Internet-investigation

Digital forensic software developers need to keep up with new advancements. Investigators need digital forensic tools to keep up with current and future technology. Forensic investigators face the challenge of evolving threats and increasing data volumes. 

The development of new technology has changed the ways information is disseminated and accessed. It has allowed individuals to access a variety of information within minutes. Although, with this growing use and dependence on technology the tactics used in cybercrime have evolved to effectively infiltrate these ever-changing systems. Maintaining the knowledge and tools needed to counteract these cybercrime attempts has become paramount. Any user that is dependent on technological gadgets and software can be at risk of cybercrime. In this post, we will discuss what exactly is cybercrime and how to stay safe. 

This post will list all supported web browsers that ADF tools can investigate including Chromium-based browsers. As a digital investigator, you want to be prepared and ready for anything on-scene and that includes being able to collect digital evidence from mobile and computer devices.

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away
(2006 to be exact and the galaxy was Maryland USA)
It was a period of innovation.
Computers, USBs, all kinds of devices ... 
Some people were committing digital crimes
from their seemingly hidden bases in the digital world. 

When investigating computer crimes and being called on to conduct computer forensics or forensic phone analysis in the field, it is good to be ready for whatever comes your way. One phrase you commonly hear when talking to anyone in the cybercrime arena is “there has to be more than one tool in the toolbox”, and this is a very true statement, no one tool does it all, and all tools do it slightly differently. You do not use a large Phillips screwdriver to remove a small screw from a picture frame and you do not use an eyeglass screwdriver to remove a wood screw, this is because you know your tools and your toolbox.

ADF's Quick-Saved Credentials profile is a powerful profile that extracts the usernames and passwords from Web Browsers and is built so it will not trigger antivirus applications when attempting to collect web credentials. This makes the investigator's job easier on-scene, requires less interaction with the device, and allows for more records to be parsed thereby giving the computer forensic investigator the ability to quickly collect critical information for their investigation.

Learn how to use the ADF Quick Saved Credentials Profile to uncover Web credentials in this short 2-minute video tutorial. Collecting saved credentials quickly gives access to accounts that may have been previously unknown and allows investigators to do preservation orders and search warrants. 

Meet Teresa Jauregui, Legal Director, for the National Child Protection Task Force, NCPTF.

Investigating crimes against children has been at the forefront of law enforcement’s initiatives to dedicate the specialized manpower and equipment in order to battle this issue. It is not an easy issue to tackle as it manifests in many different ways and sometimes requires three or more specialized units working together to bring the offenders to justice and then another specialized unit to manage the offenders after release. On top of all the investigation time, we add digital devices to the mix, used to commit and perpetrate these crimes. When it comes time to conduct a search warrant, knock and talk, interview, or victim/witness statement, investigators need a solution to find the relevant data, minimize the number of devices brought back to the lab, minimize the impact to victims, witnesses, and innocent family members. 

As the world’s financial systems advance in digital technology and cryptocurrency, the need for digital forensics grows greater. The use of blockchain technology has allowed crimes to go undetected through the eyes of a regular investigator. These crimes no longer take months of in-depth planning and deception before executing but can now be committed within minutes because of the processing power of computers and the speed of the internet. Crimes such as:

NW3C stands for the National White Collar Crime Center, an organization that is committed to helping educate law enforcement professionals on a variety of relevant topics. The organization based in Richmond, Virginia has over 70,000 members worldwide and was founded in 1987. 

Getting ready to work off site, out of the lab, out of your office, and in someone else's domain is never an easy task. Whether it's a search warrant, in a client's office, suspect's residence, or some other off-site location, being prepared is the key to your success as a digital forensic investigator.

ADF prioritizes digital evidence collection and provides investigators and examiners post-scan options to speed investigations. Post scan options let digital forensic investigators get fast and relevant evidence to make decisions on-scene and in the forensic lab.

The numbers surrounding pornographic images of children, and the child abuse that creates it, are so staggering that it’s difficult not to be disheartened. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), their cyber tipline received over 42.9 million reports by November 2018. NCMEC had also reviewed over 267 million images and videos, and identified over 15,800 victims of online child exploitation and abuse.

As communities search for new ways to employ wounded, injured, or ill special operations veterans, there's a new federal government program that offers hope. 

The program which provides financial support for communities seeking to further increase their effectiveness in the fight against child exploitation is run by the U.S. Department of Justice. Communities will benefit in two key ways: 

1. Employ wounded veterans paid for via federal grant money
2. Help communities fight the ever growing battle to stop child exploitation

This week, nearly 1,000 law enforcement professionals from across the United States and around the world are meeting in Jacksonville, Florida for to discuss and discover new technologies designed to promote public safety, police safety and policing techniques. 

Most children in the United States now have access to internet services. The internet enables children to have access to vast amounts of valuable and educative information that facilitates their growth. However, the internet further exposes children to numerous dangers. Some of the risks children are exposed to on the internet include pornography, racist, sexist, violent, and demeaning information.

These risks prompted the formation of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force program. The organization is a national network of 61 coordinated task forces that represent over 4,500 local, state, and federal law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies. The state and regional ICAC task forces are maintained and expanded by the ICAC program to address technology-facilitated child exploitation crimes.

In the early 18th century, triage was used to refer to the action of sorting items according to quality and was taken from the French word trier which means to sort, separate out or cull. 

>> Continue reading or watch the Benefits of Triage webinar recording. 

The Massachusetts Attorney General's Office (AGO) has announced the dates for the 2019 National Cyber Crime Conference (MASS.gov).  This year's conference will be held April 29 - May 1, 2019 in Norwood, Massachusetts thanks to Attorney General Maura Healey, the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), SEARCH, and the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute.

With more than a dozen out-of-the-box Search Profiles inside Digital Evidence Investigator^® (DEI) and all the ADF digital forensic and triage tools, the ADF Digital Forensic team has created software that enables investigators and forensic examiners to capture files, artifacts, and the digital evidence needed in a wide variety of evidence collection situations.