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Digital Triage Forensics

Processing the Digital Crime Scene

  • 1st Edition - June 28, 2010
  • Latest edition
  • Authors: Stephen Pearson, Richard Watson
  • Language: English

Digital Triage Forensics: Processing the Digital Crime Scene provides the tools, training, and techniques in Digital Triage Forensics (DTF), a procedural model for the investiga… Read more

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Description

Digital Triage Forensics: Processing the Digital Crime Scene provides the tools, training, and techniques in Digital Triage Forensics (DTF), a procedural model for the investigation of digital crime scenes including both traditional crime scenes and the more complex battlefield crime scenes. The DTF is used by the U.S. Army and other traditional police agencies for current digital forensic applications. The tools, training, and techniques from this practice are being brought to the public in this book for the first time. Now corporations, law enforcement, and consultants can benefit from the unique perspectives of the experts who coined Digital Triage Forensics. The text covers the collection of digital media and data from cellular devices and SIM cards. It also presents outlines of pre- and post- blast investigations.

This book is divided into six chapters that present an overview of the age of warfare, key concepts of digital triage and battlefield forensics, and methods of conducting pre/post-blast investigations. The first chapter considers how improvised explosive devices (IEDs) have changed from basic booby traps to the primary attack method of the insurgents in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also covers the emergence of a sustainable vehicle for prosecuting enemy combatants under the Rule of Law in Iraq as U.S. airmen, marines, sailors, and soldiers perform roles outside their normal military duties and responsibilities. The remaining chapters detail the benefits of DTF model, the roles and responsibilities of the weapons intelligence team (WIT), and the challenges and issues of collecting digital media in battlefield situations. Moreover, data collection and processing as well as debates on the changing role of digital forensics investigators are explored.

This book will be helpful to forensic scientists, investigators, and military personnel, as well as to students and beginners in forensics.

Key features

  • Includes coverage on collecting digital media
  • Outlines pre- and post-blast investigations
  • Features content on collecting data from cellular devices and SIM cards

Table of contents


Preface

Introduction

About the Authors

Chapter 1 New Age of Warfare: How Digital Forensics is Reshaping Today's Military

    Yesterday’s “Booby Trap” Is Today’s IED

    The Invention of WIT

    “CSI” Baghdad: Today’s Intelligence Is Tomorrows Evidence

    Actionable Intelligence and Its Effect on the Battlefield

    Soldiers to “Battlefield Cops”

    Summary

    References

Chapter 2 Digital Triage Forensics and Battlefield Forensics

    Introduction

    DTF and Battlefield Forensics

    How does Evidence go from the Battlefield to the Lab?

    Five Levels of Exploitation of WTI Materials

    Summary

    References

Chapter 3 Conducting Pre/Postblast Investigations

    Introduction

    WITs Role Within the EOD Team

    Premission Preparations

    Scene Safety

    On Scene IED Analysis

    Photograph! Photograph! Photograph!

    Preblast Investigative Steps

    Postblast Investigative Steps

    Detainee Operations as it Pertains to WIT

    Summary

Chapter 4 Using the DTF Model to Process Digital Media

    The changing location of Digital Evidence containers

    What hardware do I need to conduct a Cradle-to-Grave Battlefield investigation?

    Characteristics of Digital Media

    Stephen’s Quick and Dirty Guide to Understanding Digital Forensics

    Brief Overview of Digital Storage Concepts

    Processing Digital Media using the Digital Triage Forensic Model

    Summary

Chapter 5 Using the DTF Model to Collect and Process Cell Phones and SIM Cards

    Cellular Devices Are Replacing the Laptop

    Proprietary Cell Phone Tools versus Nonproprietary Cell Phone Tools

    Freeware and Shareware as Cell Phone Forensic/Analysis Tools

    Using Cross Validation with your Tools

    Triage Processing of Cellular Devices

    Using the MFC to identify the Cellular Device

    Collection Concerns with Cellular Devices

    Don’t Push That Button

    Isolating the Cellular Device

    Using the HTCI Isolation Chamber

    Processing the Cell Phone

    Summary

Chapter 6 The Changing Role of a Digital Forensic Investigator

    The Solution

    Implementation

Glossary

Index






Review quotes

"Syngress [is] by far the best publisher of digital forensics and general security books…I’d certainly recommend this book and after reading through it…it looks great. It’s written by the guys who coined the use of the word Triage in this context, so they know what they are talking about, and unlike many real technical books this one really does dig into the investigative techniques that should be used at the crime scene, including quite an interesting analysis of ‘Battlefield Crime Scenes’, where a triage approach is by far the only way to successfully approach the forensics problem."—Tony Campbell, Publisher, Digital Forensics Magazine

Product details

  • Edition: 1
  • Latest edition
  • Published: June 28, 2010
  • Language: English

About the author

SP

Stephen Pearson

Stephen Frank Pearson was born in Aylesbury, England in 1963 and has been involved with Digital Media Exploitation since the early 1990's. Stephen served in the United States Army as a Military Policeman for over 21 years. During this time, Stephen wrote and compiled numerous texts that are still used today to train the Army’s Military Police and Investigators. Stephen's last military assignment was Non Commissioned Officer in Charge of the Advanced Technology Criminal Investigations Division at the Military Police School, Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri. After retiring, Stephen accepted a position as chief of detectives at the Pulaski County Sheriffs Office in Missouri. Stephen opened the first Digital Forensic Lab at the Sheriff's Department which was responsible for numerous convictions. Stephen, during this time, also started and ran the High Tech Crime Institute. In 2006 Stephen was contracted by the National Ground Intelligence Center to teach and design a course in Digital Triage Forensics for the new WIT teams deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. To date, Stephen continues to teach and design new procedures that enable small team units to gather and exploit Digital Media from the Battle Space. Stephen currently lives in Palm Harbor, Florida and is the CEO of the High Tech Crime Institute.

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