Forensics: New challenges

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Written by Prof. Iain Sutherland

The pace of technology never ceases to amaze me. What was originally science fiction is now quickly becoming reality. This year’s Consumer Electronics Show  (CES) in Las Vegas showcased some of the latest technology. When I was a child a ‘replicator’ was something on Star Trek, now it is closer to reality with the 3D printers unveiled at this year’s show (The Replicator). But what does this pace of change mean for Digital Forensics?

A few years ago the digital investigator only needed to worry about laptop and desktop computers. Now the list of devices is much longer. It includes smart-phones, tablets and GPS systems in addition to the wide variety of portable storage media that exist in an almost endless variety of forms. These can be anything from sushi, (http://www.sushidisk.co.uk/) to the easy to hide micro SD memory card, and potentially body parts as individuals experiment with bionic replacements such as USB fingers  (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7949018.stm)

The digital investigator at the crime scene now needs to consider where the evidence might reside, and how to recognize and safely collect what could be a wide range of material. The advantage we have is that communication between digital devices often leaves traces of information, digital breadcrumbs we can follow, provided we can recognize them.

So as a digital investigator we need to stay informed about new technology, so I might need to buy one of those replicator’s, although I bet it can’t produce Cardassian Red leaf Tea.