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Computer Forensics Research

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Besecure
(@besecure)
Posts: 4
New Member
Topic starter
 

Hello all,

I have just joined the forum and need some help please.

I intend to undertake a PhD in Computer Forensics in the near future and I am currently doing some background research for my proposal. Could anyone tell me or point me in the direction of any good journals, online or hard copy which focus on Forensics (preferably free or cheap (ish)).

I am aware of Elseviers Digital Investigations buts it's a bit too expensive for me.

Many thanks in advance,
B

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 11:27 am
keydet89
(@keydet89)
Posts: 3568
Famed Member
 

Well, the first thing I'd recommend is that you take a little more time and review your posts before hitting the "submit" button. If you want people to take you seriously, you have to be able to spell…and going to a *Forensics* forum and using the word "forensucs" is not a way to win friends and influence people.

I'm not entirely sure that you're going to find what you're looking for…of course, I may be incorrectly assuming that you've already done some searching of your own. After all, I'm sure Jamie can vouch for the fact that your question (almost verbatim) has been posted on this site and several others before. Seriously…this question gets posted on the Forensics list at SecurityFocus, here, and at other sites all the time.

I doubt that you're going to find any *good journals* that focus on Forensics, and are free.

Here are some sites to check:
http://www.geschonneck.com/security/forensic.html
http://www.fbi.gov/hq/lab/fsc/current/index.htm

This next site includes links to conferences and presentation materials, and may be extremely helpful:
http://www.e-evidence.info/

Perhaps if you could narrow the search a bit…what are you interested in for your PhD dissertation? What school are you at, and where do you expect to defend your dissertation? If the school you're at has a computer forensics program (evidently they do, if you're getting your PhD), then you should be able to go to the school library and ask them to subscribe to the Elsevier journal. If not, perhaps your advisor can assist.

What projects is your advisor working on that you could dovetail your own research off of?

Harlan
"Windows Forensics and Incident Recovery"
http://www.windows-ir.com

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 12:11 pm
Jamie
(@jamie)
Posts: 1288
Moderator
 

Well, the first thing I'd recommend is that you take a little more time and review your posts before hitting the "submit" button. If you want people to take you seriously, you have to be able to spell…and going to a *Forensics* forum and using the word "forensucs" is not a way to win friends and influence people.

That's a little harsh, I think. I'm all for good spell checking but I think we can forgive the occasional slip of the finger…

Jamie

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 12:29 pm
(@gmarshall139)
Posts: 378
Reputable Member
 

SC Magazine is an IT security related publication that occasionally deals with forensic issues. I've noticed many of the law enforcement publications in the US doing articles on computer forensics and law enforcement, but most just cover the basics.

Good luck,

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 2:49 pm
Besecure
(@besecure)
Posts: 4
New Member
Topic starter
 

"

Well, the first thing I'd recommend is that you take a little more time and review your posts before hitting the "submit" button. If you want people to take you seriously, you have to be able to spell…and going to a *Forensics* forum and using the word "forensucs" is not a way to win friends and influence people."

I am not one to easily take offence but as I correctly spelt all the words including Forensics in the body of the post, I think this is uncalled for. I hope no one else in this forum has any issues with taking me seriously and forgiving my finger for slipping

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 3:24 pm
Jamie
(@jamie)
Posts: 1288
Moderator
 

Right, let's get back on track. The bad news is that I'm not sure there is an affordable alternative to what Elsevier have done with Digital Investigation (if there is I'd love to hear about it). I do have a feeling they've priced that particular publication just a little too high, which is a pity. No doubt their beancounters would tell me otherwise.

Jamie

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 5:06 pm
Jamie
(@jamie)
Posts: 1288
Moderator
 

BTW where are you planning on doing the PhD?

Jamie

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 5:07 pm
Besecure
(@besecure)
Posts: 4
New Member
Topic starter
 

At the moment I have three universities on my shortlist (ordered according to my preference):

London School of Economics
Royal Holloway College, University of London
University of Glamorgan

It's a shame that Elseviers publication is very expensive and it's a greater shame that they are not offering any limited period free subscriptions.

BTW - If anyone on the forum has actually subscribed to or read any of the issues, could we have a critique of it?

Thanks and regards,
/B

 
Posted : 01/12/2004 11:24 pm
 Andy
(@andy)
Posts: 357
Reputable Member
 

Hi Besecure, I have a copy of Vol.1 No.1 of the Elseviers Digital Investigations. I had this first one sent to me free as a ‘taster’, to see if I wanted to subscribe. Try emailing them and see if you can get one as well.

There are articles relating to all aspects of Forensic Computing and InfoSec. In my copy there is an article on P2P networks by Geoff Fellows, who I have met on several occasions, and is the chairman of F3 (UK), and article on timestamps by Chris Boyd (again whom I know) and Pete Forster from NTAC – all of which are good guys in the FC field.

The publication has some leading names in the subject involved with it, Paul Sanderson, Eoghon Casey, etc, etc…..

It’s about 80 pages long with next to no adverts. A couple of items I have cited for use in a thesis.

Although the contents are very good, and I wish I could subscribe; however I personally will not be (the price is just too high, and I cannot justify it for my organisation or for myself).

You can PM if you wish. I am interested in your PhD and if I can help I may be able to source some material for your subject.

P.S. Don’t worry about the spelling – some of us are illegitimate 😉 …… erm… I mean illiterate… 🙂

Andy

 
Posted : 02/12/2004 12:56 pm
keydet89
(@keydet89)
Posts: 3568
Famed Member
 

BeSecure,

I was sent the first two copies of the Digital Investigations Journal, as a result of having an article accepted for publication.

In my opinion, the journal is an excellent resource. In the past, I have published in the Information Security Bulletin, and I tried to focus my articles toward providing the reader with something useable by the time they finished reading. The same holds true now, and I think that the Elsevier publication has picked up where the ISB left off.

Based on my experience with graduate programs here in the US, I still feel that your approach to this could be refined a bit. Your specific question has been posted here and in other forums several times, and in most cases the responses are just as vague as the questions themselves. This should be a step-wise approach…get into a program, develop your topic (perhaps based on some work your advisor is doing), and go from there. Otherwise, a comprehensive literature search would be the place to go.

If the programs in the UK require that you show up with a topic already in hand, I would think that the best place to start would be to research areas that the programs currently encompass. For example, going here:
http://www.glam.ac.uk/soc/research/isrg.php
…reveals that evidence visualization is an area of interest and research.

The writeup on the same page with regards to the Computer Forensics Lab provides some insight into areas where your interests and skills may lead you.

One final comment with regards to spelling…one of the biggest impediments to security practitioners is their ability to communicate clearly and effectively, particularly with those who are not as educated or invested in this profession. I see it all the time in my field, someone with all the necessary qualifications and demonstrated skills requires additional overhead in translators, tech writers, etc., in order to communicate…and that's just in writing! Spelling and grammar are important at all levels of the security field…if I'd misspelled one of the variables in the programs I'd written for my master's thesis, I might have gotten entirely different results.

H. Carvey
"Windows Forensics and Incident Recovery"
http://www.windows-ir.com

 
Posted : 02/12/2004 2:17 pm
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