Speaker 1: Have you ever wondered what truly happens to your digital
Speaker 1: data when you hit the lead, or how a hidden
Speaker 1: file on a hard drive can unravel a multimillion dollar fraud.
Speaker 1: Today we're plunging into the intricate, often surprising world of
Speaker 1: computer forensics. Our guide for this deep dive is Hacking
Speaker 1: Exposed Computer Forensics, second edition of foundational text that's really
Speaker 1: been instrumental in shaping this field.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and what's truly fascinating is how far this field
Speaker 2: has evolved. It's way beyond just recovering a lost file.
Speaker 2: Now today computer forensics is well indispensable and almost every
Speaker 2: type of investigation, from intricate corporate espionage to widespread cybercrime.
Speaker 2: Our mission here is really to distill the core processes,
Speaker 2: unveil the surprising types of digital evidence, and show you
Speaker 2: how expert investigators don't just figure out what happened, but
Speaker 2: critically why, uncovering intent. And this book even introduces a
Speaker 2: unique risk grading system for various techniques and vulnerabilities, which
Speaker 2: isn't just academic right, It's more like a strategic lens
Speaker 2: of feeling where the digital battlefield is most vulnerable. It
Speaker 2: forces investigators to prioritize their efforts against the highest impact threats.
Speaker 1: Okay, so who are the minds behind this crucial knowledge?
Speaker 1: Because this isn't just theory, right, It's forged by a
Speaker 1: formidable team of real world practitioners. We're talking high tech investigators,
Speaker 1: legal experts specializing in digital evidence, even former federal agents.
Speaker 1: That diverse background means the book doesn't just theorize, it
Speaker 1: delivers practical how to knowledge, stuff grounded in countless real cases.
Speaker 2: Indeed, Yeah, we're talking about individuals like Aaron Phillip and
Speaker 2: John Lovelin from Navigant Consulting. They bring vast experience in
Speaker 2: IP theft, large scale data collection. John alone, I think
Speaker 2: has led over one hundred investigations. That's huge. Then you've
Speaker 2: got Rudy Peck who adds extensive hands on experience and
Speaker 2: evidence recovery, especially with Windows systems. Peter Marketto's a law
Speaker 2: firm partner, brings that critical legal perspective making sure findings
Speaker 2: are court ready. And Andrew Rosen, He's renowned for developing
Speaker 2: cutting edge investigative tools. Even the tech editor lewis a
Speaker 2: Sharinghousen junior. You know, his background is a special agent
Speaker 2: for the USPA's Criminal Investigation Division. That brings that vital
Speaker 2: law enforcement practicality. So yeah, this collective, real world experience
Speaker 2: is what makes the insights so actionable, so reliable.
Speaker 1: Right and beyond the let's say, the cool tools, the
Speaker 1: book really emphasizes a rigorous, methodical process. It's not just
Speaker 1: what tech you use, but how you use it, isn't
Speaker 1: it Because the end of the day, findings have to
Speaker 1: stand up in court precisely.
Speaker 2: Yeah, the foundation for sound forensic practice. It relies heavily
Speaker 2: on established frameworks, the Electronic Discovery Reference Model EDRM, established
Speaker 2: back in two thousand and five. That's highlighted as a flexible,
Speaker 2: tested industry standard. Adopting it is absolutely crucial for ensuring
Speaker 2: findings are defensible, admissible as evidence, no question.
Speaker 1: So, okay, an incident happens, How does this process actually begin? Like,
Speaker 1: what are the absolute first steps and investigator takes right?
Speaker 2: Well, it kicks off with clearly determining the scope of
Speaker 2: the investigation, what are we actually looking for, and then
Speaker 2: identifying potential repositories basically figuring out where data that could
Speaker 2: hold evidence might be hiding. This could be anything, you know,
Speaker 2: a personal laptop, massive enterprise servers, maybe even a smartphone.
Speaker 2: The next critical step is to strategize preservation. This means
Speaker 2: taking immediate, decisive action to protect that data at all costs,
Speaker 2: making sure it isn't modified or overwritten or destroyed. After
Speaker 2: the incident, you want to freeze that digital scene exactly
Speaker 2: as it was.
Speaker 1: Okay, And once that data is protected, how do you
Speaker 1: ensure its integrity, especially through what could be a long,
Speaker 1: complex investigation. What are the absolute non negotiables to make
Speaker 1: sure it stands up in court?
Speaker 2: Ah? Okay. This is where the chain of custody becomes
Speaker 2: just essential. It's a legal requirement. It's a meticulous record
Speaker 2: of precisely who did what to the data when, right
Speaker 2: from the moment it's collected to its final storage. And
Speaker 2: to mathematically prove the evidence hasn't changed, experts use cryptographic
Speaker 2: hashing functions, things like MT five and SAHA one. Think
Speaker 2: of them like unique digital fingerprints.
Speaker 1: Right like it checks some but much more robust.
Speaker 2: Exactly even a single bit change in a massive file
Speaker 2: completely alters this fingerprint, so it becomes undeniable mathematical proof
Speaker 2: against tampering. Following this, investigators preview the data but only
Speaker 2: using forensically approved, right protected tools that guarantees no inadvertent modifications.
Speaker 2: Only after all these rigorous steps can the analysis truly begin,
Speaker 2: which is the book calls the meat of the investigation,
Speaker 2: and that demands both completeness, you know, thoroughness, and honestly
Speaker 2: some creative thinking.
Speaker 1: Given that rigorous process, you might wonder where do these
Speaker 1: investigators actually begin their hunt for clues. It turns out
Speaker 1: your computer is kind of an open book if you
Speaker 1: know where to look.
Speaker 2: That's right. Yeah. At its core, all digital data boils
Speaker 2: down to binary just ones and zers, and this fundamental
Speaker 2: truth is really the bedrock for forensics because it means
Speaker 2: even when you delete something, those ones that dose often
Speaker 2: persist on the drive. They're just waiting to be painstakingly reassembled.
Speaker 2: So an investigator needs to understand the fundamental oponents, the bios,
Speaker 2: the operating system Windows, Linux, Macintosh, and especially the physical
Speaker 2: parts of a hard drive, the platters, the heads, the
Speaker 2: spindles where data is actually stored in tracks, sectors, clusters.
Speaker 2: The book covers various drive types too, like ide STA
Speaker 2: SCSI SaaS. Understanding the nuances of these older and newer
Speaker 2: drive types is crucial because each one kind of has
Speaker 2: its own language for storing and retrieving data. Mastering these
Speaker 2: distinctions means an investigator isn't just looking for data, they're
Speaker 2: kind of speaking its native tongue, you know, unlocking evidence
Speaker 2: others might miss.
Speaker 1: But it's not just the main hard drive we're talking about,
Speaker 1: is it. What about less common stuff or even like
Speaker 1: ancient storage devices.
Speaker 2: Absolutely? Yeah. While rare today floppy disks, they can surprisingly
Speaker 2: still appear in investigations if the timeframe goes back far
Speaker 2: enough and they pose unique formatting challenges. More commonly tape
Speaker 2: backup drives like dat dds, dltsdlt lto. There is significant
Speaker 2: source of archival evidence from servers, though acquiring DATTA from
Speaker 2: them can be pretty complex, just due to the variety
Speaker 2: of hardware and software involved. And you know, with the
Speaker 2: explosion of personal tech memory technologies and digital cameras and
Speaker 2: B three players and especially smartphones, these are now crucial
Speaker 2: evidence sources. The book really stresses the absolute necessity of
Speaker 2: using a read only mode for these devices. You cannot
Speaker 2: risk modifying data during the forensic process.
Speaker 1: Right, That makes sense. All this delicate data acquisition the analysis,
Speaker 1: and it obviously demands a very specific environment. Tell Us
Speaker 1: a bit about the highly secure setup of a proper
Speaker 1: forensic lab.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah, what's truly fascinating here is the sheer effort involved.
Speaker 2: It's intense. You need robust physical access controls think high
Speaker 2: grade locks, multi factor authentication, plus clear policies, procedures, meticulous
Speaker 2: entry exit logs. You have to know who is in
Speaker 2: there and when. Network access must be completely isolated ideally
Speaker 2: an air gap literally no connection to the outside world,
Speaker 2: or at least a fortress like firewall that's to prevent
Speaker 2: any remote tampering or you know, spoilation of evidence and
Speaker 2: critical environmental safeguards too, like advanced fire protection. Fireproof enclosures.
Speaker 2: Got to protect the physical evidence itself and the.
Speaker 1: Computers inside the lab. They must be specialized too, right,
Speaker 1: This isn't just your everyday desktop running the analysis.
Speaker 2: Not at all, No way. Forensic host computers. They require
Speaker 2: immense processing power, tons of memory. They're dealing with potentially
Speaker 2: vast amounts of data. Mubbile investigators often rely on specialized
Speaker 2: portable hardware duplicating tools, things like forensic talent or hard copy.
Speaker 2: These can copy data at incredible speeds like three gigabytes
Speaker 2: per second or faster. That ensures rapid acquisition on site
Speaker 2: for long term storage. Yeah, large sand or NAS systems
Speaker 2: are ideal, but they're often cost prohibitive for most labs,
Speaker 2: so you see clever solutions like external sator raid units.
Speaker 2: The book highlights indispensable tools like forensically sound right blockers,
Speaker 2: half stopy off use one example, and systems like the
Speaker 2: image Master Solo three forensic, which images the suspects hard
Speaker 2: drive but also does that critical cryptographic verification we talk about.
Speaker 1: It's truly mind boggling how much data we in. It
Speaker 1: certainly leave behind just trails everywhere. So this raised an
Speaker 1: important question. Even if someone tries to cover their tracks,
Speaker 1: what digital breadcrumbs do they inevitably leave that forensics can uncover.
Speaker 2: You leave a surprisingly robust trail, often without even realizing it.
Speaker 2: It's quite something. For instance, take Microsoft Office Forensics. It's
Speaker 2: not just the document's content that provides clues, not at all.
Speaker 2: The custom tab and file properties often reveals hidden metadata
Speaker 2: things like a unique review cycle, iide, the email subject,
Speaker 2: even the author email display name. These little bits connect
Speaker 2: documents directly to users and their communications. The book even
Speaker 2: mentions how older Word ninety seven documents actually contain the
Speaker 2: MAI address of the network card that created them, like
Speaker 2: a digital fingerprint tied to the hardware. And here's the kicker.
Speaker 2: Even common features like quick save or autosave, they're not
Speaker 2: just saving your work, they're creating temporary fragments of your
Speaker 2: document and word documents. They can surprisingly store up to
Speaker 2: five hundred plaintext undoe action five hundred. Seriously, it means
Speaker 2: every keystroke, every little edit you thought you reversed, can
Speaker 2: potentially be recovered, painting a very detailed picture of your activity.
Speaker 1: Wow, okay, what about web browsing. Then everyone thinks, you know,
Speaker 1: clearing their history is enough to erase their tracks.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's commonness, It absolutely is. Yeah, that's where OS
Speaker 2: user logs come in. It's a gold mine. The Windows
Speaker 2: User Assist Registry key, for example, tracks every single application
Speaker 2: you run. Doesn't matter if you manually opened it, clicked
Speaker 2: a shortcut, or even access to control panel setting it
Speaker 2: logs it. This creates an invaluable, almost undeniable timeline of
Speaker 2: user activity, even for things you thought were just temporary clicks.
Speaker 1: And what about mobile devices, which are, let's face it,
Speaker 1: practically extensions of ourselves. Now do they leave an even
Speaker 1: richer trail.
Speaker 2: Oh, they certainly do. I mean people are so comfortable,
Speaker 2: so ingrained with their mobile devices, they often let their
Speaker 2: defenses down. As the book puts it, that makes them
Speaker 2: incredibly rich sources of evidence. Now, there are tons of
Speaker 2: different acquisition methods. Over thirty seven are mentioned for various devices,
Speaker 2: from old Palm pilots to Window cemobile, hundreds of cell
Speaker 2: phone models. But the core data call logs, contacts, text messages, SMSMMS,
Speaker 2: browser history, calendar events, sometimes even voice records. It's often
Speaker 2: recoverable tools like Parabin's device seizure and in case they're
Speaker 2: designed specifically for this kind of work. However, password protected
Speaker 2: Windows mobile devices, they still pose a significant challenge. Active
Speaker 2: sync often requires the password just to connect for forensic examination,
Speaker 2: so that's a hurdle.
Speaker 1: Okay, Now let's tackle maybe the most impactful application of
Speaker 1: all this. How do forensic experts use these techniques to
Speaker 1: expose crime and deception, especially when perpetrators actively try to
Speaker 1: hide their tracks. This sounds like a real high stakes
Speaker 1: cat and mouse game.
Speaker 2: It absolutely is. Yeah, the book delves deep into defeating
Speaker 2: anti forensic techniques, showcasing this very game. Like we said,
Speaker 2: a common misconception is that deleting a file makes it disappear.
Speaker 2: It just doesn't work that way most of the time. Now, wiping,
Speaker 2: which means actually overwriting every bit of data, maybe with
Speaker 2: zeros or random characters, that can make data unrecoverable, but
Speaker 2: even that is often detectable. You might look for repeating
Speaker 2: character patterns or identify the use of specific DODU wiping specifications.
Speaker 2: It leaves its own kind of trace. Even reformatting a
Speaker 2: hard drive isn't a silver bullet. Data carving can often
Speaker 2: still recover snippets of information, email fragments, user assist logs
Speaker 2: from that supposedly blank unallocated space.
Speaker 1: Right, and what about encryption, That seems like a pretty
Speaker 1: formidable shield against forensics.
Speaker 2: Encryption, Yeah, whether it's symmetric or asymmetric, certainly poses a
Speaker 2: significant hurdle, no doubt about it. However, tools exist like
Speaker 2: Access Data's Password Recovery Toolkit or PRTK. It can potentially
Speaker 2: crack encrypted files give enough time and computational power. It's
Speaker 2: a brute force approach sometimes. Plus forensic software like FTK
Speaker 2: can use something called entropy testing to identify whether a
Speaker 2: file is encrypted in the first place. Even if it
Speaker 2: can't immediately decrypt it. That tells you something's being hidden,
Speaker 2: even simple obfuscation like ROT thirteen. I mean, it's rarely
Speaker 2: used to hide serious data, but it's easily detectable. And surprisingly,
Speaker 2: Microsoft has a long standing affair with ROT thirteen in
Speaker 2: various contexts.
Speaker 1: Apparently.
Speaker 2: The book also highlights that even compressed files, things like
Speaker 2: ZIP files, which seem inaccessible can often be opened and
Speaker 2: searched directly by powerful tools like FTK and in case.
Speaker 1: Okay, so, armed with all these techniques, how do investigators
Speaker 1: apply them to real world crimes? Let's start with the
Speaker 1: intellectual properties after IP theft. That's a huge concern for
Speaker 1: businesses today.
Speaker 2: Oh absolutely, IP theft, unauthorized removal of customer data, proprietary
Speaker 2: source code. It's a massive risk for corporations. And the
Speaker 2: book really emphasizes that USB thumb drives are a gigantic
Speaker 2: risk just because they're so easy to use for mass
Speaker 2: data removal. Plug it in, copy walk away forensics can
Speaker 2: identify which specific drives were plugged in using the Windows
Speaker 2: USB Store Registry key. Think of it like a digital
Speaker 2: guestbook entry right. It even logs the device's unique ID. Then,
Speaker 2: alongside this things like link files and bags and r
Speaker 2: U entries. They act as digital breadcrumbs. They often reveal
Speaker 2: which specific files were open from that external drive, maybe
Speaker 2: even entire directory listings. That provides compelling evidence even long
Speaker 2: after the drive itself is gone. And when it comes
Speaker 2: to source code, investigators can find evidence of cuts and
Speaker 2: pastes using hash comparisons or tools like the unit exit
Speaker 2: of utility. They can spot even subtle changes or borrowings.
Speaker 1: And for internal issues, things like employee misconduct, how detailed
Speaker 1: can forensics get there? Is it just about surfing inappropriate websites?
Speaker 2: Oh? It goes way beyond that employee misconduct. Yeah, it
Speaker 2: extends far beyond maybe taking office supplies or slacking off.
Speaker 2: Computer forensics can meticulously track inappropriate computer and internet use, sure,
Speaker 2: but it can also identify harassment through recovered chat logs
Speaker 2: or uncover violations of non compete agreements. Investigators can use
Speaker 2: highly targeted keyword searches, looking for customer lists being copied,
Speaker 2: for example, or even looking for code words employees might
Speaker 2: use to communicate improperly on internal systems, trying to fly
Speaker 2: under the radar.
Speaker 1: Right, Okay, finally, let's look at one of the most
Speaker 1: pervasive digital crimes fraud, whether it's employee fraud, corporate fraud,
Speaker 1: consumer fraud. What does forensics reveal there?
Speaker 2: Well, fraud schemes from employee embezzlement maybe right up to
Speaker 2: huge corporate accounting scandals like Enron, or even things like
Speaker 2: consumer identity theft and mortgage fraud. They often involve perpetrators
Speaker 2: keeping a second set of books, you know, or creating
Speaker 2: falsified documents. Forensics really excels at finding these hidden ledgers.
Speaker 2: They're often just Excel or QuickBooks files tupped away somewhere,
Speaker 2: and it can detect forged documents by analyzing temporary files,
Speaker 2: looking in unallocated space, or even checking user assist logs
Speaker 2: for patterns of activity like scanning, modifying, and printing documents.
Speaker 2: For corruption involving things like bribery or kickbacks, tracing communications,
Speaker 2: emails chats to build a social network of the involved
Speaker 2: parties is absolutely key. Even in complex organized cybercrime, forensics
Speaker 2: helps determine if malware exists on a system, how it
Speaker 2: got there, and exactly what the hackers did by meticulously
Speaker 2: reconstructing their activity from network logs and system artifacts. In
Speaker 2: money laundering cases, investigators look for evidence of shell companies,
Speaker 2: fake identities used in foreign banks, hidden accounting ledgers, tracking
Speaker 2: illicit funds. It all leaves digital traces.
Speaker 1: Okay, So all this incredibly detailed technical work, it eventually
Speaker 1: culminates in the legal system. What does this all mean
Speaker 1: when the rubber meets the road and these intricate findings
Speaker 1: actually head to court?
Speaker 2: Yeah, this raises a really important question, right, how do
Speaker 2: you translate this highly complex technical stuff into something a
Speaker 2: judge or a jury can understand and actually act upon.
Speaker 2: The book underscores the absolutely crucial role of documentation. It's everything,
Speaker 2: whether it's internal reports for the company, formal declarations for lawyers,
Speaker 2: or sworn affidavits for the court. Investigators have to translate
Speaker 2: complex technical findings into clear, concise, factual language language for
Speaker 2: non technical audiences. And every single statement made must be
Speaker 2: defensible based on firsthand knowledge. You have to avoid Hereston,
Speaker 2: it has to be what you found.
Speaker 1: And there's a significant difference in how evidence is handled
Speaker 1: depending on whether it's a civil case or a criminal case.
Speaker 1: Isn't there the implications for the victim, the person who's
Speaker 1: computer it is can be quite different.
Speaker 2: Indeed, Yeah, that's a key distinction. In criminal cases, law
Speaker 2: enforcement often seizes the original media. They have to really
Speaker 2: to establish that proper chain of custody, but that means
Speaker 2: the complainant the victim may lose control of their own
Speaker 2: equipment for potentially a very long time. However, in civil litigation,
Speaker 2: the parties generally maintain more control over the whole dispute
Speaker 2: resolution process. This often allows private forensic experts to just
Speaker 2: image the systems, make a perfect copy, and preserve that
Speaker 2: copy while the original computers or media are returned relatively quickly.
Speaker 2: It minimizes disruption and as a testifying expert witness, you're
Speaker 2: there to provide an independent opinion based on your expertise,
Speaker 2: but you have to be acutely aware that all your work,
Speaker 2: all your communications related to the case are discoverable. That
Speaker 2: means any document, any email, even a quick note or
Speaker 2: a doodle you made it could become work product and
Speaker 2: be subject to questioning by the other side. So objectivity
Speaker 2: being impartial is just paramount.
Speaker 1: Ultimately, the ramifications of these digital crimes, whether it's IP theft,
Speaker 1: employee misconduct, or huge fraud schemes, they have immense impacts
Speaker 1: right on companies, on shareholders, on individuals, this deep dive
Speaker 1: has really shown us the essential, often painstaking role computer
Speaker 1: forensics plays in uncovering these hidden truths. So we've journeyed
Speaker 1: through this intricate world of computer forensics, haven't we, From
Speaker 1: the hidden corners of your hard drive all the way
Speaker 1: to the complex web of organized cybercrime. We've seen how
Speaker 1: dedicated experts, using precise methods and highly specialized tools can
Speaker 1: uncover those digital footprints that expose deception and bring clarity
Speaker 1: to really complex situations.
Speaker 2: And if we connect this to the bigger picture, I
Speaker 2: think it means that even in our increasingly digital world,
Speaker 2: accountability for actions, whether they're accidental or intentional, it leaves
Speaker 2: a tangible trail. It really does. The field of computer
Speaker 2: forensics provides the critical techniques to follow that trail, piece
Speaker 2: by piece, regardless of how cleverly someone tries to hide it.
Speaker 1: So what stands out to you from this deep dive?
Speaker 1: For me, it's a stark reminder that every digital interaction,
Speaker 1: every file created or deleted, every email sent, it leads
Speaker 1: a unique signature. The question isn't just if the evidence
Speaker 1: exists anymore, it's usually who has the expertise and the
Speaker 1: right tool to actually find it,