way that is repeatable and testable. There are several process models available for use, but the ad-hoc approach is on the rise. The dilemmas are that ad-hoc approaches and the forensic investigative process models available are not well suited for the examination of such devices. These approaches may cause the validity of investigator skill and methods to …

Iphone 3gs Forensics: Logical Analysis Using Apple Itunes Backup Utility, Mona Bader, Ibrahim Baggili

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The iPhone mobile is used worldwide due to its enhanced computing capabilities, increased storage capacity as well as its attractive touch interface. These characteristics made the iPhone a popular smart phone device. The increased use of the iPhone lead it to become a potential source of digital evidence in criminal investigations. Therefore, iPhone forensics turned into an essential practice for forensic and security practitioners today. This research aimed at investigating and examining the logical backup acquisition of the iPhone 3GS mobile device using the Apple iTunes backup utility. It was found that significant data of forensic value such as e-mail …

The Defiance College Undergraduate Major In Digital Forensic Science: Setting The Bar Higher, Gregg H. Gunsch

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This paper provides background information to accompany the panel discussion on Curriculum Design and Implementation in Computer Forensics Education. It is specifically focused on the content and delivery of Defiance College’s undergraduate (B.S.) program majoring in Digital Forensic Science (DFS). The genesis and evolution of the Defiance College DFS program are described, along with its successes, challenges and known opportunities for improvement. The desired outcomes of the panel discussion include articulating the necessary components of an undergraduate program, refining expectations of knowledge and skills required of students upon graduation, and suggesting strategies for achieving those expectations despite inevitable resource limitations …

Computer Forensics For Graduate Accountants: A Motivational Curriculum Design Approach, Grover S. Kearns

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Computer forensics involves the investigation of digital sources to acquire evidence that can be used in a court of law. It can also be used to identify and respond to threats to hosts and systems. Accountants use computer forensics to investigate computer crime or misuse, theft of trade secrets, theft of or destruction of intellectual property, and fraud. Education of accountants to use forensic tools is a goal of the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants). Accounting students, however, may not view information technology as vital to their career paths and need motivation to acquire forensic knowledge and skills. …

Digital Records Forensics: A New Science And Academic Program For Forensic Readiness, Luciana Duranti, Barbara Endicott-Popovsky

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This paper introduces the Digital Records Forensics project, a research endeavour located at the University of British Columbia in Canada and aimed at the development of a new science resulting from the integration of digital forensics with diplomatics, archival science, information science and the law of evidence, and of an interdisciplinary graduate degree program, called Digital Records Forensics Studies, directed to professionals working for law enforcement agencies, legal firms, courts, and all kind of institutions and business that require their services. The program anticipates the need for organizations to become “forensically ready,” defined by John Tan as “maximizing the ability …

A Layered Framework Approach To Mitigate Crimeware, Mathew Nyamagwa

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Crimeware attacks are growing at such an alarming rate and are becoming so prevalent that the FBI now rank cybercrime among its top priorities after terrorism and espionage. New studies estimate cyber crimes cost firms an astounding $1 trillion annually. But the good news? Over 80% of them are preventable. Crimeware is not a purely technical threat but more or a socio-technical affair. This clearly brings out the fact that computers do not commit a crime, but we (humans) do! In this paper I propose a layered approach that involves all stakeholders from end-users to service-providers and law enforcement to …

Canvass - A Steganalysis Forensic Tool For Jpeg Images, Jennifer L. Davidson, Jaikishan Jalan

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Steganography is a way to communicate a message such that no one except the sender and recipient suspects the existence of the message. This type of covert communication lends itself to a variety of different purposes such as spy-to-spy communication, exchange of pornographic material hidden in innocuous image files, and other illicit acts. Computer forensic personnel have an interest in testing for possible steganographic files, but often do not have access to the technical and financial resources required to perform steganalysis in an effective manner. This paper describes the results of a funded effort by a grant from the National …

Measuring Whitespace Patterns As An Indication Of Plagiarism, Ilana Shay, Nikolaus Baer, Robert Zeidman

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

There are several different methods of comparing source code from different programs to find copying1 . Perhaps the most common method is comparing source code statements, comments, strings, identifiers, and instruction sequences. However, there are anecdotes about the use of whitespace patterns in code. These virtually invisible patterns of spaces and tabs have been used in litigation to imply copying, but no formal study has been performed that shows that these patterns can actually identify copied code. This paper presents a detailed study of whitespace patterns and the uniqueness of these patterns in different programs.

Keywords: Copyright Infringement, Intellectual Property, …

Electronic Discovery: A Fool’S Errand Where Angels Fear To Tread?, Milton Luoma, Vicki Luoma

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Electronic discovery has transformed the discovery phase of civil litigation in recent years. The expectations of lawyers and parties were initially established in the Rowe and Zubulake cases that led to a complete revision of the electronic discovery rules contained in the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. Subsequent cases have underscored the importance of document search methodologies and implications for attorneys, IT professionals, and digital forensics professionals. The authors review how electronic discovery has evolved thus far and offer recommendations regarding the electronic discovery process.

Keywords: Electronic discovery, e-discovery, keyword search, concept search,

Social Networking: A Boon To Criminals, Tejashree D. Datar, Richard Mislan

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

With the world getting more and more digitized, social networking has also found a place in the cyber world. These social networking sites (SNSs) which enable people to socialize, and build and maintain relationships are attracting attention of all kinds of people such as teens, adults, sports persons, and even businesses. But these SNSs are also getting unwanted attention from people like sexual predators, spammers, and people involved in criminal and illegal activities. This paper talks about SNSs and how these sites are exploited for criminal or illegal activity. The SNSs are discussed in detail with respect to user profiles, …

Hard Disk Storage: Firmware Manipulation And Forensic Impact And Current Best Practice, Gareth Davies, Iain Sutherland

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The most common form of storage media utilized in both commercial and domestic systems is the hard disk drive, consequently these devices feature heavily in digital investigations. Hard disk drives are a collection of complex components. These components include hardware and firmware elements that are essential for the effective operation of the drive. There are now a number of devices available, intended for data recovery, which can be used to manipulate the firmware components contained within the drive. It has been previously shown that it is possible to alter firmware for malicious purposes, either to conceal information or to prevent …