Windows surface RT tablet forensics

Small scale digital device forensics is particularly critical as a result of the mobility of these devices, leading to closer proximity to crimes as they occur when compared to computers. The Windows Surface tablet is one such device, combining tablet mobility with familiar Microsoft Windows productivity tools. This research considers the acquisition and forensic analysis of the Windows Surface RT tablet. We discuss the artifacts of both the Windows RT operating system and third-party applications. The contribution of this research is to provide a road map for the digital forensic examination of Windows Surface RT tablets

Investigating Privacy and Security Challenges of mHealth Applications

Privacy and mHealth are fast becoming an important influence on the U.S. healthcare system. The most visible element of mHealth is the profusion of mobile phone applications, especially ones related to wellness. Before researchers can fully examine the impact of mHealth on healthcare, barriers to use need to be addressed. One of the barriers most cited by medical professionals and patients is lack of adequate privacy and security policies and regulation for mHealth apps. In this paper the current state of data security in mobile apps is investigated by conducting a physical forensics analysis of several widely used mHealth applications. We report on the kinds of personal data that can be uncovered both before and after applications are removed and/or secured on a mobile device. These results can be used to develop a set of recommendations that can help to inform users, developers and policy stakeholders of best practices in this area. We also introduce a policy framework for mHealth apps and discuss future work

Forensic information management system

The primary objectives of this project were to reduce the paper work, increase data reliability and reduce process turnaround time at the West Virginia State Police Forensic Laboratory (WVSPFL) Charleston, WV. The objective was achieved by reengineering and automating various processes in the seven units of the laboratory. A software tool called Forensic Information Management System (FIMS) was developed. FIMS was implemented in Visual Studio.Net; MS-SQL server was used as the database. The FIMS can be accessed via the internet/intranet, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), or a stand-alone desktop computer. The key benefits of FIMS are its ability to integrate information flow, information exchange between Originating (ORI) agencies, track the status of cases submitted to WVSPFL, report generation and directly uploading of data to the Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS)

Information security concerns around enterprise bring your own device adoption in South African higher education institutions

The research carried out in this thesis is an investigation into the information security concerns around the use of personally-owned mobile devices within South African universities. This concept, which is more commonly known as Bring Your Own Device or BYOD has raised many data loss concerns for organizational IT Departments across various industries worldwide. Universities as institutions are designed to facilitate research and learning and as such, have a strong culture toward the sharing of information which complicates management of these data loss concerns even further. As such, the objectives of the research were to determine the acceptance levels of BYOD within South African universities in relation to the perceived security risks. Thereafter, an investigation into which security practices, if any, that South African universities are using to minimize the information security concerns was carried out by means of a targeted online questionnaire. An extensive literature review was first carried out to evaluate the motivation for the research and to assess advantages of using Smartphone and Tablet PC’s for work related purposes. Thereafter, to determine security concerns, other surveys and related work was consulted to determine the relevant questions needed by the online questionnaire. The quantity of comprehensive academic studies concerning the security aspects of BYOD within organizations was very limited and because of this reason, the research took on a highly exploratory design. Finally, the research deliberated on the results of the online questionnaire and concluded with a strategy for the implementation of a mobile device security strategy for using personally-owned devices in a work-related environment

Face liveness detection using dynamic texture

User authentication is an important step to protect information, and in this context, face biometrics is potentially advantageous. Face biometrics is natural, intuitive, easy to use, and less human-invasive. Unfortunately, recent work has revealed that face biometrics is vulnerable to spoofing attacks using cheap low-tech equipment. This paper introduces a novel and appealing approach to detect face spoofing using the spatiotemporal (dynamic texture) extensions of the highly popular local binary pattern operator. The key idea of the approach is to learn and detect the structure and the dynamics of the facial micro-textures that characterise real faces but not fake ones. We evaluated the approach with two publicly available databases (Replay-Attack Database and CASIA Face Anti-Spoofing Database). The results show that our approach performs better than state-of-the-art techniques following the provided evaluation protocols of each database2014This work has been performed within the context of the TABULA RASA project, part of the 7th Framework Research Programme of the European Union (EU), under the grant agreement number 257289. The financial support of FUNTTEL (Brazilian Telecommunication Technological Development Fund), Academy of Finland and Infotech Oulu Doctoral Program is also gratefully acknowledg

Virtual tool mark generation for efficient striation analysis in forensic science

In 2009, a National Academy of Sciences report called for investigation into the scientific basis behind tool mark comparisons (National Academy of Sciences, 2009). Answering this call, Chumbley et al. (2010) attempted to prove or disprove the hypothesis that tool marks are unique to a single tool. They developed a statistical algorithm that could, in most cases, discern matching and non-matching tool marks made at different angles by sequentially numbered screwdriver tips. Moreover, in the cases where the algorithm misinterpreted a pair of marks, an experienced forensics examiner could discern the correct outcome. While this research served to confirm the basic assumptions behind tool mark analysis, it also suggested that statistical analysis software could help to reduce the examiner\u27s workload. This led to a new tool mark analysis approach, introduced in this thesis, that relies on 3D scans of screwdriver tip and marked plate surfaces at the micrometer scale from an optical microscope. These scans are carefully cleaned to remove noise from the data acquisition process and assigned a coordinate system that mathematically defines angles and twists in a natural way. The marking process is then simulated by using a 3D graphics software package to impart rotations to the tip and take the projection of the tip\u27s geometry in the direction of tool travel. The edge of this projection, retrieved from the 3D graphics software, becomes a virtual tool mark. Using this method, virtual marks are made at increments of 5° and compared to a scan of the evidence mark. The previously developed statistical package from Chumbley et al. (2010) performs the comparison, comparing the similarity of the geometry of both marks to the similarity that would occur due to random chance. The resulting statistical measure of the likelihood of the match informs the examiner of the angle of the best matching virtual mark, allowing the examiner to focus his/her mark analysis on a smaller range of angles. Preliminary results are quite promising. In a study with both sides of 6 screwdriver tips and 34 corresponding marks, the method distinguished known matches from known non-matches with zero false positive matches and only two matches mistaken for non-matches. For matches, it could predict the correct marking angle within ±5-10° . Moreover, on a standard desktop computer, the virtual marking software is capable of cleaning 3D tip and plate scans in minutes and producing a virtual mark and comparing it to a real mark in seconds. These results support several of the professional conclusions of the tool mark analysis community, including the idea that marks produced by the same tool only match if they are made at similar angles. The method also displays the potential to automate part of the comparison process, freeing the examiner to focus on other tasks, which is important in busy, backlogged crime labs. Finally, the method offers the unique chance to directly link an evidence mark to the tool that produced it while reducing potential damage to the evidence

Mass spectrometry pneumatically assisted desorption/ionization in forensic toxicology

La spettrometria di massa \ue8 una delle tecniche pi\uf9 rilevanti in tossicologia clinica e forense. Il suo sviluppo e il miglioramento si basano sull'invenzione e l'uso di nuove sorgenti di ioni, nuovi metodi di ionizzazione, nuovi analizzatori di massa e nuove tecniche di pre-trattamento dei campioni. Una recente innovazione \ue8 la capacit\ue0 di registrare spettri di massa su campioni reali direttamente nel loro ambiente nativo, senza preparazione del campione o pre-separazione. In questo ambito \ue8 stato descritto un nuovo metodo di ionizzazione/desorbimento chiamato DESI (desorbimento Electrospray ionizzazione), in seguito \ue8 stato sviluppato un metodo chiamato Dess\uec (Desorbimento Sonic Spray ionizzazione), a prima vista simile a DESI, ma in fondo sostanzialmente diverso. Questa tesi consiste nello sviluppo di una nuova interfaccia di desorbimento / ionizzazione per indagare il vero meccanismo coinvolto nella formazione di ioni, perch\ue9 abbiamo ritenuto questo passaggio propedeutico per garantire il successivo uso del metodo in campo tossicologico analitico. Abbiamo verificato che il contributo pneumatico \ue8 preponderante per ottenere risultati. Quindi, la nostra nuova interfaccia di desorbimento/ionizzazione utilizza solo uno spray di solvente puro, senza alcuna tensione elettrica applicata allo sprayer. Un aspetto fondamentale di questo progetto, applicato a diverse matrici complesse, \ue8 il numero di parametri di funzionamento controllabili che possono essere studiati e ottimizzati per ottenere un'efficace analisi di superficie. Le variabili pi\uf9 importanti prese in considerazione sono state la geometria della sorgente (l'angolo di spray e l'angolo di diffusione di ioni, come pure le varie distanze nell'allineamento dello spray, del campione e dello spettrometro di massa) e la caratteristica dello spray (il contenuto del solvente ed il gas di portata). Tutte le misurazioni sono state eseguite in condizioni di ionizzazione positiva e negativa, variando tensione del capillare, pressione del gas di nebulizzazione, il flusso di gas al capillare e la temperatura del capillare. L'acquisizione \ue8 stata prodotta in modalit\ue0 multiple mass spectra (MSn). Abbiamo applicato questa nuova soluzione tecnica per l'identificazione di composti tal quali, di principi attivi in campioni di farmaci mediante analisi diretta di compresse, principi attivi contenuti in specie vegetali. Gli sviluppi futuri saranno connessi ad applicare l\u2019analisi diretta di analiti presenti sulle superfici originali di interesse nel settore tossicologico per il campionamento in vivo su superfici di tessuti, per individuare l\u2019esposizione a farmaci e xenobiotici, oltre alla possibilit\ue0 di costruire un\u2019immagine chimica della distribuzione spaziale di analiti sulle superfici dei campioni.Mass spectrometry is one of the most relevant techniques in clinical and forensic toxicology. Its development and improvement are based on the invention and utilization of new ion sources, new ionization methods, new mass analyzers and new sample pre-treatment techniques. A recent innovation is the ability to record mass spectra on ordinary samples in their native environment, without sample preparation or pre-separation. In this field, a new desorption ionization method called DESI (Desorption Electrospray Ionization) has been described; subsequently, method called DeSSI (Desorption Sonic Spray Ionization), at first sight similar to DESI, but in deep substantially different, has been developed. This thesis consist in developing a new desorption/ionization interface to investigate the real mechanism involved in ions formation because we considered that propaedeutic for the extensive use of the method in the toxicological analytical field. We verified that the pneumatic contribution is preponderant to the obtained results. Hence, our new desorption/ionization interface uses only a spray of pure solvent with no high voltage on needle. A key aspect of this project, applied to several complex matrix, is the number of controllable operating parameters that can be investigated and optimized to obtain an efficient surface analysis. The most important variables are taken in consideration were the source geometry (the spray angle and the ion uptake angle, as well as the various distances in aligning the spray, sample and mass spectrometer) and the characteristic of sprayer (contents of the solvent spray and gas flow rate). All measurements have been performed in positive and negative ionization conditions, varying capillary voltage, nebulizing gas pressure, drying gas flow and end plate temperature. Acquisition was in multiple mass spectrometry mode (MSn). 2 We have applied this new technical solution to compound identification, active principles and drugs identification in direct tablet analysis, active principles and drugs identification in vegetable species. Future developments will be related to apply the direct analysis of analytes present on the original surfaces of interest in the toxicological field for in vivo sampling of living tissue surfaces, to identify drug and xenobiotic exposure, besides the chemical imaging of spatial distribution of analytes onto sample surfaces

Biometric Systems

Because of the accelerating progress in biometrics research and the latest nation-state threats to security, this book's publication is not only timely but also much needed. This volume contains seventeen peer-reviewed chapters reporting the state of the art in biometrics research: security issues, signature verification, fingerprint identification, wrist vascular biometrics, ear detection, face detection and identification (including a new survey of face recognition), person re-identification, electrocardiogram (ECT) recognition, and several multi-modal systems. This book will be a valuable resource for graduate students, engineers, and researchers interested in understanding and investigating this important field of study

Targeting Phosphopeptide Recognition by the Human BRCA1 Tandem BRCT Domain to Interrupt BRCA1-Dependent Signaling.

Intracellular signals triggered by DNA breakage flow through proteins containing BRCT (BRCA1 C-terminal) domains. This family, comprising 23 conserved phosphopeptide-binding modules in man, is inaccessible to small-molecule chemical inhibitors. Here, we develop Bractoppin, a drug-like inhibitor of phosphopeptide recognition by the human BRCA1 tandem (t)BRCT domain, which selectively inhibits substrate binding with nanomolar potency in vitro. Structure-activity exploration suggests that Bractoppin engages BRCA1 tBRCT residues recognizing pSer in the consensus motif, pSer-Pro-Thr-Phe, plus an abutting hydrophobic pocket that is distinct in structurally related BRCT domains, conferring selectivity. In cells, Bractoppin inhibits substrate recognition detected by Förster resonance energy transfer, and diminishes BRCA1 recruitment to DNA breaks, in turn suppressing damage-induced G2 arrest and assembly of the recombinase, RAD51. But damage-induced MDC1 recruitment, single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) generation, and TOPBP1 recruitment remain unaffected. Thus, an inhibitor of phosphopeptide recognition selectively interrupts BRCA1 tBRCT-dependent signals evoked by DNA damage