Essays on Forensics

Introduction

In May 2012, English couple Mick and Mairead Philpott made the headlines for surviving a fire that killed their six children and destroyed their house in the Allenton area (BBC News, 2013). After publicly claiming to be lucky for surviving the fire, the Philpotts won the sympathy of people who felt sorry for them for losing six of their children and most of their properties. However, after a month of investigation, the Philpotts were accused of committing arson and murder, and by 2013, they were convicted of manslaughter for deliberately starting a fire that killed all six of their ...

Project managing tools are very essential projects, because they help individuals to keep track of the things that are essential and important to remember. This is especially important within businesses, since the bulk of a job position could be based on team projects and assignments. For this reason, it is essential that individuals get familiar with project management tools. Moreover, it is also essential to discuss the kind of project management tools that can be used across all kinds of projects as well, and not just the ones that will benefit a specific project only. An example of an ...

Abstract

Wayne Bertram Williams was an American national living in Atlanta, Georgia was who was suspected of killing two men as well as 28 to 30 other murders in the city. Many of the bodies he is suspected of killing were dumped by the roadside. The killer was meticulous and did not leave any evidence but for some fibers on the bodies of the victims. Wayne Bertram Williams was arrested on the James Jackson Parkway Bridge of the Chattahoochee River where the bodies were being dumped after the police heard a splash in the river. The prosecution of Wayne Bertram ...

Source: InfoSec Institute Web article, January 2016

Summary: This article was about Information security governance and Risk Management in CISSP domain. In the article some basic guiding principles for the security are highlighted, the security's fundamental principles revolve around the CIA i.e. confidentiality, integrity and availability. Confidentiality confirms that the data is confidential through personal identifying information, integrity ensures the accuracy of the data and it is not modified by anyone else and finally availability ensures that whenever the data is needed, it is available i.e. no DOS attacks or any other attacks stops the access of the data. The risk management talks about the analysis ...

When attempting to find trace amounts of an inorganic substance x-ray diffraction would be a valuable tool for discovering just what substances were present. It would not be the first choice according to various researchers, but it would be one of the least invasive as well as one of the least likely to destroy the sample. By using x-ray diffraction it is possible to differentiate between substances, making it easier to identify trace elements that can be found in crime scenes. X-ray diffraction is a valuable but slightly limited technique that is used by forensic science thanks to its ...

The increase in development of the Internet and computer technology in the past few years has lead to the intensification in new types of crime crimes and computer forensics throughout the world. Cyber crime is considered as an issue for the IT industry. The governments and cyber firms have struggled to fight against the act of illegal crimes in the world of Internet. Although, the majority of individuals would never admit doing this crime, just based on numerical facts a large percentage of today’s population have. In the modern world, a lot of people use online social networking ...

There has been a large demand for the continued advancement in forensic science for quite some time. Though much of what went into the practice wasn’t fully understood until the early 20th century. Until then forensic specialists were largely self-taught and not as highly regarded when it came to their role in law enforcement. Forensic science is a boon that has revolutionized law enforcement. According to The History of Forensic Science (2011) the first classes to teach the subject weren’t adopted until 1902. It also wasn’t until the 1930s that the course began to catch on ...

Introduction

Life happens to come with many unprecedented and unpredicted disasters. Halfway across the world there are news of tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, and floods. News reporters give statistics of the many lives that are lost in such disasters and in many instances, the policy makers are not able to correctly determine the monetary value of property and businesses lost in such instances. Such happenings are taking place across the world and some of the greatest losers are business entities. Owing to these disasters and many more such disasters, business organizations have to think beyond the normal operations (Cobanoglu, Blasik, & Haley, ...

A branch of forensic science that includes recovering and investigating materials of the digital devices especially when there is a crime committed using computers. Analyzing a crime is the most important factor in digital forensics before arriving at a conclusion. During the analysis process, the most critical function is to validate the evidence. Analysis of forensics and digital evidence depends on the type of investigation involved, the amount of data that will be processed during investigation, court orders, company policies and search warrants. Digital forensic analysis involves locating and recovering particular materials that eases the investigation process at a ...

French criminalist Edmond Locard is credited with establishing the “Exchange Principle”, which states in relevant part that a criminal offender necessarily leaves something at the crime scene, that if discovered will or can be used to identify him (Forensics). Nowhere is this both truer and less accurate than in the perpetration of crimes in a digital era. The increasing integration of technology into every facet of life and they myriad ways that people, both law abiding and criminally deviant, make use of technology has provided law enforcement authorities with a number of advantages, as well as more than a ...

Introduction

Blood behavior conforms to specific scientific principles and therefore, professionals trained to perform bloodstain pattern analysis can analyze the blood evidence in a crime scene and come up with conclusions as to how the blood shedding happened. The stains may appear to have a random distribution in a crime scene, but the analysts can study the spatter patterns, transfers, and other marks. From the physical evidence, the investigators recognize and interpret the patterns to determine how they were created. These marks are then categorized to recreate the sequence of events that occurred following the bloodshed. Blood stain pattern analysis, ...

Abstract

Digital forensics is a critical component of forensic discipline that includes crimes and misconducts with respect to computer systems. The use of computers to investigate online crimes led to the development of this new field known as Digital forensics. The field provides new ideas for understanding and betterment of concepts and directing future concepts in Digital Forensics. Over the last few years, with the advent of latest electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablets and laptops, the concept has gained popularity over the span of few years. This has resulted in a shift of thefts from real time to ...

Digital forensics is of great importance when it comes to investigation and law. This is the acquisition, analysis and presentation of evidence to courts through a scientific collection of the same. When proposing digital forensics equipment, there are various pertinent factors that will need to be taken into consideration include the cost of the tools used in the analysis, the work needed in the forensics investigations and the available devices on the market. This paper is going to discuss two digital forensic tools used, their advantages, drawbacks and the possible usage of the same.

Description and Function of the Tool

The first tool is the ...

Cybercrime and many other crimes are justified by the collection of appropriate evidence by detectives and other law enforcement agencies. The forensics team to collect evidence from the crime scene uses various techniques and tools. Interviewing the witnesses to gather evidence and being able to incorporate the correct method to investigate the crime scene is expected from professional detectives. The paper highlights four mini cases and knowledge of methods used in these cases to collect evidence by forensics experts. Cyber crimes are crimes done by computer experts through their knowledge of software, programming, and networking techniques. In addition to ...

I am a first responder, so I will make sure that no evidence should be tampered or damaged. I will consider all functional or non-functional computers as evidence and capture photographs or images of all display screens. I will disconnect computers from the network to protect the tampering or removal of evidence. There are some obstacles involved in the computer forensics; there is a chance that the evidence was deleted from systems or devices. Files are often password protected, and it requires a great effort to decode a file that involves strong cryptography. Digital evidence are sensitive and fragile ...

In the past, cyber-crimes were few and far in between because the computers used were mainframes and they were rare to come by (Greenbaum, 2015). Today, computers have infiltrated almost every aspect of life and most offenses are accompanied by the involvement of computerized devices directly or indirectly. Nearly every individual in the world today has an automated electronic device such as a smartphone and a computer (Greenbaum, 2015). Further, the internet has made the use of computerized devices to commit crimes easier, and all types of offenses can be perpetrated online such as fraud, theft, solicitation, malicious mischief ...

Crime scene investigation is an important area of the criminal justice field. The CSI groups are expected to find and collect evidence at crime scenes. They are to follow the guidelines of collecting the evidence and packaging it properly. The proper packaging is to ensure that the evidence stays fresh and does not get contaminated. They then ensure that the evidence is delivered at the proper analyzation and examination teams to further review the evidence. Once the evidence is reviewed and properly understood then the investigators continue with this information to obtain a warrant, capture a suspect, or use ...

Abstract

The privacy and confidentiality of information is a crucial factor for any organization dealing with large volumes of information. On the other hand, the development in technology, increase in the cases of cybercrimes, and the web-security issues that are common in almost every online platform, makes the need for database security concern for organizations that handle date. Currently, DBMS is one of the best tools for ensuring the safety of data, and this paper will review its use in database security. It will give a cognitive outline of how a company can use it, with the sole focus on ...

Introduction

Law enforcement agencies have taken advantage of technological advancements to sophisticate their operations. The application of computers in policing has developed significantly. Several forms of information systems have been integrated into police work with the aim of promoting law and order in society. Concerning this, computer systems are used in a variety of ways. First, databases are important in the containment of information relevant to the functions of law enforcement in government agencies. This includes the recording of state individual data. Biometric data can be connected to the web as an integral step in the establishment of networks of ...

Introduction

Biotechnology refers to a group of technologies that share two common characteristics namely, having a wide range of practical uses to improve human lives and working with cells and their molecules. A more detailed definition refers to biotechnology as the technical use of living creatures on the molecular or cellular level to obtain beneficial results. Traditionally biotechnology has been used in the commercial production of bread, brewing alcoholic beverages, as well as in the breeding of domestic animals and food crops. In many cases, biotechnology leads to development of numerous industries-forensics, pharmaceuticals, medicine, textile industries among others. Biotechnology also ...

(Institution Name)

Abstract

The use of information technology in the matter of justice provision has enabled the law enforcement agencies to ensure that the criminals are effectively captured and put behind bars. The technological tools that have notably contributed towards the cause are surveillance and cameras, forensic equipment for detection of criminals and communication means. These technology items have helped in making the law supreme and to make the criminals afraid of the law. Gun control has been made possible largely with the help of these technology tools as the people are being monitored and managed much more effectively with ...

Biology

(Department)

DNA and its importance in our lives

Introduction Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a long linear polymer located in the nucleus of a cell. It is developed from nucleotides and shaped like a double helix. It is related to the transmission of hereditary information from one generation to the second generation. DNA contains the information for the development as well as reproduction of an organism, thereby leading to a normal life. In the year 1953, James Watson, a biologist, and Francis Crick, a physicist, discovered the structure of DNA in a laboratory in England (LEROY, 2003). The structure of DNA helped scientists to know the process ...

Producing an Understanding of Naval Criminal Investigative Processes: The case of “Past Present and the Future”: Episode of NCIS #236

One of the longest running prime time television dramas is the NCIS program. This program successfully survives the difficult prime time slot with ease as it is in its 13th successful season. NCIS success can be attributed in part to the character interaction on the show and the use of forensic theories in the solving of crimes. The success of the show has carried over to two spinoffs, NCIS Los Angles NCIS New Orleans. The three shows offer the same type of character interactions and forensics and technological helps in crime solving. This paper will investigate the character interactions ...

Business with online customers and intellectual properties are using cyber forensic investigators to deal with electronic crimes and employee’s wrongdoing. PayPal scam is one of the cyber crimes that required the knowledge of forensic scientists. Database and Internet investigators played a tremendous role in discovering credit card thieves. PayPal merchants reported being redirected to mock PayPal site. Forensic investigators discovered that the PayPal accounts were opened using the same IP address. The team used Sam Spade, trace route, and freeware network discovery to investigate the matter. Based on the investigation, there is evidence that could be used in ...

Abstract

Collection and analysis of evidence in modern crimes has turned out to be difficult. However, with the technological advancements, new techniques have been devised which aid in this procedure. Evidence could exist in biological, physical, or verbal forms. Among the biological evidence, hair has turned out to be a significant bit of evidence in most scenes of crime. This paper discusses hair as a rich source of evidence in crimes, the nature of hair as evidence, collection techniques and the true value of hair as evidence. The paper also explains why hair as evidence cannot be used to know ...

Computer technology is very crucial in everyday human activities. Computer crimes have tremendously grown, which makes computer forensics very relevant. Some of the computer crimes include unauthorized intrusion and financial fraud. Based on the case study, computer forensics have the potentials of obtaining digital information. NFAT (Network Forensics Analysis Toolkit) can view, collect and monitor intrusion of information on a computer. NFTA is an active sensing system that enables investigators to isolate, scrutinize and reply an intrusion. NFAT look at the logs on the computer and replay the features on how the event took place. Also, the system can ...

Introduction

Computer forensic also known as cyber forensic involves the acquisition of legal evidence which is found in computers and digital media storage. It involves using analytical and investigative techniques for the collection and examination of evidence. This technique is commonly used for criminal investigations or civil litigation. (Holley, 2000) There are several computer software which are used for this kind of investigation and analysis of evidence. They include: EnCase, The Sleuth Kit and Autopsy Browser among others. Using a single tool cannot produce substantial evidence to be used for prosecution. There is need to employ at least two of these ...

Abstract

This research is based on the requirements of an individual interested in the Information Security as stipulated by the International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, (ISC)2.

The requirements focus on major domains to be covered by completion of the certification. In this text, certifications discussed include; Certified information Systems Security Professional CISSP, Systems Security Certified Practitioner SSCP, Information Systems Security Architecture Professional ISSAP, Information Systems Security Engineering Professional ISSEP, and GIAC Security Essentials Certification GSEC.

In summation, this research is essential for both professionals and non-professionals interested in Information Security.

Introduction

Information security is the process of ...

Introduction

Computer forensics is a growing branch in the field of computer science and information technology. Occasionally, organizations, big or small, would require an audit of their information systems (Carrier, 2005). This is where the computer forensic experts come in.

This paper is meant to give a clear understanding of some of the tasks involved in computer forensics. Description of activities and tasks involved in investigation, documentation as well as reporting has been captured in the paper. The last part of the paper is a brief analysis of expert witness’s challenges as well as a sample courtroom scenario.

Types of equipment that should be packed in a field tool kit and the rationale behind the choices

The tool kit for the ...