Project designs PC to trap hi-tech criminals
German and Swiss researchers have developed the world's fastest personal computer (PC) forensic system to copy and protect evidence in criminal cases involving computers and digital networks. The IT FORENSIC project was supported by EUREKA. As the widespread use of information technology (IT) has led to an increase in computer crime, so the demand from law enforcement agencies for reliable digital forensics tools to trap criminals has also risen. Whilst traditional forensic techniques, from fingerprinting to DNA traces, have only a small role to play in fighting computer crime, digital forensics require a fast analysis and copy of computer records ranging from picture files and database contents to file transfers and e-mails. In addition, the evidence obtained for forensic analysis must be totally credible and tamperproof to stand up in a court of law. The project developed an all-in-one portable digital forensic PC that can read all types of memory technology and provide a mirror image of the data on any type of hard disk, sector by sector, using hardware-based writing protection to avoid any possibility of falsifying data while copying. 'We did not have all the know-how necessary in house,' explains Martin Hermann, General Director of mh SERVICE, which specialises in supplying portable PCs and forensic portable PCs in Germany and throughout Europe. 'We can now copy 10 GB of secured evidence in just five minutes, compared with 30 to 60 minutes using alternative equipment,' adds Mr Hermann. According to the project partners, the new instrument, dubbed TreCorder, is already attracting interest from security agencies, police forces, finance and tax authorities and accountancy organisations on both sides of the Atlantic. Moreover, the new knowledge gained in the project is also being studied by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN), the birthplace of the worldwide web, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), which advises government and industry on IT security in the USA.
Countries
Germany