Computer Forensics

The world is becoming a smaller place to live and work. We bank electronically, and are more likely to receive an email than a letter. Criminal activity has, to a large extent, also converted from a physical dimension to a cyber dimension. As early as 1984, the FBI Laboratory and other law enforcement agencies began developing programs to examine computer evidence. For the most part these examinations were scattered throughout the agency but now it appears to be trending toward moving to a laboratory environment. Computer Forensics is defined as “the science of identifying, recovering, extracting, preserving, and documenting ESI (Electronically Stored Information) so that it can be presented as evidence in a court of law.” This science was created to address the specific needs of law enforcement in order to make the most of the electronic evidence. Computer forensics has been an evidence gathering tool of technology-related investigations and intelligence gathering in law enforcement and military agencies since the mid-1980s. However, only since 1999 have the tools been developed that make the examination process comprehensive, expedient, and financially feasible.
There are five basic steps to the computer forensic process: Preparation of the investigator, Collection of the data, Examination of the data, Analysis of the data, and Reporting of the findings.

The investigators must first acquire the equipment that is needed for each investigation. This equipment can include the normal equipment that is used in a traditional forensic investigation, such as cameras, notepads, crime scene tape, cable tags, and stick-on labels. It can also include equipment to help with the operating systems, data recovery software, disk imaging software, encryption decoding software, and file viewers. Investigators should try to never use the original media that is collected as evidence because that evidence needs to be preserved. They should also be aware of the court rules that are in place for evidence and be sure to follow these rules closely.

According to a veteran law enforcement officer and trainer, the most important aspect of computer forensic investigation is gathering the evidence. He said that all the computer technology in the world for forensics is only as good as the evidence (input) that is used. So when the officers or detectives arrive on the scene is imperative that the scene remain sterile. It is also imperative that evidence is gathered using proper procedures as not to contaminate the evidence. Once all the evidence has been gathered, the data can be put into the computers and various other machines, labs, etc. It really is amazing all the information that investigators can glean from the technology. However, again he stressed that the computers are only as good as their human counterparts. If the data input has been contaminated or gathered in a manner that is inconsistent with proper protocol, then the output from the forensics will not be good.

Computer forensic examinations are conducted in forensic laboratories, data processing departments, and in some cases, the detective’s squad room. Computer evidence represented by physical items such as chips, boards, central processing units, storage media, monitors, and printers can be described easily and correctly as a unique form of physical evidence. Although forensic laboratories are very good at ensuring the integrity of the physical items in their control, computer forensics also requires methods to ensure the integrity of the information contained within those physical items. The challenge to computer forensic science is to develop methods and techniques that provide valid and reliable results while protecting the real evidence from harm. Evidence can be found in many different forms: financial records, word processing documents, diaries, spreadsheets, databases, e-mail, pictures, movies, sound files, etc. There is a lot of information that is stored in a computer of which most users are unaware. A forensic examiner can usually tell what a computer was used for, when it was used, what the user has done on the Internet (and when), and recover much of what the user wrote, read or viewed on the computer. Examiners can find deleted files. They may not get the entire file, but they can get some of it.

Evidence to be analyzed must be information uncovered during an investigation. With average storage capacities approaching 30 gigabytes and systems with 60 GB available it is likely to be impossible to completely and exhaustively examine every file stored on a seized system. There may also be legal prohibitions against searching every file (example: doctor files-patient privacy). To keep the seized evidence intact and unaltered they try to make a copy of files to do the investigation from and then leave the original intact and unaltered. Unlike most investigation the evidence from computers will not always be the same, like fingerprints or DNA, each case will have different information to be analyzed. This leads to different policies of collection, examination and analyzing. Computer forensic science is also almost entirely technology and market driven, generally outside the laboratory setting, and the examinations present unique variations in almost every situation.

The final step in a computer forensic investigation is the report writing. This is actually the one of the greatest tasks of the forensic analyst because they must put the data together in such as way as to be readable for the intended audience. If the judge and jury in a court case cannot understand the evidence being submitted, it is unlikely that they will be swayed by the evidence in their decision making process. Disorganized and poorly written reports can jeopardize a case. There are websites that are aimed at helping these professionals to write good, detailed reports. There is even a website with a template to ensure that the report writer has all the necessary information in the report. That template is located at http://computer-forensics.privacyresources.org/forensic-template.htm Computer forensics is one of the many career opportunities for the skilled IT professional that would prove to be very interesting and challenging.

Securing Information Systems

What Executives Should Know and Do.

As technology is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s societies businesses are looking for more ways to secure account information that might include, home address, telephones, birthdays, and social security numbers. This information must be secured for people who might want to access it for unauthorized use including identity thieves. If account and personal information is stolen from consumers, your company might face serious consequences from the federal government and you could lose support from the very consumers you depend on.
Todd Fitzgerald from the National Government Services outlined 13 Questions that the Chief Information Office must ask of the Chief Executive Officer to ensure that all accounts, personal information, and company knowledge is kept secure. The questions are below. Fitzgerald examines how the changing workplace is affecting security at companies. Companies are having to evaluate how much money they need to spend on securing information without hurting the company’s bottom line. He argues that an employee’s security to certain types of information should be based on their position in the company, “Attention to security should be on a risk adjusted basis, with the higher priority projects receiving increased, formalized attention, while the smaller efforts could be accomplished by the development team through the use of internal peer reviews of the security requirements” (Fitzgerald 4). He goes on to point out that a CIO’s responsibility does not end there. CIO’s are responsible for making sure that servers are protected, codes secure, and insure that high standards are met by performing internal and external audits.


1. What is the minimum necessary effort required to produce code that is secure?
2. What do we need to do to avoid audit issues in the application development process without adding significant expense or delays to our projects?
3. Do you see your role as an after-the-fact reviewer of security controls or engaged in the implementation of the controls?
4. What technologies are available to reduce the labor intensive process of keeping up with the latest patches, system vulnerabilities, configuration management and compliance monitoring?
5. Can you provide information on the “real risks” that are present in our specific industry and the appropriate implementation alternatives that companies use to mitigate these risks?
6. How can we ensure that we have reduced our exposure to an acceptable risk?
7. What tangible benefit will we receive from the security investments that will enable the business?
8. Which internal/external audit issues will these investments eliminate?
9. What other information technology resources are required, in addition to ssstems Security staff, to implement the security solution presented? What support is required from the business?
10. How do the security requirements integrate with the systems development life cycle? Are we performing these tasks already?
11. Do we have the necessary experience in-house to implement these solutions? Should we consider outsourcing some of the functions?
12. What are the critical success factors for achieving success in our security efforts? How much security is “enough”?13. How can you help reduce the time I spend on compliance- related efforts in gathering documentation

Computer Crimes

As the world becomes more and more dependent on computers, threats to those computers continue to increase at alarming rates. Computer crimes are flourishing despite the rigorous efforts of law enforcement and the business communities that try to stop it. According to a 2005 FBI survey, nearly nine out of 10 organizations experience computer security incidents in a year’s time. The survey revealed that virus and spyware led the list. Viruses and worms cost organizations $12 million annually.

Hackers are individuals who gains unauthorized access to computers. Crackers are hackers who have the intent of doing something criminal. According to the FBI, the newest threat to computers is through a wireless internet or network connection. The FBI stated that the Wireless Encryption Protocol is becoming increasingly vulnerable to hackers. They can gain access to a computer simply by being near your home. Once they have access, they can send illegal spam and pilfer your computer’s data. The FBI suggests that home computer owners setup password protection and change the default and security setting on the WEP.

Identity theft is also a serious computer crime plaguing our country. Personal information can be gained by a hacker through phishing. Phishing is accomplished by setting up fake web sites or sending emails to individuals asking to update personal information such as social security numbers, bank account information, or credit card information. The Internal Revenue Service has actually been warning individuals of this practice for several years now. Criminals pose as the IRS in an attempt to access confidential information. Many people are afraid of the IRS so this works out well for the criminals.

Setting router protocols is a small way to defend yourself from hackers and crackers. Another form of "self defense" is to pay a servicing company to "follow up" with your credit to help stop identity theft. I know this is a small price to pay, but once you have been hit, the cost of "recovering" your identity is very expensive and will be worth the investment. You should constantly get an updated credit report from the three major credit bureaus that you are entitled to each year. This will give you a chance to dispute, even report suspicious activities in your bureau. These credit/identity maintenance are very time consuming, but it is a small way of protecting yourself in the long run.

With all the advanced technological criminals in the world today, a few suggestions come to mind. Always make sure your computer is protected with some type of virus and firewall protection. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you setup passwords on your wireless internet connection. Most importantly, never ever give personal information to anyone in an email.

Telecommunications and the World Wide Web

The world is quickly emerging into one that no longer knows life without technology. Kids now have no idea what it was like to not have video games, remote controls, computers or cell phones. With each new idea that launches in the business world comes a new trade and way of doing things. The World Wide Web and the telecommunications industries seem to be going strong with no signs of slowing down.

Without the World Wide Web, we would not be taking this class or posting this blog. There are so many other options now available to us that only a few years ago were unthinkable. We have internet banking where we can check our account balance anytime without ever setting foot in the bank. There is also the option of using one of the many search engines to find information for research projects or just for fun. It all helps us stay connected at all times.

The telecommunications industry has grown so much that landline phones are almost no longer a necessity. A person with a smart phone can accomplish almost anything they could do while sitting at their work desk. Check e-mail, surf the net, write a Word document and talk on the phone. There is also the option on many phones of being able to take pictures and video and immediately have them sent to someone else. In the cellular world, there are CDMA, GSM and 3G networks, which is used by the Apple’s new iPhone. If at any time we get tired of holding the actual phone in our hands, or we must talk while driving, we have the option now using a Bluetooth paired with our phones. Bluetooth can also connect to other items such as a printer, keyboard or PDA, constantly keeping us connected and able to personally network.

On the opposite side of the telecommunications industry lays the Wi-Fi and wireless internet that almost every company offers to its customers. Cingular, Verizon and Alltel offer a WiFi/wireless internet package that can keep you connected to the internet so long as you are in a cellular service area. How many places can we go now that doesn’t advertise on its walls that it is a “Wi-Fi Hot Spot?” Even McDonald’s has jumped on board making most of its locations a hot spot to help draw that technology savvy crowd. And most people won’t even consider a hotel that doesn’t offer WiFi or wireless internet to its customers. Even now, this blog is being posted using a wireless internet connection.

Our technology is ever changing. The good part is that these services are only improving and getting cheaper to use. The competition has really heated up over the past few years and everyone major telecommunications company wants a slice of that pie. This works well for the consumer who wants to just enjoy always being connected.

Analog vs. Digital

Starting February 17, 2009 all full-power broadcast television stations will stop broadcasting on analog airwaves. They will be in digital only. This allows stations to offer improved picture and sound quality as well as additional channels (www.dtv.gov). The bad thing is once this takes place, unless you have a newer TV, anything made before March 1, 2007 will need a digital-to-analog converter box. Up until March 31, 2009 all households will be able to request up to two coupons to redeem for the converter which each is a $40 value.

The main reason this switch is even happening is because the government wants to free up all of the analog airways. The website, www.dtvanswers.com, says an important benefit of the switch to all-digital broadcasting is that it will free up parts of the valuable broadcast spectrum for other services. Also, some of the spectrum will be auctioned to companies, so they can provide consumers with more advanced wireless services, such as wireless broadband.

Consumers will also benefit from this transition. Not only will digital offer a better picture and sound quality, digital is also more efficient. This transition will actually mean more choices of shows to watch! Who wouldn't love that? Now channels like 7 could offer more than one show. You could watch 7-1, 7-2, or 7-3. It is called multicasting. How awesome is that?

What makes digital better than analog? Basically, the digital signal is transmitted as 1's and 0's, your TV or converter box then deciphers those 1's and 0's and puts them in the correct order which then gives you the picture. It's kind of complicated if you are not around it often, but it is much more efficient than transmitting the old analog signal. Analog signals use much more bandwidth therefore cutting down on the quality of the picture and sound.

There are many questions to consider. Many are concerned about their satellite reception. From what I read, they have nothing to be concerned about. The satellite companies already broadcast their shows in digital. "As a result, there should be no change in service for satellite subscribers unless the local TV stations are not provided by the satellite carrier."
" I have Directv and they sent us a notice telling us that it wouldn't affect us no matter what type of television we have because they broadcast over a digital signal so if they work now they will work later." Renita Brown said. That is great to know!

Let's talk about this converter box. "To help consumers with the DTV transition, the Government established the Digital-to-Analog Converter Box Coupon Program. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), a part of the Department of Commerce, administers this program. Every U.S. household is eligible to receive up to two coupons, worth $40 each, toward the purchase of eligible digital-to-analog converter boxes." That sounds good to me. They official website for the transition states that they started taking applications January 2008. These coupons are only good at participating electronic stores, so visit dtv2009.org for a list of the stores.

If you decide to just get rid of your old tv and buy a digital, they even have programs for that! There are several recycling programs available to use. My Green Electronics was listed on the website, and you can view all their information at http://www.mygreenelectronics.org

If you would like to know more information visit the official website for digital tv transition at dtv2009.org.

Google's Attempt of Total Control

Depending on an individual’s needs or goals and needs of a business determines the selection of software application and productivity tools. Whether an individual uses word processing application to compose class assignments or a business uses word processing to compose letters, a system is selected to accommodate objectives.

Microsoft Office (MO) long held the primary choice of such usage as other applications had phased out in its inability to provide services needed with the evolving needs and available conveniences of this technical era. MO’s suite includes applications that assists in composing professionally written correspondence such as letters and resumes from Word; creations of flyers and certificates from Publisher; slideshow presentations from Powerpoint, calculations and a user-friendly layout to analyze the information in Excel; and Access, which allows one to create databases and manage information. MO has the tools necessary for a smooth personal and business operation where information retrieval is easy by being saved to the hard drive or removable devices.

However, Google has embarked upon the barrier to entry with its Google Apps (GA). Although, the service is fairly new, it already has accumulated many former MO users as GA offers the same features of MO, but on a widened scale at a much more affordable cost. GA’s word processor, spreadsheet, Gmail, calendar and web page creator are direct competitors to MO’s Word, Excel, and Microsoft Outlook. GA may not have an application named Access or Powerpoint, but there are features available to allow one to produce similar end results by sharing the information online that can be accessed and edited all in real-time with the capability of instant online conversation.

GA offers a large amount of storage, strong spam filters and a calendar. It also has a chat feature built in, so it is not necessary to load another program for instant communication. It is convenient and most likely uses fewer resources, which are important when using a budget computer with lower computing capabilities. Google is geared to competing fiercely with MO, so it may not be long before comparative resources and performance levels exceeds the rival application. The unfamiliar applications are equipped with on-training sessions and video clips with and without sound capability for an easy transition.

Users of the Gmail account within GA claim that spam filters block 99% of the spam that usually makes it to your inbox. This convenience allows one to retaining an old email account without burdensome unwanted emails. Emails are tabbed into a thread for great organization, old emails are able to be archived, and all emails are online and even accessible by a mobile phone.

Gmail and Yahoo mail beta along with AOL mail to make up the vast majority of the 500 million or so web mail users around the world. Overall, web users prefer Gmail over all other web mail applications because the speed is consistently faster. They offer more features and more storage. But, Yahoo offers more mainstream Outlook-like user interfaces. If one is are looking for speed and tagging, then Gmail is a better choice. However, if one is looking for something that is closer to Outlook, then Yahoo mail is better.

The following are some comparisons of Gmail and Yahoo Mail:

GMail Yahoo Mail
Users 51m 250M
Storage 2.5Gb+ 1GB
Free Yes Yes
Search A B+
Speed A B+

“I’ve used GMail for a couple of years after using Yahoo! GMail is faster than Yahoo! and other email sites. The interface is easier to use and the inbox updates automatically. Spam very rarely gets through to my inbox, while my Yahoo! inbox was full of it,” exclaims a content Gmail user.
Smaller businesses with more simplified day to day tasks will benefit more from GA. The lower fees are important to this type of business and they most likely do not need to have strong presentation software. Although they need a good database, smaller businesses can handle their needs with a spreadsheet in GA. The spreadsheets can be networked to coworkers who can share the same online copy of each document, spreadsheet or presentation. All revisions are saved and recoverable.

The fact you must be on the internet to use GA is definitely a disadvantage when in an airport or if service is temporarily interrupted. The other applications are on your computer and used anywhere you have power. An offset to this is the Enterprise-class service, which are managed 24/7 by Google and phone support is available for critical issues. But who wants to wait while going through another avenue to pull up information that is wanted immediately? The idea of not having information and business secrets to be accessible at any time seems to be a great release of power.
It is clear that GA is significantly faster, has mounds and mounds of infinite space for storage that is added to when deemed necessary, less expensive than MO and Google is geared towards customer intimacy. Google encourages customers to offer their input on services they’d like to have which is not currently available. Google considers the information with available technology while working to improve its services. Google also takes into consideration the love of personalization that people enjoy in their messages and pages. They’ve added new emoticons and a wider array of colors.

Green Computing?

Everything is going green, even computing, but what exactly is “green computing”? Wikipedia defines green computing as “the study and practice of using computing resources efficiently.” The problems addressed by green computing are increasingly complex and include but are not limited to the disposal of electronic waste, energy use, carbon free computing, telecommuting, and thin client solutions. All the major computer manufacturing companies are working on ways to make their products “greener” and providing solutions for companies with their existing systems. IBM has committed to a number of goals in reducing energy consumption with Project Big Green. To conserve energy they are implementing more intelligent design and more efficient cooling systems that may use liquid instead of air to cool. Fifty-five to sixty-five percent of power coming into data centers is from HVAC systems and lighting. IBM has created a "cold battery" to improve data center chillers, it can turn from a liquid into a solid, the temperature at which it turns to a solid can be set and can use less energy when charging up. The battery also holds power better than a traditional cooler and can be charged at night when it is cooler and utility rates are lower.IBM also claims to have become the first company to recycle 1 billion pounds of IT equipment last fall, and will continue recycling 40,000 systems per week. Solar power is one of the alternative energy sources. Solar powered computing is less polluting, more affordable, more reliable and more flexible for a wide variety of new markets, applications and environments. Some advantages of solar power are a clean non-polluting energy, silent operation, virtually free energy once the capital cost has been covered, no refueling, self sufficient, highly reliable, and virtually maintenance free. Carbon free computing is an idea to reduce the carbon footprint of users. This is the amount of greenhouse gases produced measured in units of carbon dioxide. VIA calculates how much carbon dioxide emissions will be released into the environment and the work with regional offset organizations to offset that amount of carbon dioxide. Some offsets are reforestation alternative energy, and energy conservation. Some benefits of carbon free computing are fulfilling corporate social responsibilities, eligibility for sales and tenders with green requirements, enhancing green working environment for employee comfort and morale, and raise awareness of energy conservation for further cost savings. Telecommuting is also an interesting way for companies to help "go green". By allowing their employees to work from home even a couple days a week helps companies cut down on power costs and saves gas and time on the commute. This doesn't solve the problem of cooling the servers but every little thing helps. Telecommuting reduces an individual’s carbon footprint by reducing the daily commute. Thin client computers are yet another way to help a company go green. A thin client does not store anything within it; instead it sends everything to the server for storage. Regular PCs pass only data to the server and store everything at the terminal instead. A thin client uses 70% less energy than a regular PC and can last longer. The topic of green computing is very vast and with the push from every direction for environmental responsibility this concept will only grow.

Outsourcing

Every day on the news we hear about companies closing down factories and outsourcing jobs to places like Mexico, India, and China. But what we don’t really know is if the outsourcing really helps the bottom line. Iacouvou and Nakatsu researched different companies and their outsourcing efforts over the years in an attempt to see what the common errors made by companies and the company contracted to do the outsourcing.

To begin they examined the case of Life Time Fitness (LTF) who went with a company in India to develop a decision support system in hopes that the company would develop a tool that would allow Life Time Fitness to decide where the best places were to put their gyms. Soon LTF began experiencing problems with transfer of knowledge, communication errors, and inexperienced IT personnel. This ended up costing the company a great deal of money and they decided to end the contract with the Indian company without the decision support system that they had originally needed.

Outsourcing is a unique method of getting work tasks done outside the walls of the actual business itself and possibly even outside the boundaries of the business' home country. Of course telephones are one way to enable outsourcing of jobs, but the internet opened many new doors for outsourcing especially for the information systems field. Everything has its advantages and disadvantages. First, it is very beneficial for companies to have many potential providers for information systems services and workers because of price competition and the huge demand on this field. On the other hand, outsourcing and offshoring can create more problems due to increased risks, communication barriers and inhibitors, culture clashes, and lack of knowledge.

The two kinds of outsourcing, domestic outsourcing among other U.S. companies and overseas offshoring to other low-wage countries, both have their own effects on the information systems field. Of course outsourcing occurring in our own country is going to have a smaller impact on overall employment demand since most businesses may lose a couple of their own workers as larger servicing firms hire them. However, the offshoring will have a much greater impact on the demand, especially the technical area as opposed to the management area, because most people overseas are learning the technical parts of the field, how things work, how they can be fixed, and how they can be serviced as opposed to how to manage people who do those things. The managers are those who remain in our own country, but more and more people overseas are learning the "grunt work" of certain fields, information systems and customer service call centers just to name a couple, and causing more competition when it comes to seeking employment in those areas.

For these reasons the researchers in the above mentioned article outlined several risk factors that US companies should take into account when considering outsourcing. “As the findings indicate, the risks focus on three major areas of concern: the communication between the client and the vendor, the client’s internal management of the project, and the vendor’s capabilities” (Iacovou and Nakatsu 91).

In conclusion, when it comes to learning new information systems skills, in order to maximize ones employment potential, it is very advantageous to not only develop a vast knowledge of the technical aspect (hardware, software, systems functions, etc.) but to also place an equal amount of importance on the managerial skills one would need to design new systems, solutions and implement them while leading others to do the same things.

RFID Potential

Inventory tracking and management is an extremely important part of a company's daily operations. The majority of the process is done by hand. Individual pieces of inventory are marked, tracked, and managed with by a UPC (Universal Product Code) Bar code that is printed on the product. A UPC is a symbol that is 12 numerical digits long, which have corresponding bar of varying widths for each number. When scanned, the UPC reveals two pieces of basic information, the manufacturer and the class of products. For inventory purposes, UPC's also allow a company to determine how many of a given item they have on hand.

UPC's have helped companies track items effectively for nearly 35 years, with a few problems. First, an item's barcode had to be physically scanned or it wouldn't be included in inventory. Next, if the item was misplaced then chances are it would get overlooked, creating a shortage, causing the company to remove it from inventory. Suppose the item was found the next time inventory came around, the company would have an overage. Lastly, theft is a major problem with items that are tracked by UPC, since removal from company premises cannot be electronically detected at the time of removal.

The time for the replacement of the UPC is very near, and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) is the technology to do it, for various reasons. RFID technology employs an automatic, electronic identification and tracking method, via devices, placed on individual items. Another major difference between RFID and UPC, is that RFID devices are small tags that contain a small circuit and antennas half the size of a grain of salt, these tags have the ability to contain numerous types of information about the product. This type of device allows a company to individually identify each piece of inventory, not just by manufacturer and class. Since each item can be wirelessly tracked, a company has the ability get an instant snapshot of their inventory at any time. This also allows a company to virtually eliminate unnoticed theft and loss. This will allow supermarkets and retailers to eliminate cashiers, reducing overhead, and implement a pass-through checkout, where customers will simply walk through a gate to checkout and pay for items; this will reduce the need for loss prevention personnel. Finally, companies will no longer have the need to hire companies such as RGIS LLC., an inventory counting company, and employees 30 years from now may not even know what an "inventory night" is.

There are other lucrative possibilities for a company's residential customer, such as on-hand grocery management. In 2009, Samsung plans to bring an RFID refrigerator to market. The fridge will monitor on-hand groceries, record regular usage to suggest a grocery list, and will of placing regular, customer-approved, orders to a specified grocery store. Since RFID has the capability of storing data, such as origin of a product, like spinach, in the event of a health scare (i.e. E-coli) the FDA will be able to send out a notification to consumers and businesses that have this item in their inventory.

It would seem that the technology has virtually endless possibilities; however it does come with a few obstacles. The most notable barrier is the cost per device, currently around 10 cents, which is too high relative to the cost of most company’s products. However, recently Wal-Mart has purchased a lot of RFIDs, for what they state was a lot less than 10 cents, to tag larger container of items while they are in-transit to their stores. The next obstacle will be to change over current systems, and to get all items tagged, but once this is completed companies will experience a dramatically improved bottom line.