Practical Forensic Imaging

Forensic image acquisition is an important part of postmortem incident response and evidence collection. Digital forensic investigators acquire, preserve, and manage digital evidence to support civil and criminal cases; examine organizational policy violations; resolve disputes; and analyze cyber attacks. Practical Forensic Imaging takes a detailed look at how to secure and manage digital evidence using Linux-based command line tools. This essential guide walks you through the entire forensic acquisition process and covers a wide range of practical scenarios and situations related to the imaging of storage media. You’ll learn how to: –Perform forensic imaging of magnetic hard disks, SSDs and flash drives, optical discs, magnetic tapes, and legacy technologies –Protect attached evidence media from accidental modification –Manage large forensic image files, storage capacity, image format conversion, compression, splitting, duplication, secure transfer and storage, and secure disposal –Preserve and verify evidence integrity with cryptographic and piecewise hashing, public key signatures, and RFC-3161 timestamping –Work with newer drive and interface technologies like NVME, SATA Express, 4K-native sector drives, SSHDs, SAS, UASP/USB3x, and Thunderbolt –Manage drive security such as ATA passwords; encrypted thumb drives; Opal self-encrypting drives; OS-encrypted drives using BitLocker, FileVault, and TrueCrypt; and others –Acquire usable images from more complex or challenging situations such as RAID systems, virtual machine images, and damaged media With its unique focus on digital forensic acquisition and evidence preservation, Practical Forensic Imaging is a valuable resource for experienced digital forensic investigators wanting to advance their Linux skills and experienced Linux administrators wanting to learn digital forensics. This is a must-have reference for every digital forensics lab.

A resource to help forensic investigators locate, analyze, and understand digital evidence found on modern Linux systems after a crime, security incident or cyber attack. Practical Linux Forensics dives into the technical details of analyzing postmortem forensic images of Linux systems which have been misused, abused, or the target of malicious attacks. It helps forensic investigators locate and analyze digital evidence found on Linux desktops, servers, and IoT devices. Throughout the book, you learn how to identify digital artifacts which may be of interest to an investigation, draw logical conclusions, and reconstruct past activity from incidents. You’ll learn how Linux works from a digital forensics and investigation perspective, and how to interpret evidence from Linux environments. The techniques shown are intended to be independent of the forensic analysis platforms and tools used. Learn how to: Extract evidence from storage devices and analyze partition tables, volume managers, popular Linux filesystems (Ext4, Btrfs, and Xfs), and encryption Investigate evidence from Linux logs, including traditional syslog, the systemd journal, kernel and audit logs, and logs from daemons and applications Reconstruct the Linux startup process, from boot loaders (UEFI and Grub) and kernel initialization, to systemd unit files and targets leading up to a graphical login Perform analysis of power, temperature, and the physical environment of a Linux machine, and find evidence of sleep, hibernation, shutdowns, reboots, and crashes Examine installed software, including distro installers, package formats, and package management systems from Debian, Fedora, SUSE, Arch, and other distros Perform analysis of time and Locale settings, internationalization including language and keyboard settings, and geolocation on a Linux system Reconstruct user login sessions (shell, X11 and Wayland), desktops (Gnome, KDE, and others) and analyze keyrings, wallets, trash cans, clipboards, thumbnails, recent files and other desktop artifacts Analyze network configuration, including interfaces, addresses, network managers, DNS, wireless artifacts (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WWAN), VPNs (including WireGuard), firewalls, and proxy settings Identify traces of attached peripheral devices (PCI, USB, Thunderbolt, Bluetooth) including external storage, cameras, and mobiles, and reconstruct printing and scanning activity

"This hands-on guide clarifies the difference between what can be done digitally and what should be done in a forensic setting, and helps the reader "learn by doing" with exercises and step-by-step instructions. The images and exercises in the CD-ROM provide practical examples of the techniques described in the book." "Law enforcement professionals who follow the recommendations in this text can feel confident that their handling of imaging evidence will stand up to the high standards necessary for prosecuting criminal cases."--BOOK JACKET.

Forensic imaging with multidetector computed tomography (MDCT) and other cross-sectional imaging modalities is a rapidly evolving field. Understanding the pathological basis of disease and death is fundamental to the interpretation of radiologic images. Forming a bridge between these distinct disciplines, Essentials of Forensic Imaging: A Text-Atla

Photographic imagery has come a long way from the pinhole cameras of the nineteenth century. Digital imagery, and its applications, develops in tandem with contemporary society’s sophisticated literacy of this subtle medium. This book examines the ways in which digital images have become ever more ubiquitous as legal and medical evidence, just as they have become our primary source of news and have replaced paper-based financial documentation. Crucially, the contributions also analyze the very profound problems which have arisen alongside the digital image, issues of veracity and progeny that demand systematic and detailed response: It looks real, but is it? What camera captured it? Has it been doctored or subtly altered? Attempting to provide answers to these slippery issues, the book covers how digital images are created, processed and stored before moving on to set out the latest techniques for forensically examining images, and finally addressing practical issues such as courtroom admissibility. In an environment where even novice users can alter digital media, this authoritative publication will do much so stabilize public trust in these real, yet vastly flexible, images of the world around us.

Well-documented scenes can prove to be invaluable pieces of evidence at trial, and the ability to take compelling photographs is a critical skill for forensic scientists and investigators. Practical Forensic Digital Imaging: Applications and Techniques is an up-to-date and thorough treatment of digital imaging in the forensic sciences. Balancing practical considerations with scientific and standards-based requirements, the book’s clear, concise presentation illustrates the essentials of digital imaging required by professionals in the field. Enhanced with crisp color photos, the book covers a host of critical topics, including: The fundamentals of photographing crime scenes The history of photography and the transition to digital imaging Digital camera hardware and photographic techniques Light, filters, and macro/micro imaging Lay, professional, and expert witnesses, and the implications of Frye and Daubert Enhancement of images and digital panoramic camera scanning Storage of digital media Ultraviolet and infrared imaging Digital photo imaging microscopes Covering the full range of scenarios that forensic professionals encounter, the author includes special sections dedicated to photography involving footwear and tire impressions, vehicles, death and morgue scenes, and taphonomic and entomological imaging, as well as fingerprints, burglaries, fire and arson, sex offenses, blood, and trace evidence and microscopy. The techniques in this volume enable photographers to capture the images that will not only tell the story, but will also stand up in court. Watch Patrick Jones in his laboratory on the CRC Press YouTube channel.

Every action performed by a crime scene investigator has an underlying purpose: to both recover evidence and capture scene context. It is imperative that crime scene investigators must understand their mandate—not only as an essential function of their job but because they have the immense responsibility and duty to do so. Practice Crime Scene Processing and Investigation, Third Edition provides the essential tools for what crime scene investigators need to know, what they need to do, and how to do it. As professionals, any investigator’s master is the truth and only the truth. Professional ethics demands an absolute adherence to this mandate. When investigators can effectively seek, collect, and preserve information and evidence from the crime scene to the justice system—doing so without any agenda beyond seeking the truth— not only are they carrying out the essential function and duty of their job, it also increases the likelihood that the ultimate goal of true justice will be served. Richly illustrated—with more than 415 figures, including over 300 color photographs—the Third Edition of this best-seller thoroughly addresses the role of the crime scene investigator in the context of: Understanding the nature of physical evidence, including fingerprint, biological, trace, hair and fiber, impression, and other forms of evidence Assessing the scene, including search considerations and dealing with chemical and bioterror hazards Crime scene photography; scene sketching, mapping, and documentation; and the role of crime scene analysis and reconstruction Bloodstain pattern analysis and discussion of the body as a crime scene Special scene considerations, including fire, buried bodies, and entomological evidence Coverage details the importance of maintaining objectivity, emphasizing that every action the crime scene investigator performs has an underlying purpose: to both recover evidence and capture scene context. Key features: Outlines the responsibilities of the responding officer, from documenting and securing the initial information to providing emergency care Includes three new chapters on light technology and crime scene processing techniques, recovering fingerprints, and castings Addresses emerging technology and new techniques in 3-D Laser scanning procedures in capturing a scene Provides a list of review questions at the end of each chapter Practice Crime Scene Processing and Investigation, Third Edition includes practical, proven methods to be used at any crime scene to ensure that evidence is preserved, admissible in court, and persuasive. Course ancillaries including PowerPoint® lecture slides and a Test Bank are available with qualified course adoption.

Understanding Forensic Digital Imaging offers the principles of forensic digital imaging and photography in a manner that is straightforward and easy to digest for the professional and student. It provides information on how to photograph any setting that may have forensic value, details how to follow practices that are acceptable in court, and recommends what variety of hardware and software are most valuable to a practitioner. In addition to chapters on basic topics such as light and lenses, resolution, and file formats, the book contains forensic-science-specific information on SWGIT and the use of photography in investigations and in court. Of particular note is Chapter 17, Establishing Quality Requirements, which offers information on how to create a good digital image, and is more comprehensive than any other source currently available. Covers topics that are of vital importance to the practicing professional Serves as an up-to-date reference in the rapidly evolving world of digital imaging Uses clear and concise language so that any reader can understand the technology and science behind digital imaging