Investigative Collection of Evidence

Write a short summary of the incident to Director McPherson concerning was has occurred, and establish what permissions/authorities you have before you search Mr. Belcamp’s former Company work area. This includes your legal authority as a Company representative as a private company.

The Director, McPherson, for the private company Allied Technology Systems, has terminated a former staff for the corporation, Mr. Belcamp, and providing him with a going away interview. When it comes to Belcamp’swork area, the company has the upper hand when it comes to permissions and authority. The incident took place during the exit interview from Allied Technology Systems. For the period of the leaving interview, McPhersongrew worried that Mr. Belcamp was possibly taking Allied Technology Systems property, precisely a source code, with him to his new boss, grounded on commentaries he made for the duration of the interview. Director McPherson then asked the Data Security Analyst to carry out an inquiry into possible theft by Mr. Belcamp, observance in mind that the case might have to go to court.Mr. Belcampprepared some announcements, which gave Allied Technology Systems evenhanded cause to suspicious Mr. Belcamp and searched his work area for evidence. As Mr. Belcamp is no more an employee of Allied Technology Systems, the work area which used to belong to him is no longer his. ATS (Allied Technology Systems) has in place different policies for searches during times when it believes the employee (ex-employee) might have invaded company privacy.

ATS can search the ex-employees or any employee, desk as the desk is the property of Allied Technology Systems. The employer does not have to worry about legalities or legal actions from the employee or ex-employee. To ensure the company has permissions and authority during certain situations, it is best to distribute a handbook and have monthly updates on new company policies, which will help the employees know what privacy they have and what actions the employer can take during a given situation.Mr. Belcamp no longer has any sensible outlooks of confidentiality for the personal possessions left in his former employee work area. Therefore, the Company, as a private company, is in the interior of its privileges to examination the area deprived of first finding authorization from Mr. Belcamp or obtaining a warrant from the authorities (Privacy at Work: What Are Your Rights, n.d.).

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Part II: Physical Evidence Acquisition

Look at the photo of Mr. Belcamp’s work area. (See file attachment Work_Area.jpg) Identify four (4) potential items of digital evidence you see in the photo.

When examining Mr. Belcamp’s work area, the four potential items of digital evidence are; the laptop, the USB drive, recorder, and the hard drive both on the desk and desktop. The first, and one of the most obvious, potential items of digital evidence seen, is the Laptop Computer. One of the first steps the Data Security Analyst should take to collect the Laptop computer, after securing the scene, is to take photos of the laptop (front, back, sides, and any attached devices/cords) and document its location in relation to the workspace. The serial number and make/model of the laptop computer also need to be recorded. In the photo, the laptop appears to be off, and if it is the digital analyst should not turn it on; but if the laptop is on and in “sleep mode,” move the trackpad to “wake” the screen, take a photo of the image on the screen without clicking on the screen, and then proceed to turn it off (Best Practices For Seizing Electronic Evidence: A Pocket Guide for First Responders). The laptop appears to have at least one cord attached to the device; the analyst should remove the said cord, plus any others, and label the cord before putting it in and labeling the package (Best Practices For Seizing Electronic Evidence: A Pocket Guide for First Responders). The laptop should then be labeled (for corresponding documentation of evidence) and placed in an antistatic evidence bag, which will also be labeled for documentation (Packaging, Transportation, and Storage of Digital Evidence, 2010). All steps taken to collect the laptop will be documented, and a chain of custody procedures will be followed if the evidence were to leave the possession of the Data Security Analyst. Also, it should be noted that protection will be worn at all times during the handling of evidence to prevent DNA and fingerprint contamination. The laptop could contain files, images, emails, or other correspondence, deleted documents, records, and more data that could be related to information on the potential theft of Allied Technology Systems source code.

The second piece of potential digital evidence identified in Mr. Belcamp’s work area is a flash drive or “thumb drive.” Just as with the laptop, the flash drive should be photographed (including front, back, and sides), along with the location it’s in, in relation to other items in the work area (Best Practices For Seizing Electronic Evidence: A Pocket Guide for First Responders). The flash drive should then be labeled, the serial number and model of the flash drive documented, and placed in a labeled antistatic evidence container and, as with all digital evidence, be kept away from any magnetic devices to prevent damage (Best Practices For Seizing Electronic Evidence: A Pocket Guide for First Responders). All steps taken to collect the flash drive will be documented, and chain of custody procedures will be followed, in the event, the evidence was to leave the possession of the Data Security Analyst. As with the laptop, potential digital evidence that could be found on the flash drive could include files, documents, images, deleted data, and more as it relates to the stolen company property.

The third item is the recorder at the top of the desk in Mr. Belcamp’s work area, which is potential digital evidence. Just like the other two pieces of evidence, it should be photographed, including the back, front, and sides. Also, it should be noted its location related to other pieces in the work area. It should be labeled; it serial and model should be taken put in a labeled antistatic evidence container to be kept away from magnetic or radioactive devices to prevent evidence destruction. The recorder may contain the voice recording or files from the computer, which may be used by the prosecution.

The final potential digital evidence item identified would be the hard drive in front of the computer. The hard drive should be photographed (including front, back, and sides) and documented (including serial number and model), as well as its relation to the surrounding areas (Best Practices For Seizing Electronic Evidence: A Pocket Guide for First Responders). The hard drive will be labeled and sealed in antistatic packaging, and then labeled again, and kept away from magnets (Packaging, Transportation, and Storage of Digital Evidence, 2010). The desktop seems it on, so before turning it off should take a picture of the screen and recent activities. Then should turn it off and take off the hard drive for documentation (Best Practices For Seizing Electronic Evidence: A Pocket Guide for First Responders). All steps taken to collect the hard drive will be documented, and chain of custody procedures will be followed, in the event, the evidence was to leave the possession of the Data Security Analyst. Potential evidence that could be collected from the hard drive as it relates to the possible theft could include documents such as files, images, correspondence records, passwords, schedules, and any deleted data. The information in both hard drives should be compared to ensure that

Look again at the photo of Mr. Belcamp’s work area. (See file attachment Work_Area.jpg) Identify four (4) potential items of non-digital evidence you see in the photo.

The four potential items for non-digital evidence are the post-it not on the desk in front of the USB drive, the NASA notepad beside the keyboard, the stick notes in the desktop and on top of desk (yellow in color) and the last evidence is fingerprints to establish the fact that this was Mr. Belcamp’s desk. The first non-digital evidence is the post its notes. The note says “Purple743,” which may stand for a password, passcode, code name, part of an email address, or login for the workstation. To store this item, a standard evidence bag will be used while documenting the chain of custody — the sticky note placed on the desk in front of the flash drive. Just as with the rest of the digital evidence, the sticky note should be photographed (including front and back), along with its location, in relation to other items in the work area, and should be documented. Since the sticky note is non-digital, it does not have to be kept in special packings, such as an antistatic bag. The sticky note should be bagged and labeled as evidence to correspond to the documentation of all digital and non-digital evidence collected. All steps taken to collect and store the sticky note will be documented, and chain of custody procedures will be followed, in the event, the evidence was to leave the possession of the Data Security Analyst. This particular sticky note seems to have some type of phrase or possible password written on it, which could help in the retrieval of digital evidence on the laptop computer, hard drive, or flash drive.

Upon another examination of Mr. Belcamp’s work area, one other potential non-digital evidence identified would be the “NASA” notepad located near the keyboard of the desktop computer. Again, just as digital evidence, the note pad location should be documented and photographed (including front and back) in relation to other items in the work area. The note pad is also non-digital and, therefore, does not need the same special protection packaging as digital evidence. The note pad should be bagged and labeled as evidence, corresponding with the documentation of all evidence collected, and all steps taken to collect and store the note pad will be documented with a chain of custody being followed. This note pad seems to have some writing that looks to be instructions on it to the effect of “asking Maria about safekeeping” and to check storage and call Bob and Widgets INC. (which could be Belcamp’s new employer). These notes on the note pad could be evidence of possible storing and transportation of the potentially stolen items from Allied Technology Systems.

The third non-digital evidence identified at Mr. Belcamp’s work area would be the sticky note attached to the modem of the desktop computer. The sticky note location should be documented and photographed (including front and back) in relation to other items in the work area and labeled as evidence. The sticky note should then be put in labeled packaging, and steps taken to collect and store the note pad will be documented to follow proper documentation procedures and chain of custody. The sticky note has writings on it, such as “Source: Disk 1” and “Target: Disk 3,” which may or may not be related to the theft and location of the source code but should be collected as evidence to exercise due diligence.

For the last piece of non-digital evidence, which is fingerprints, establishes that this desk indeed belonged to Mr. Belcamp and not someone else. The place should be dusted for fingerprints. Fingerprints will be lifted by the law enforcement as this form of evidence collection is not the IRT’s (Incident Response Team’s) jurisdiction. The fingerprints should be lifted from all the evidence which was seized, the monitors, keyboard, desk, or any other items where fingerprints can be lifted from. This is to be done to prove that Mr. Belcamp indeed came into contact with these items.

The evidence you seized in Questions two (2) and three (3) must be transported, secured, and stored after removing it from the original scene (the work area) and prior to sending it for analysis. Describe the security procedures in place as well as any environmental considerations or protections (specific to computer/digital devices) that are in place within the storage area, and why they are important.

To prevent any damage to the digital and non-digital evidence collected, they must be stored in the appropriate places. To protect digital evidence, extreme temperatures must be avoided as high temperatures can cause data/ evidence to be altered. Avoid physical impact; meaning makes sure nothing is dropped and is placed with great caution in its designated area. All digital evidence collected needs to be stored in antistatic protection to prevent static, humidity, and condensation and kept away from magnetic fields that would lead to damage to the evidence. Also, avoid static electricity and magnetic sources as they can cause harm to the devices and may alter data or disable the investigator from accessing data. The chain of custody must be strict, and everything should be recorded and monitored closely. As for storage, the area should be in a secure area that is free of any form of contamination. (Packaging, Transport, and Storage, 2010) Evidence needs to be inventoried once stored to keep track of where specific evidence is stored and who has access to it. Lastly, all evidence must be labeled to correspond to the case, location, and contents, and put in chronological order to facilitate the efficiency of the case (Packaging, Transportation, and Storage of Digital Evidence, 2010).

Look at the Evidence Custody Document (See file attachment Evidence Custody Document.doc) and item photographs (Items-seized (pics).pptx). Read the Evidence Custody Document prepared by your co-worker, Brian Duggars, in which he was attempting to document the seizure of three (3) items pictured in the accompanying photos. Did Brian adequately describe each item? What could be added to the descriptions, and for which items (based on what you see in the photos) to make them more complete and serve as an example to your co-worker of what they SHOULD look like (how they should be described)? Or, did he do a good job and no modifications need to be made.

When looking at the photographic documentation of the digital evidence seized by the analyst, everything seems to be properly photographed, correctly adding pictures of the front, back, and sides of the devices. The co-worker did not adequately describe each item as the descriptions were vague. From all the descriptions, the co-worker did an amazing job in describing the USB drive. As for the other two items, a few important information was missed. For the Voice recorder, the label on the back says it is from “Saul Mineroff Electronics, Inc.” The description for the voice recorder should be listed along the line of the following: Olympus DM620 handheld device requiring two AAA batteries. The LCD screen, mini-USB on the bottom, micro-SD slot, and headphone jack on the right side. As for the hard drive, there is more important information that is to be added to the already listed description on the document. One such information is the model number of the hard drive, WD10EARS, and the serial number, WMAZA0202091, which should be documented in the description. Further information would be the date of manufacture for the hard drive. He failed to mention in the document that the hard drive is a desktop-size 3.5″, 64 MB cache, SATA drive. Last but not least, a label is removed and is covered with a black marker, and on the side is a sticker that reads “1 TB.” Adding the additional information completes the document with sufficient information for the evidence.

Reference

Digital Evidence and Forensics. (2016, April 14). Retrieved November 25, 2017, from https://www.nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/digital/pages/welcome.aspx

Lee, J., & Price, D. (2014, September 16). 3 Tools for Turning Your USB Drive Into a Secure Unlock Key for Your PC. Retrieved November 25, 2017, from http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-tools-turning-usb-drive-secure-unlock-key-pc/

Packaging, Transportation, and Storage of Digital Evidence. (2010, September 1). Retrieved November 26, 2017, from https://www.forensicmag.com/article/2010/09/packaging-transportation-and-storage-digital-evidence

Best Practices for Seizing Electronic Evidence: A Pocket Guide for First Responders. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/SeizingElectronicEvidence.pdf

Privacy at Work: What Are Your Rights? (n.d.). Retrieved from FindLaw: com/workplace-privacy/privacy-at-work-what-are-your-rights.html”>https://employment.findlaw.com/workplace-privacy/privacy-at-work-what-are-your-rights.html

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Investigative Collection of Evidence