Cellular Forensics for First Responders by Slovenski Tom

Author:Slovenski, Tom [Slovenski, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Unknown
Published: 2012-09-18T16:00:00+00:00

A Faraday Bag like this one from

EDEC Digital does a great job in cutting the tower

signal to the phone

BTW: An ESD (anti-static) bag is NOT a faraday bag!

Another, yet inexpensive way to “Faraday Protect” a phone, is to just wrap the phone in several layers of heavyduty tin foil. Or you may wish to take a simple small box and line it with tin foil to makea “Faraday Cage”. But again, test your product before you actually take it into the field. To test your cage, simply put your cell phone inside your box and dial the cell phone from another phone. Did it ring inside the box? If not, success! If it did, go back

to the drawing board and find out where the ‘leak’ is.

Other options are arson evidence cans or simply removing the SIM Card from the phone.

Again, our goal is to get the phone off the towers so to preserve the data inside that phone.

What if the phone is password protected? By that I mean that if you turn the phoneoff, you’ll need a unique code (set by the phone user) to get back into the phone. Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to this question. You will have to play it by ear.

If the phone is password protected, there are many software programs used by the lab techs that can get the code or bypass it. But that means you will have to take the phone to their lab. If you want to examine it on the scene, you’ll have to keep that phone going or it could lock up. More on this in Chapter 6.

Can you ask the suspect for the code?

Sure, but if time is of the essence, you may want to reconsider that thought as the suspect may intentionally give you the wrong code and thereby lock the phone down. Again, you are going to have to play it by ear .

C. USE THE PROPER FORMS

In any case dealing with a seized item , a “Chain of Custody” form is in order. If you are a police officer, then your department should already have them. If you are a private investigator, GET ONE!

By not showing the proper chain of custody with that device, you invite the other side (i.e.: defense attorneys) to question the validity and integrity of your digital evidence. The chain of custody shows who has had the phone throughout the investigation. You want to show the court that only those who have signed for the phone have had it in their possession, i.e.: Property and Evidence Room, Forensic Tech, Officer who seized the phone, etc.

A sure fire way to lose a case with a cell phone (besides not “Faraday Protecting” it) is not having a properly completed “Chain of Custody” form.

And please, don’t tell me that your evidence will never go to court. Ever heard of “Murphy’s Law?”

So Let’s Wrap It Up:

• Keep the court in mind. • Use proper protocols .

• Get the phone off the towers by“Faraday Protecting” it.

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