Investigative Conclusion and Testimony
Instructions
No directly quoted material may be used in this project paper.
Resources should be summarized or paraphrased with appropriate in-text and Resource page citations.
FINAL PROJECT – Investigative Conclusion and Testimony
***Read the parts of each section of this project carefully as you are being asked to answer questions assuming different roles.
SECTION I
(or perhaps “interrogate”) several people to provide context for the evidence you have collected as well as the rational for your searches. Allied Technology Systems management is asking for everything to be documented and would like you to provide them responses to the following pieces of information:
• Provide a list of people you believe should be interviewed for this investigation and how they relate to the investigation.
• Provide a narrative description of the interview setting and the intended process, before, during, and following the interview (remember that depending on the type of interview, the setting may be different).
• Explain to the management why these stages are important to a successful interview and investigation.
SECTION II
For the purpose of the first part of this Section, you are still the Data Security Analyst for Allied Technology Systems. Consider this project a continuation of the work you performed in Projects #1 and #2.
After seeing you search Mr. Jackson’s work area and take several pieces of evidence, Ms. Suzanne Fleming who works in the office across the hall, comes forward with an odd story. Ms. Fleming states that she is Mr. Jackson’s fiancé, but lately things in their relationship had begun to sour. She produces a thumb drive she says Mr. Jackson gave her earlier that day. She tells you Mr. Jackson told her to “keep it safe” and asked her to bring it home with her at the end of the day. Ms. Fleming tells you she really likes her job and has no interest in being wrapped up in whatever Mr. Jackson has done to invite negative attention.
1. The laboratory has asked you to write a short summary of what information you want them to look for on the submitted thumb drive. Identify, for the lab, what digital evidence you would like them to look for and explain why that evidence would be important to the case.
2. Because you are the most familiar with the investigation, Mr. Roberts is asking you to brain storm all the locations outside of Mr. Jackson’s immediate work space where pertinent digital evidence might be found to help with your intellectual property theft case. Identify all of these locations, including places where police would have to be involved to search. Identify what places are eligible for the company to search, and which ones would require police involvement. Support your inclusion of each location with a short description of what type of evidence might be found there.
Now, please assume a different character for the purpose of this next segment of the assessment… You are a forensic examiner at the above mentioned Allied Technology Systems lab. After receiving the package from the Data Security Analyst in the field, you sign the chain of custody form and get set to begin your examination.
3. After taking the thumb drive out of storage, you, as the digital forensics analyst, sit down to examine the data. (Presume all personal protective equipment discussed in the course readings is already in place.) Prior to looking through the data contained on the device, you have to make a forensic image. Document what step you take prior to making the image and why this step is important to your overall case. Explain your actions and reasoning thoroughly.
4. Write a response to the following email that you have received:
To: You, Allied Technology Systems Digital Forensics Examiner
From: D. Roberts, HR Management
This case has made Allied Technology Systems upper management recognize the importance of forensic readiness. They have asked that you nominate three (3) forensic examination/analysis (software) tools for them to keep in their budget for the following year. They also state that they want to make sure that the tools nominated are ones that would meet criminal justice-level standards and evidentiary requirements under the Daubert Standard. In your response, please list the tool name, manufacturer, the capabilities of the tool, and how the three tools meet the standards of Daubert. (Management specifically wants tools that can examine/analyze the digital data inside the devices and is not interested in your input on additional tools that write protect or image devices at this time.)
Fortunately, the Data Security Analyst was on his/her game, and ALSO sent you copies of several files, reported to be the source code of “Product X”.
5. You, as the digital forensics examiner, used hash values to help locate the source code on the thumb drive. Using verbiage that would be appropriate to communicate to a judge and jury that may not understand computer technology at all, detail and explain the following:
• What is a hash value?
• How did you use it in this case to determine that Mr. Jackson’s thumb drive contains copies of the source code?
• Explain an additional use of hash values in the context of digital forensics.
You complete your laboratory examination and return the evidence, with your report, back to the Data Security Analyst at the field office.
Now, reverting back to your role as the Data Security Analyst back at the field office (a.k.a., you), you receive the report from the Lab which shows that the complete “Product X” source code was found on Mr. Jackson’s thumb drive. In addition, while the evidence was at the lab for examination, you determined it is also likely that Mr. Jackson emailed copies of the source code to his personal email address.
6. Do you recommend reporting the crime to law enforcement? Why or why not? Are private companies required to report crimes to law enforcement?
The decision is ultimately made to report the theft to law enforcement and, using primarily the evidence that you developed during your investigation, Mr. Jackson is brought to trial for the crime. You (now as the forensic examiner from the Allied Lab) are qualified as an expert witness at the trial and called to testify.
7. What is the significance of you being qualified as an expert witness? How is it different from being a simple fact witness? Explain thoroughly.
8. The prosecutor in this case calls you and brings up the fact that you write a personal blog about digital forensics in your off-time, from which it appears you are a staunch supporter of law enforcement. She is concerned that it will look like you are biased in support of law enforcement and that you only had your company’s bottom line in mind. She asks you to prepare for trial by practicing answering the following questions – respond to the prosecutor by typing up a transcript for your response (You may use first-person grammar, I, me, my, etc., in your response for this question).
“How do we know you are not biased in this case, choosing to report only what would help law enforcement and your company’s bottom-line? How can I know from your work that your analysis should be accepted?”
Project Requirements:
• Each question should be answered with a minimum of 1-2 paragraphs, so do your research, be specific, be detailed, and demonstrate your knowledge; submitting your project through the appropriate assignment folder.
• Answers to the above questions should be submitted in a single Microsoft Word document (.DOC/.DOCX), with answers separated and/or numbered in respect to the question, so as to make it clear which question is being answered. It may be in a question and answer format, or as described with answers to the associated question numbers;
• The paper should be written in third-person grammar, except for the response in question eight (8) which may be in first-person grammar;
• The submission is to have a cover page that includes course number, course title, title of paper, student’s name, and the date of submission per APA writing format;
• Format: 12-point font, double-space, one-inch margins;
• It is mandatory that you do some research, and utilize outside resources! You must have a reference page at the end of your project that is consistent with APA citation style and format (see https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ for help).
