FRSC1030 Foundations of Forensic Science Chapter 20

Adware

Malware that automatically generates online advertisements, where the advertisers pay the developer per view

Ancillary

Something that supports or helps activities or operations, such as a cellphone used to help track a suspect’s movements, but is not used to actually commit a crime. 

Backdoor

A program that bypasses authentication procedures to a network.

Black hats

Individuals who break into computer systems or networks with ill intent.

Cellular Network

The network of cells, the area around a cell tower.

Cloud

Storage locations that are not local to a personal or individual devices, such as Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, Apple iCloud, etc. Any file or photo stored in the cloud is stored in a location maintained by a company or entity.

Cybercrime

Crime committed using computers and over the Internet.

Digital evidence

Information stored electronically, such as digital images, videos, audio recordings, digital files, and software stored on devices such as computers, mobile phones, etc.

Hacker

A person who can overcome or disable computer security.

Hacking

Breaking into a secure or private computer or network, a form of trespassing. It is often the first step of cybercrime.

Hashing

A technique of copying files and information from one device to another, using an algorithm to create an output string unique to the original at the bit level of detail, commonly using the MD-5 algorithm.

Identity theft

One of the most common types of cybercrime, where a hacker gets into someone’s computer, where data such as passwords, bank account information, social security numbers, credit card data, or medical data can be copied and stolen to make fraudulent purchases, get loans, or steal money.

Imaging

The process of copying information from a device, using a bit-by-bit replicate of the actual device.

Intellectual property

Books, movies, and music stored in digital format.

Internet of Things (IoT)

Malware

Malicious software, such as a virus or a worm.

Operating system (OS)

The software needed to operate the device, such as iOS, Linux, Windows, etc.

Peer-to-peer (P2P)

A file-sharing protocol in which the connection between computers does not go through a central website or service, but links users directly. As a result, detecting the trafficking of the files becomes much more difficult.

Phishing

A technique to get a user to install malware on their device, where the user is sent an email or text that appears to come from a legitimate source.

Ransomware

Software that locks the screen of the user and threatens some type of extorsion if a fee is not paid.

Rootkits

Software that allows malware to stay hidden to the user.

Steganography

A technique where information or files are hidden within another file in an attempt to hide data.

Spyware

Malware that assesses what the computer user is doing on their device.

Triangulation

A method of determining the location of a phone at any given time, based on the strength of the signal received at a tower. Using three towers with known locations, analysts use the different signal strengths to create overlapping area circles, with their point of intersection being the location of the phone.

Trojan horse

Malware within a software application that is installed by a user that has some hidden destructive function activated when the application runs.

Virus

Malware that embeds itself into executable software to then spread to other executable files.

Voice over Internet protocol (VoIP)

Technology that allows voice communication to be transmitted over the internet instead of traditional phone lines, by converting analog voice signals into digital data packets that travel over IP networks, enabling calls from devices such as computers, mobile phones, etc.

White hats

Individuals who are tasked with testing computer security systems for vulnerabilities.

Worm

Malware that transmits itself over computer networks to infect other computers.

Write blocker

A hardware device placed between the evidence and the device to which the data is copied.