January 2012

As always we have several things to do starting in January, and it appears I have some more time since I organized my work somewhat more efficiently. Currently I am working with five students on projects on camera identification with PRNU, detection of image manipulation, heart beat detection in video and quantization tables in JPEG. It works often very efficient to have validation studies on several topics, since often journal articles do not directly translate in forensic solutions which have been validated.

Also working on some casework on forensic multimedia, doing some review work and participating in project proposals. Of course since budget cuts are near, it is time to look for new solutions which make work more efficiently. Most often in my experience with some pressure on budgets the nicest solutions are developed, as long as there remains some time for doing research, which is often not easy since forensic casework is of course the most important.

As you might have seen, I also have sometimes guest posts for this blog, which also helps with seeing the contents. The latest is of Melanie Slaugh on mobile forensics. New developments in this field are very rapidly making old methods less useful, so it is important to do very much development in this field, and know forensic properties of new devices that are handled. 

December was a month for planning, and January we have to do the real work, also in private life, to make more balance. The good thing it started right with many days that I could take my bicycle to my work, as is usual in the Netherlands. Since I live near the beach, I can go with my bicycle through the dunes without any traffic jams, and it always helps to make new plans, and evaluate the day.

Issues with Cell Phone Forensics guest post by Melanie Slaugh

Cell phones don’t feel new, but in reality they are. With this newness comes rapid change, sometimes so

rapid that it is difficult for forensic scientists to keep up. Suspects use cell phones in a variety of crimes

and it is up to the forensic scientists to uncover their wrongdoings. But where do you start? What are

some problems that scientists come across?

1. Change- Change is the number one issue for forensic scientists to overcome. Even the cell phone

manufactures don’t always know how to retrieve information stored in new phones, so how can

scientists retrieve the information? Staying up-to-date on new cell phones is difficult, but not

impossible. As fast as they are produced, criminals come up with ways to abuse them. Strangely

enough, this can be useful for forensic scientists. Using online tips can allow scientists to easily

access information that would otherwise remain inaccessible.

2. Passwords – Password protection on cell phones are difficult to overcome, though not

impossible. Depending on the model, passwords can be bypassed in several ways.

3. Internet connection – The smarter cell phones get, the harder they are to delve into. Using an

internet connection instead of SMS or voice makes a forensic scientist’s job much harder.

4. Charge – Unlike computers, much of what is stored in a phones memory is dependent upon the

battery. When the electricity goes, so does the information. Depending on what information you

are looking for and how it is stored, battery or charger power is an important thing to think about.

5. SIM cards and removable media- SIM cards are the heart of a cell phone. They carry important

user information. Likewise, removable media, such as SD cards, can have lots of stored

information on them. It is important that forensic scientists have the proper equipment to read and

analyze the data.

6. Isolation – One thing that is often overlooked is the need to isolate the cell phone before

analyzing it. New text messages can overwrite old information, and connections to the internet

can invalidate old data. It is important to make sure the phone is isolated.

7. Security enhancements- Be especially careful when dealing with cell phones that have been

enhanced in some way. Some users have the ability to put in dead man’s switches, effectively

wiping the contents after an action or a period of time. Malware can also be loaded onto the

phone, placing your computer systems in danger.

There are many ore issues to watch out for, but these are the seven most common. Tracing cell phone data

is an arduous task, but it can be done. All it takes is a little research, a few tools, and a lot of patience.

Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and

writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for

internet service providers and also topics related to internet service providers in my area for presenting the

consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them. She can be reached at

slaugh.slaugh907 @ gmail.com.

(http://www.myispfinder.org/). 

Author Bio

Melanie Slaugh is enthusiastic about the growing prospects and opportunities of various industries and writing articles on various consumer goods and services as a freelance writer. She writes extensively for internet service providers and also topics related to internet service providers in my area for presenting the consumers, the information they need to choose the right Internet package for them. She can be reached at slaugh.slaugh907 @ gmail.com.