March 21, 2005
The field of Cell Phone Forensics
Modern detectives are now using cell phone forensics to capture more and more criminals reports Tom's Hard News , who interviewed Amber Schroader, a cell phone forensics expert at Paraben, a forensic software, hardware and training company.
This is obviously a plug for this company, but it's interesting nevertheless. Does anyone know if there has been a CSI episode where cell phone forensics where involved? We're behind a few seasons here.
"People put very private information on their phones, which makes the phones a data goldmine for law enforcement officials.
What kinds of information can detectives recover from a cell phone? Some things such as contact lists, SMS messages, pictures and emails are obvious. Others such as customized ring-tones and call duration are not, but can be helpful in solving cases. A distinctive ring-tone is easily remembered by anyone walking by, and could help place suspects at the scenes of crimes.
Before Paraben released their Cell Phone Seizre Kit, detectives had to type in dozens of keys to extract data from the phones. In addition, a digital picture was generally taken of every contact, picture or SMS message.
When a cell phone is found, proper forensic protocol says to leave it in whatever state it's in. The phone should be placed in a faraday bag, which prevents stray signals from going in or out.
Paraben runs two day training classes for their Cell Phone Seizure product. Generally there are 20 to 24 people per class and students come from all around the world. At the classes, students test out the kit on more than 300 cell phones that Paraben has procured."
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