Back in November, we talked about how Isolation Bags worked with a little help from our friends at Top Gear http://forensicstore.com/how-a-faraday-bag-works/. Basically, a Faraday or Isolation bag stops radio waves from reaching whatever is inside. For law enforcement, these bags are integral in mobile device seizures because they maintain the integrity of the device. Without these bags, suspects can erase all of the data on the phone remotely, eliminating any evidence found on the phone.

According to DFI News, there is a new use for these pouches- stopping car thefts. There has been a sharp rise of thefts involving cars with keyless entries. Just like with the mobile devices, they are sending signals to keyless remotes, allowing them access to a car and even starting the ignition. By simply placing the keyless remote in a small isolation pouch, it blocks the radio signal and stops the potential theft. According to the article, rental car companies, remote manufacturers, and car owners are purchasing these pouches as easy piece-of-mind.

A Mobile Phone Blocking Bag like this one from the Forensic Store, is an inexpensive option for those looking to protect themselves from car thefts. Technology is great, but it is a double edged sword. While it allows us to do amazing things, it also leaves us vulnerable to those who use it to do harm. This is something small that allows us to stay one step ahead.

The Forensic Store is now able to offer investigators a larger selection of mobile analysis tools. We welcomed both Oxygen Forensics and Cellebrite to our store. As a vendor neural re-seller, we are able to offer their entire product lines for the guaranteed lowest price.

In addition to the new products, we have new bundle packages available. Every EDAS Fox Machine sold will come with a free trial of Oxygen Forensic Suite AND Field Search Version 4.1. This is in addition to the 3-year parts and labor warrantee and unprecedented customer service we already offer our customers.

Probably most exciting, was the information that we received about how successful DART has been in the field. Due to these cases being active investigations, we can’t divulge all of the details, but a Detective called to say that DART has been used in the recovery of a missing child. A second Detective with a similar story also called from another jurisdiction.  We are so proud to know that our products are making a difference, especially when they help save the lives of children.

We are always interested to hear what our customers have to say. Please take a minute to find us on Facebook, Twitter, and Linkedin to join in on our conversations, ask questions, or get advice from our experts. As always you can contact us directly at brett@forensicstore.com or 727-214-1609 x209.

Instead of fingerprints and DNA, the FBI has sifted through thousands and thousands of pictures and videos. Smartphones have become valuable pieces of evidence. According to Grant Fredericks a forensic video analyst from Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Video Association (LEVA) in Indianapolis, “The message is this: the most prolific source of evidence available to law enforcement comes from video evidence, comes from video sources,” he says. “These kinds of cases really underscore that the general public is collecting video evidence every moment of every day. So when you have a major incident in a major area like this where you have a huge gathering of the public, everyone there with a cell phone now has an evidence collection device that can be used by law enforcement.”

The biggest challenge with this is the sheer amount of data coming in from bystanders and witnesses. No piece of evidence is considered too small. In fact according to Matt Hamblen “The FBI and police are so eager to get smartphone images related to the bombing that Massachusetts State Police detectives were asking airline passengers checking in for flights at Logan Airport on Tuesday whether they might have videos or photos from the event.” His article continues “if one assumes 20% of the 50,000 or so spectators at the marathon were actually using their smartphone cameras, that could be as many as 10,000 individual videos and assorted pictures needing review — and that’s a conservative estimate.”

With a conservative estimate of 10,000 individual videos and pictures needing review, how do authorities sift through it all? And how do they do so while maintaining the evidence for prosecution. The key is the hardware and software they use. The proper mobile device analysis equipment means the different between days or months of looking through data, having to do everything manually, or having it done automatically, and being able to collaborate with other agencies and overcome the logistic hurdles of sharing massive amounts of variable data where it has not been easily shared in the past. Some of the equipment they are likely to use will be high performance media analysis systems and high powered forensic computers, using software that is capable of enhancing and extracting even the smallest amount of useful data from tens of thousands of photos and videos. Further yet, analyzing photo and video data with software designed for geo-tagging and facial recognition capabilities.  Use of cell phone parsing software will be needed to search for deleted messages, common calls, or other key forensic data showing involvement in this scenario.  This type of equipment will allow investigators to weed out the useful images and videos and will eventually lead them to capturing and prosecuting a suspect.

In recent hours, the authorities have identified the suspects. One is reported dead and there is a massive manhunt for the other. They were found using technology did not exist 10 years ago.  Smartphones have opened up a whole new world for investigations. Instead of having to guess the sequence of events leading up to an event, authorities already know. Not only that, but they can see them from different angles, perspectives, and locations.

*Our continued thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this horrendous act of terror. We encourage all of our readers to visit and donate to The One Fund.

1. Security breaches: According to Tech Republic, not only will there be an increase in the number of security breaches, but these breaches will also be more sophisticated. Cybercriminals have abandoned old scareware methods, and have moved towards Ransomware scams and Distributed Denial-of-Services (DDoS) attacks. A single attack of this magnitude can dismantle entire Cloud networks and have a global impact.
2. Rise in the use of Exploit Kits:  Exploit kits are created and sold on the black market and are a favorite of today’s hackers. They are used to identify and attack cyber vulnerabilities and spread malware in programs and websites that are commonly used. On March 25, 2013 the security firm AVG uncovered a massive Exploit Kit tied to emails from the BBC and CNN. “Clicking on the link in the email takes the victim to an exploit kit. The Java download icon suggests that Java is being used to exploit the users PC.” (reference)
3. Passwords are useless: In the past year passwords from Twitter, Facebook, the New York Times, Yahoo, and countless other companies have been infiltrated by hackers. According to a Wired journalist: “With two minutes and $4 to spend at a sketchy foreign website, I could report back with your credit card, phone, and Social Security numbers and your home address. Allow me five minutes more and I could be inside your accounts for, say, Amazon, Best Buy, Hulu, Microsoft, and Netflix. With yet 10 more, I could take over your AT&T, Comcast, and Verizon. Give me 20—total—and I own your PayPal.”
4. HTML₅: HTML₅ is the newest version of the standard language of internet browsers. According to Forbes “Earlier this year, it was noted at the Black Hat conference, a place where security pros can get a sign of attacks to come, that HTML5’s cross-platform support and integration of various technologies opens up new possibilities for attack, such as abusing Web Worker functionality.” The combination of the increase of functionality and newness of the technology will open HTML₅ up to countless security breaches.
5. Near Field Communications (NFC): This increasingly popular technology allows users to establish radio communication with other devices in close proximity. A person can wave their phone to pay for their groceries, share data, and conduct business transactions. This makes it a very attractive target to cybercriminals. And because the technology is still new, there are many opportunities for criminals to strike in ways people would never expect.
6. Hacking Marketplaces: The internet has seen a rise in public forums tailored towards anything from gaming to sewing. Cyber criminals have jumped on this bandwagon, and 2013 will see an increase of invitation only criminal forums where hackers can buy and sell both software and services. According to McAfee’s 2013 Threats Predictions: “This trend will continue, but to improve anonymity without discouraging buyers, online sales sites modeled on legal trade activities will grow in 2013. On these sites, buyers can make their choices at the click of a mouse, use an anonymous online payment method (such as Liberty Reserve), and receive their purchases without any negotiations or direct contact with the seller.”
7. Bring Your Own Device (BYOD): People are increasingly using their mobile devices like they would a regular PC both at home and at the office. This trend opens businesses up to entirely new set of cyber threats. According to Forbes: “Think about it – your smartphone has a camera. It has a microphone. It can record conversations. Add these features to the ability to access your corporate network, and you have the ideal stepladder to climb the walls we are talking about.”
8. Cloud Migration: In 2013, there will be more and more businesses and government agencies putting their information on Cloud sites. This is a highly enticing target for cyber criminals because it represents a single point of failure for the entire structure. According to SC Magazine: “This migration into virtual shared infrastructures changes how we address information security and risk management. The challenge is that cloud security processes and solutions are still being developed.”
9. Hactivism: McAfee’s 2013 Cyber Threat Prediction describes that 2013 will see the decline of groups like Anonymous and the rise of more political groups like the one who organized the uprising in Libya in 2011. “Meanwhile, patriot groups self-organized into cyberarmies and spreading their extremist views will flourish. Up to now their efforts have had little impact (generally defacement of websites or DDoS for a very short period), but their actions will improve in sophistication and aggressiveness. They will fight among themselves, certainly, but their favorite targets will be our democratic societies each time we denounce the extremist governments they support”
10. Nation-State Cyberwar: With the impending release of The Tallinn Manual, a cyberwar manual created by NATO Cooperative Cyber Defense Center of Excellence, cyber-warfare between nations has never been a higher concern. Most recently, on March 21, 2013, the cyber-attack on South Korea’s banks and media was traced back to a Chinese IP address. According to the BBC, North Korea is the suspected perpetrator: “We have said many times that hacker attacks are a global problem, which are anonymous and cross-border. Hackers often use the IP addresses of other countries to carry out their attacks”. The problem is that it is nearly impossible to trace the real attackers.

These top ten examples, in addition of countless other ways, prove why cybersecurity has become one of the world’s top priorities in 2013. The world has become borderless, wireless, and completely open to the public. It is the job of individuals, businesses, and governments alike to increase security and give a sense of privacy in a world where none really exists.

The Forensics Store is working hard to stop human trafficking with our feature rich software, the Data Analysis Reporting Tool (D.A.R.T). Human trafficking takes a personal and psychological toll on society. It also facilitates the illegal movement of immigrants across borders and provides a ready source of income for organized crime groups and even terrorists. Considered to be modern-day slavery, human trafficking victims can range from domestic workers to farm workers to individuals forced into the sex trade. And, many of these victims of control and exploitation are children, society’s most vulnerable targets.

The latest statistics are devastating:

• There are an estimated 27 million men, women and children in forced labor, bonded labor, and forced prostitution around the world, according to the U.S. Department of State in its 2011 Trafficking in Persons Report.

• The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that between 100,000 and 300,000 American children are forced into prostitution every year.

• In 2005, the International Labour Office in Switzerland reported that trafficking activities generated an estimated $32 billion in annual revenue.

D.A.R.T. was developed by a team of experienced digital forensics investigators. It has been used to stop human trafficking, as well as link complex homicide cases, narcotics organizations, and has been used to identify pimps during prostitution stings.

All of your suspects are using cellular technology. D.A.R.T. allows analysis of digital evidence such photographs, shared images, geo-tagged images, as well as the mobile device communications such as cross communications and common communications, and SMS search.

Suspects take photographs of the victims and evidence and kept it in the phone’s memory. It is essential to have software that can pinpoint the location where the photographs were taken and establish a connection between the suspects. With geo-tagged images (showing longitude and latitude), it is possible for investigators to locate potential evidence based on the location where an image was taken. With the shared images feature, duplicate pictures (hash value verified) that appear on more than one device, the investigator is able to track the images that were shared between devices, and thus establish a connection between suspects.

Quality digital forensics software such as D.A.R.T. analyzes mobile device communications such as cross communications and common communications. With cross communications investigators can tell who is talking to whom and with common communications investigators can track when someone may not be talking direct to another person but they may have common contacts that they are calling or messaging, or three-way calling.

Other useful features for fighting human trafficking include: SMS conversations, communication grouping, and keyword searches.

Features that make D.A.R.T. easy to use include timeline graphics that show the life cycle of the call and message activity. Bookmarking reports allow the investigator to collate the data and present an easy to read HTML report that can be further edited or presented. D.A.R.T. includes many more features that make it the most powerful software package on the market in digital forensics for human trafficking. There have been many fine products created that will retrieve thousands of pages of data from your suspect’s cell phones. Unfortunately, this often leads to information overload for investigators. Trying to manually make sense, and more importantly, create connections amongst all this data is time consuming and sometimes even impossible.

It is with this in mind, that the leadership of HTCI (retired law enforcement officers and experts in the cellular investigation area) developed D.A.R.T.

D.A.R.T. Is an important element in breaking up the trade. Furthermore, the tool is priced so that it is very likely that the software will pay for itself in labor costs savings on your very first case!

SPECIAL OFFER: mention this blog and receive 10% OFF D.A.R.T. for the next 30 days (until April 19, 2012)
Call: Brett Fitzgerald 727-214-1609 x209

Guests enjoyed a VIP look inside NFSTC’s training facilities and mobile forensic laboratory. The event highlighted some of the latest and most advanced forensic technology available. Most notably, new laboratory techniques that are brought into the field using mobile, field-purposed devices to support law enforcement, military, border patrol, and other groups responsible for public safety and national security.

The Forensic Store’s Data Analysis Reporting Tool (D.A.R.T.) table display was swamped. Staffers showed and discussed D.A.R.T.’s unique ability to accept data from industry cell phone extraction systems such as Cellebrite, XRY, Lantern, Susteen, Oxygen Forensics, Via Forensics, and Android. Guests were able to see where D.A.R.T. excels compared to other tools – the analytics. D.A.R.T.’s analytics tools include but are not limited to: Shared images, Geo Tagged images, Cross Communications, Common Communications, SMS Conversations, Communication Grouping, Keyword Searches, and Timeline Analysis.

Guests were further amazed by D.A.R.T.’s ability to interpret cell phone Call Detail Records (CDRs). These records can be overwhelming without the proper analysis tool. Before D.A.R.T., investigators were forced analyze CDR’s manually using Excel and other pieces of software. Using the high-powered analytics tools built into the D.A.R.T. platform, guests appreciated how they could analyze THOUSANDS of pages of data in just minutes. Instead of spending days, weeks, or months sifting through piles of data, investigators are able to spend that time working and closing their cases.

Guests also saw some emerging technology and techniques including:
← Alternate light sources
← DNA
← Mobile forensics laboratory
← Mobile media exploitation
← Standoff laser detection
← Improvised explosive devices (IEDs)
← Biometrics
← Field detection of chemicals and explosives

CSI Night 2013 was well-received within the local community. About 150 guests attended the event, and the response was overwhelmingly positive. One guest remarked “The NFSTC evening was very enlightening. It definitely was a mental awakening experience. It makes you realize what advancements have been made in a very short time.”

The necessity for cyber security has increased worldwide, especially since China will be the world’s most sophisticated hacker of foreign companies, states Google chief Eric Schmidt. His new book ‘The Digital Age’ co-written by Jared Cohen, who manages Google Ideas, confirms Schmidt’s theories about China’s hacking abilities.

A recent report tying the Chinese military to computer attacks against American interests has sent a chill through cyber-security experts, who worry that the very lifelines of the United States — its energy pipelines, its water supply, its banks — are increasingly at risk.

The experts say that a successful hacker attack taking out just a part of the nation’s electrical grid, or crippling financial institutions for several days, could sow panic or even lead to loss of life.

“I call it cyberterrorism that makes 9/11 pale in comparison,” Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican and chair of the House Intelligence Committee, told NBC News on Tuesday, February 18, 2013.

For reasons such as these, the NSA preempted and curbed the threat by building the country’s largest cyber security center in Utah due to be completed in September 2013. The Utah Data Center is so large, it necessitated expanding the tiny town of Bluffdale’s boundaries, and once completed it will be five times the size of the US Capitol. The highly-classified project will be responsible for intercepting, storing and analyzing intelligence data as it zips through both domestic and international networks. The data may come in all forms: private e-mails, cell phone calls, Google searches – even parking lot tickets or shop purchases.

“This is more than just a data center,” an official source close to the project told the online magazine Wired.com. The source says the center will actually focus on deciphering the accumulated data, essentially code-breaking.

The Utah Data Center is a massive network of complex systems. Besides water pumps, fuel tanks and generators, the data halls will contain forensic machines, TVs, monitors, and plenty of cabling. Computers and cooling systems at the NSA’s Utah Data Center will reportedly consume $40 million worth of power each year. The power company won’t say if that widely reported estimate is valid.

As governments around the world are setting up cyber security centers such as the Utah Data Center, The Forensic Store will proudly be a supplier of forensic equipment such as forensic computers, forensic software, and faraday bags.

If you need immediate assistance please contact:
Tom Eskridge
Tom@gohtci.com
1-813-343-0766 x101

If you choose to place an order during this time it will be processed, however, please expect a delay in the timeframe of delivery.