COMPUTER CRIME INVESTIGATION - THE FORENSIC APPROACH (FROM CARNAHAN CONFERENCE ON CRIME COUNTERMEASURES PROCEEDINGS, 1977, BY JOHN JACKSON - SEE NCJ-57737)

• NCJ Number: 57752
• Author(s): T A SCHABECK
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 7 pages
• Corporate Author: University of Kentucky
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THE SCOPE AND IMPACT OF COMPUTER CRIME ARE DISCUSSED, ALONG WITH FORENSIC APPROACHES DEVELOPED TO TRACE AND DOCUMENT THE SOURCE OF A PARTICULAR COMPUTER-RELATED OFFENSE.

Abstract

MAGNETIC TAPE IS THE MOST WIDELY USED FORM FOR THE STORAGE OF COMPUTERIZED DATA. A STANDARD REEL CAN HOLD OVER 40 MILLION BITS OF INFORMATION; DESTROYED, STOLEN, OR COPIED TAPES CONTAINING MAILING LISTS, RESEARCH DATA, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, AND FINANCIAL DATA HAS RESULTS IN THE LOSS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS AND THE DOWNFALL OF MANY BUSINESSES ANNUALLY. MANY ROUTINE POLICE FORENSIC SCIENCE/CHEMISTRY TECHNIQUES MAY BE APPLIED WHILE INVESTIGATING A COMPUTER CRIME. HOWEVER, WITH THE RAPID ADVANCEMENT OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY, PARALLELED BY THE RAPID INCREASE IN THE USE OF COMPUTER SYSTEMS, NEW AND UNIQUE CRIME LAB TECHNIQUES MUST BE USED TO ASSIST THE INVESTIGATOR IN THE APPREHENSION AND CONVICTION OF COMPUTER CRIMINALS. DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE EXISTS IN THE COMPUTER ENVIRONMENT IN THE FORM OF SOURCE INPUT DOCUMENTS AND COMPUTER PRINTED OUTPUT. INPUT DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN FORGED OR ALTERED IN ORDER TO EMBEZZLE PRIVATE INDUSTRY AND GOVERNMENT FUNDS. SOURCE DOCUMENTS CAN BE TRACED BACK TO AN INDIVIDUAL BY UTILIZING VARIOUS TECHNIQUES SUCH AS HANDWRITING ANALYSIS, ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION, OR FINGERPRINTED RECOVERY TECHNIQUES. STOLEN COMPUTER GENERATED REPORTS CONTAINING MAILING LISTS, RESEARCH DATA, AND OTHER CONFIDENTIAL MATERIAL CAN BE TRACED BACKED TO THE COMPUTER PRINTER WHICH PRODUCED THE REPORT. REFERENCES AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)