A police officer rushes on to a crime scene, plays with the computer and executes some 150 evidence gathering commands in 15 minutes. A scene from CSI? No, this is a common scene for investigating police officers; thanks to Microsoft.
Microsoft had released a free tool (Beta version) called - Computer Online Forensic Evidence Extractor (COFEE), that can be loaded onto a portable device such as a USB drive. COFEE automates some 150 evidence-gathering commands for computers in short time. This tool was available only to law enforcement agencies to test the functionality and strength of the tool. Being a Microsoft product, COFEE is designed to extract information from Windows-based systems only.
The best part with the tool is that an officer with “no or basic training” can extract the data in about 15 minutes and maintain its integrity. It also eliminates the need to seize a computer itself, which typically involves disconnecting from a network, turning off the power and potentially losing data. Instead, the investigator can scan for evidence on site.
Many law enforcement agencies in around 15 countries, including Poland, Philippines, Germany, New Zealand and the United States have been using COFEE to crack a variety of online crimes and recover digital evidence. And seeing the success of the beta version, Microsoft has decided to roll out its release version soon, with more features.
A crime is committed and an investigator is hired for the investigation process. But how to start the investigation process? What are the DO’s and DONT’s that need to be followed? What should the forensic investigator look out for?
Well, all these questions have been answered in the slideshow given below. This slideshow was prepared by our CEO - Dr. Sachin Pandey, who has executed numerous investigation projects successfully.
We have been providing an array of services to our clients over the past years. From data recovery to vulnerability testing, from forensic investigation to support for proprietary products; we have been doing it all. Through this we have gained valuable experience and expertise in various projects. Also this has resulted in providing more services which are complex in nature and require expertise.
Mentioned below are the services that we currently provide.
Here are this week’s links to some special topics on forensics and related topics.
1. An essential guide to computer data recovery for IT professionals. Read more
2. A unique presentation highlighting the importance of Mobile Forensics. Read more
3. A real life example, wherein an anonymous hacker posted details of millions of residents online - just to highlight the data protection problems in Chile. Read more
The forensic laboratory in Kalina completed 50 years in operations. The golden jubilee celebrations started on Monday, with the launch of National Workshop on Tape Authentication & Speaker Identification. Forensic scientists and police officers participated in large numbers as experts from renowned institutes across India delivered lectures on speech, voice analysis and phonetics.
A booklet was released on the occassion which listed the major cases handled by the laboratory. The forensic lab has started techniques like polygraph test, narco-analysis, brain fingerprinting , cyber forensics, tape authentication, speaker identification and forensic clinical toxicology.
I was researching for the training providers in forensics space to understand how training is provided in this field. Basically, I was hunting for institutes/organisations which provide online/offline training to law enforcement agencies, professionals and students. Here is what i have found out so far -
Forensic science is being used extensively by investigators, experts and law enforcement agencies to punish the criminals, develop more intelligence using more research and to implement certain principles, respectively. Here are some of the cases which speak for the importance of forensics in various fields and for various reasons.
1. The use of forensic science in criminal trials is critically important. But the system needs some immediate reforms. Radley Balko and Roger Koppl have come up with some suggestions and examples to bring some reforms to forensic science. Read more.
2. Prof. Charles Uwadia (President: Nigerian Computer Society), stressed on the importance of fighting cyber crime. He also asked for help from the Federal Government, when he was speaking at the annual general meeting and 30th anniversary of NCS. Read more.
3. Catching World’s high tech criminals becomes easier with the Logicube CellDEK. Nick Heath presents his review on this tool.Read more.
In a unique internship program 17 second year students from the Madras University were allowed to undergo a five-day training with the cyber crime cell - Chennai. This is the first time that the city police have shared the technical and investigation expertise of the cyber cell of the Central Crime Branch (CCB) with students. The students who had undergone internship are currently pursuing their MSc in Forensic Science.
The students were trained in analysis of data, information security, investigation methods and collection of forensic evidence. Various sessions were held on application security, information forensics, how to trace lost mobiles and how internet frauds are tracked by procuring the internet protocol addresses. The training was provided by the cyber cell’s trained professionals.
This unique internship program served two purposes:
1. Police officials were able to educate students on the importance and application of forensics, as the demand for forensic experts is on the rise.
2. The students were able to have a live experience of how forenscics can be used to crack numerous cases.
Chennai Police is planning for more internship programs to students of MA Criminology, in the future.
THE US government has been providing training to South African state officials in computer forensics to increase SA’s capacity to fight cyber crime, credit card frauds, intellectual property (IP) and counterfeit crimes. The training is carried out by the US justice department, which also trains Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents. Its the first time that US department has trained individuals outside their country.
Lot of cyber crimes and related activities have hit the African continent badly. Especially countries like Nigeria contribute the largest percentage of cyber crimes in the world. Also many sectors like pharmaceutical, automotive parts, aircraft parts and consumer goods, such as clothing, eyewear and handbags have been vulnerable to attacks in recent times.
For the benefit of traders who lose more than $2bn due to cyber frauds, South African department approached their US counterparts to assist it with the training, aimed at honing the forensic and analytical skills of customs officials working for the South African Revenue Service , the police, the national prosecuting authority and officials working in the trade and industry department’s IP enforcement division.
So far 400 officials have been trained and it has helped in cutting down the trade in pirated movies by 90% in SA. They are now planning to train their officials in digital forensics as well.
