Forensics Unit 5

Counterfeiting

typically, the forging of currency; also the forging of other government-issued documents (postage stamps for example) and production fo fake name brand products for profit

Currency

a printed document issued by a bank, guaranteeing a payment to the holder on demand

Document analysis

the examination of questioned documents with known material using a variety of criteria, such as authenticity, alternations, erasures, and obliterations

Document expert

a person who scientifically analyzes handwritten, typewritten, photocopied, and computer-generated documents and their materials for authenticity

Exemplar

standard document of known origin and authorship used in handwriting analysis for comparison to documents of unknown authorship (questioned documents)

Fact

statement or information that can be verified

Forgery

the making, altering, or falsifying of personal documents or other objects with the intention of deception

Fraudulence (fraud)

deliberate deception practiced to secure unfair or illegal financial gain

Gas chromatography

a method of separating chemicals to establish their quantities

Opinion

personal belief founded on judgment rather than on direct experience or knowledge

Questioned Document

any signature, handwriting, type-writing or other mark whose source or authenticity is in dispute or uncertain

Hardware

comprises the physical and tangible components of the computer

Software

a set of instructions compiled into a program that performs a particular task.

Computer Case/Chassis

physical box holding the fixed internal computer components in place

Power Supply

Converts the power it gets from the wall outlet to a useable format for the computer and it’s components

Motherboard

main circuit board contained within a computer (or other electronic devices)

System Bus

contained on the motherboard, it is a vast complex network of wires that serves to carry data from one hardware device to another

Read-Only Memory (ROM)

 chip store programs called firmware, which are used to start the boot process and configure a computer’s components

Random Access Memory (RAM)

serves to take the burden off the computer’s processor and Hard Disk Drive (HDD). Stores data, not permanent

Central Processing Unit (CPU)

aka processor, essentially the brains of the computer

Input Devices

devices used to get data into the computer (keyboard, mouse, joystick, scanner)

Output Devices

equipment through which data is obtained from the computer (monitor, printer, speakers)

Hard Disk Drive (HDD)

primary location of data storage within the computer

Sector

512 bytes (1 disk block) of data, the basic unit of storage

Cluster

a physical grouping of sectors on a storage device, or the process of grouping similar data to identify patterns and anomalies during an investigation

Track

portion of a disk which passes under a single stationary head during a disk rotation

Cylinder

comprised of the set of tracks described by all the heads (on separate platters at a single seek position.)

Visible Data

data of which the operating system is aware

Latent data

data of which the operating system is unaware

RAM slack

area from the end of the final sector containing data to the end of the cluster

File slack

the remaining area from the end of the final sector containing data to the end of the cluster

Unallocated space

space on a HDD that the operating system sees as empty and ready to store data

Deleted files

another source of latent data to be examined during forensic analysis

Hacking

tracking the origin of unauthorized computer intrusions

Firewall

device designed to protect against intrusions into a computer network

Secure Digital (SD)

storage expansion cards

Subscriber Identification Module (SIM)

cards have international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) number that associates the phone with the subscriber’s mobile network

Black hat/white hat

hackers who use their skills for illegal purposes. White hats use their hacking skills to thwart crime

Bots

robots are programs that provide attackers with unauthorized control of a computer. They usually perform simple tasks that are repetitive at a very high rate. They can get information from many servers much faster than a human can.

Crimeware

software tools built with the purpose of committing online scams and stealing information from consumers and businesses

Firewall

network security system used to prevent unauthorized access to or from a private network

Malware

software designed to infiltrate or damage a computer system without the owner's consent

Nigerian letter scheme

a scheme where recipients are offered the “opportunity” to share in a percentage of millions of dollars if they first front some money of their own

Pharming

redirecting users to false websites without them knowing

Phishing

attempting to steal personal information by sending out emails that appear to come from legitimate websites

Piracy

illegal copying of copyrighted materials from the Internet.

Ransomware

a type of malware that locks or restricts access to a computer until a ransom is paid to the creator

Spam

junk or unsolicited email sent by a third party: it can be used to deliver Trojan horses, viruses and phishing attempts

Spyware

software that gathers information about a person or organization without the knowledge or consent of the user. It may also control a computer without the user's knowledge or consent.