Computer Science Seminar

Thursday, September 28, 2006

11-12pm, SB111

Analytic Tools for Digital Forensics

David Dampier, Mississippi State University

Host: Wai Gen Yee

Abstract:

In any forensic investigation, planning and analysis activities are required in order to determine what digital media will be seized, what types of information will be sought in the examination, and how the examination will be conducted. Existing literature and suggested practices indicate that such planning should occur, but few tools provide support for such activities. Planning an examination may be an essential activity when investigators and technicians are faced with unfamiliar case types or unusually complex, large-scale cases. In complex, large-scale cases, it is critical that the investigators provide computer forensics technicians with the appropriate amount of case data supplemented with keyword lists; too much case data or too little case data can make the forensics technician’s task very difficult.

This talk will present the concept for a novel application of ontology/domain modeling (known as case domain modeling) as a structured approach for analyzing case facts, identifying the most relevant case concepts, determining the critical relationships between these concepts, and documenting this information. This method may be considered as a foundational analytical technique in computer forensics that may serve as the basis for useful semi-automated tools. An example case domain model will be presented, the method for constructing a case domain model will be described, and applications for case domain modeling will be presented.

About David Dampier:

Dr. Dave Dampier is an Associate Professor and Undergraduate Coordinator in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at Mississippi State University where he teaches and conducts research in the areas of software engineering and digital forensics. Dr. Dampier serves as director of the Southeast Region Forensics Training Center, a center responsible for teaching computer forensics to local and state law enforcement officers in the southeast U.S. His current research areas include digital forensics, software engineering and evolution, and undergraduate education. He holds a BS in Mathematics from the University of Texas at El Paso, and MS and PhD degrees in Computer Science from the Naval Postgraduate School.