The Center for Education and Research in Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS)

The Center for Education and Research in
Information Assurance and Security (CERIAS)

Forensics Projects

Page Content

Curriculum and Educational Materials Development (Marcus K. Rogers)

We propose to develop additional educational materials in order to address the need for educational courseware that teaches requisite skills in digital forensics and analysis. These curricula and materials will be designed to be flexible, and able to be used in a variety of settings including undergraduate and graduate degree programs, certificate programs, and professional education.

Digital Forensic Procedures and Technical Requirements (Brian Carrier)

The field of digital forensics is lacking the procedures and technical specifications that other forensic science areas have. This research is identifying the phases and procedures of digital forensics so that technical requirements can be created. With the technical requirements and documented theory, new tools can be developed and tested. With a generally accepted design theory and foundation, tools may better meet the requirements for entering scientific evidence.

File System Documentation and File System Browser Development (Florian Buchholz)

An important area of computer forensics is the discipline of disk analysis: deleted files may be reconstructed, hidden files discovered, or generally specific files be located among an overwhelming amount of data to be analyzed. Starting with file systems that are either documented already or for which source code exists in a publicly accessible manner, we plan to create a repository of file system documentation, which will describe the complete on- disk structure of each file system. Based on a number of initial documentations we will then develop a graphical file system browser.

Development of Computer Criminal Taxonomy for Profiling (Marcus K. Rogers)

The area of psychological or criminal profiling has been used to assist with criminal investigations in the physical world. With the increase in criminal activity in cyber-space and the new phenomena of cyber or digital crime scenes, it is important that traditional investigative supports be modified to be effective in the digital world. There is a lack of empirical research into the area of cyber-criminal profiling. The current project proposes to fill this gap by examining the feasibility of modifying traditional criminal profiling techniques. In order to set the foundation for further empirical research in this area, there must be an extensive collection of data on computer criminals. This data includes socio-demographics, traits, usage trends, and other behavioral characteristics. The project will utilize an Internet based self-report survey protocol to collect data on individuals engaging in criminal computer activities. A comparative analysis will then be conducted. This analysis will focus on differences within the computer criminal category and between the classifications of computer criminals and non-criminals. Mapping the differences, if any, in this manner is the first step in developing meaningful taxonomies, and eventually developing valid profiles.

Digital Forensics Student Group

The group is a student-run organization with the goals of providing a platform for people interested in digital forensics and discuss and explore research in the field. Group Home Page


Get Your Degree with CERIAS