How a digital device becomes involved in a crime

Crimes committed using a digital device essentially employ a hi-tech method to carry out what is usually a traditional crime. Thus, crimes such as blackmail which traditionally evoke images of newspaper cuttings collaged together to create the archetypal ransom note nowadays employ computers to produce the ransom note, be it a printed document or an email.

Examples of other traditional crimes where a digital device has been applied include instant messaging, which can used to commit harassment; email, which is applied to commit fraud though 'phishing' scams; mobile phones to record assaults in what has come to be known as 'happy slapping' and then there are the peer to peer file sharing programs which have been used extensively to download and distribute pictures portraying pedophilia.

The list, it seems, is endless and so is the workload on any hi-tech crime unit to deal with such cases.

Not all crimes committed using a digital device use it as a means to an end. Hacking a computer system without authority is a crime targeted at the computer system itself. So to is a denial of service (DOS) attack on a websites or the intentionally distribution of a virus.

At DLA Digital Forensics, we combine the experience of two seasoned investigators with both criminal and civil backgrounds with the latest technologies to achieve the results that you require. From data recovery, recovery of chat history, digital suspect profiling and so much more - contact DLA today!

How digital investigators gather evidence and solve crime with social media

Social media can be a great tool to document our daily lives, and when it comes to solving crimes, law enforcement officials and digital investigators view it as a valuable tool, too.

Who & How

An survey showed that majority use social media for several reasons:

1. Identifying people
2. Gathering evidence
3. Discovering criminal activity and locations
4. Community outreach
5. Soliciting crime tips
6. Notifying the public
7. Recruitment

People put a great amount of personal, detailed information online. Targets even brag and post illicit valuable information in reference to travel, hobbies, places visited, functions, appointments, circle of friends, family members, relationships, actions, etc.

The networks most used by law enforcement officials and digital investigators:

- Facebook
- Twitter
- Youtube

Some social media platforms can reveal more information than others.

DLA combines the experience of two seasoned investigators with both criminal and civil backgrounds with the latest technologies to acquire the digital evidence that you desire.

The challenges of digital forensics

Forensics is changing, because as the years go by we are living more and more in a digital age. However, the legal system is still catching up when it comes to properly using digital evidence.

So, what is digital evidence? Digital evidence is information found on a wide range of electronic devices that is useful for court cases or situations with disgruntled employees. It is basically like the digital equivalent of a fingerprint or a strand of hair left at the scene.

However, digital evidence that is used in court often fails to meet the same high standards expected of more established forensics practices, especially in making sure the evidence is exactly what it is portrayed to be.

It has become common for criminal trials to rely on digital evidence. And it is not uncommon for innocents to be convicted and guilty people acquitted because of digital evidence.

There are many different reasons for this.

First, the evidence might be compelling when you first look at it, but it could by misleading. Other investigations might not even get to trial because of the complexity or incompleteness of the evidence.

It is a bit worrying that some defendants are pleading guilty based on what appears to be great digital evidence, but in these cases the defense lawyer may not understand it. This is why digital forensics consultants are so important.

Forensic analyses and presentations of digital evidence are sometimes explained by investigators that have little or no experience, which is then made worse by faulty case management.

Another problem may be that the digital forensic processes and tools are not seen as reliable.

Now that we are living in the age of technology, digital forensics will forever have an impact on the way that evidence is gathered and presented in court.

Browse DLA and learn a little more about the world of cellular forensics, data recovery and digital forensics. 

Digital Forensics in Criminal Investigations

Computers and other digital devices are commonly used to commit crimes these days, and thanks to the science of digital forensics and digital evidence, law enforcement can now use computers to fight crime.

For digital evidence to be legally admissible in court, investigators must follow proper legal procedures when recovering and analyzing data from computer systems.

Sometimes the law cannot keep up with technological advancements and this may ultimately limit the use of computer forensics evidence in court. Privacy advocates are growing especially concerned that computer searches may be a breach of a suspect’s human rights. So, as methods to hide evidence become more advanced, technology may be abused by helping criminals hide their actions. In the end, the role of technology in digital forensics may not reach its full potential due to legal boundaries and bad intentions.

Computer and computer-based forensics has been an important part in the conviction of many well-known criminals, including terrorists, sexual predators, and murderers. Terrorist organizations may use the Internet to recruit members, and sexual predators may use social networking sites to stalk their potential victims.

However, most criminals fail to cover their tracks when using technology to implement their crimes. They fail to realize that computer files and data remain on their hard drive even when they are deleted; this allows investigators to track their criminal activity. Even if criminals delete their incriminating files, the data remains in a binary format due to “data remanence” or the residual representation of data. File deletion simply renames the file and hides it from the user; the original file can still be recovered.

Eventually, data may be overwritten and lost due to the strained nature of computer memory, a storage area for used data. A random access memory chip (RAM) retrieves data from memory to help programs to run more efficiently. However, each time a computer is switched on, the RAM loses some of its stored data. Therefore, RAM is referred to as volatile memory, while data preserved in a hard drive is known as persistent memory.

The RAM is constantly swapping seldom used data to the hard drive to open up space in memory for newer data. Over time, though, the contents in the swap file may also be overwritten. Thus, investigators may lose more evidence the longer they wait since computer data does not persist indefinitely. 

Fortunately, computer scientists have engineered equipment that can copy the computer’s contents without turning on the machine. The contents can then be safely used by lawyers and detectives for analysis.

DLA is based in Cape Town and combines the experience of two seasoned investigators with both criminal and civil background with the latest technologies to achieve the digital forensic results that you require.

The History of Digital Forensics

Before the 1980s, crimes involving computers and digital devices were dealt with using existing laws. So, the field of digital forensics is relatively new. While its history may be short, it is quite complex.

As the years went by, the range of digital crimes being committed increased, but it was not until the 1980s that federal laws began to include computer offences. Canada was actually the first country to pass legislation in 1983, followed by the US Federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act in 1986.

The fact that computer and digital crimes grew so much during the 1980s and the 1990s caused law enforcement agencies to start making specilised groups to deal with the technical aspects of the investigation. For example, the Computer Analysis and Response Team that the FBI formed in 1984.

Throughout the 1990s there was a high demand for these new investigative resources, this lead to the creation of regional and even local level groups to help handle the load. But, it was not until 1992 that the term “computer forensics” was actually used in academic literature.

Since the year 2000, a lot of people and agencies have written and published guidelines for digital forensics. A European lead international treaty, the Convention on Cyber crime, came into force in 2004 with the aim of reconciling national computer crime laws, investigative techniques and international co-operation.

The issue of training also received some attention. Companies, such as forensic software developers, began to offer certification programs, and digital forensic analysis was included as a topic at the UK specialist investigator training facility.

Since the late 1990s digital devices have become available everywhere, basically everyone has a phone or some kind of digital device. Devices have advanced way beyond simply communicating, they are great forms of information, even for crime not usually associated with digital forensics. However, digital analysis of phones has lagged behind traditional computer media, mostly because of problems over the ownership of the devices.

The complex field of digital forensics will always have unresolved issues. Many issues will include; increasing size of digital media, the wide availability of encryption to basically everyone, the variety of operating systems, increasing number of people owning multiple devices and lets not forget the legal limitations on investigators. 

DLA is based in Cape Town and combines the experience of two seasoned investigators with both criminal and civil backgrounds with the latest technologies to achieve the results that you require.