Digital Forensics and Crime
by
[Name]
Course
Professor’s
Name
Institution
Location
of Institution
Date
Digital
Forensics and Crime
introduction
Digital
forensic is a scientific process of obtaining, analyzing, and using digital
evidence in criminal or investigation proceedings. There are various digital
evidence forms, including information stored in gadgets such as phones, a
computer to even images of child abuse found in digital devices. Notably, the
process of digital forensic involves data recovery, interpretation, and
presentation of the evidence either verbally or in writing in a court of law
(Flaglien, 2017). The paper outlines the process of policing and prosecuting
cybercrimes in the UK with more emphasis on the challenges that the security
department and the forensic offers are facing when carrying out their duties.
Some of the challenges include data accessibility, technological changes, and
insufficient skilled labor in the police department. Additionally, the paper
highlights how the UK is solving the same challenges compared to other regions
facing the same challenges.
The
challenges and the solutions the UK government is putting in place to solve
such challenges
Data
accessibility
Digital
forensic expertise does not access the data easily. Nowadays, they are various
processes that criminals are using to store their information, thus making it a
challenge for investigators to access the same information. For instance, data
stored in clouds or even encrypted data is challenging to access it (Feng and
Zhao, 2017). Additionally, those criminals with advanced knowledge in
information technology do use anti-forensics to hide their tracks.
Solution
In
addressing data accessibility challenges, the UK government is working on
passing various legislation that empowers the security departments and the
digital forensic department to access the details (Miranda, Moon, and Park
2016, p.107.). For instance, the government has passed laws authorizing the
concerned departments o crack cryptography and hack devices believed to be
useful in criminals’ processes. In areas where the encryption is complicated
due to lack of passwords, the government has empowered the district judges to
direct the criminals(s) to provide the passwords failure to which he/she has to
face a penalty.
Additionally,
the investigatory powers bill seeks to compel the service providers to remove
any protection applied to data or communications. However, such a direction
will go against the privacy and security of the users of such services.
Alternatively, the services providers outlined that, removing electronic
protection required the government to build vulnerabilities or backdoors into
encryption systems that the law enforcement agencies will be using to access
the data.
Technological
change
The
rapidly changing technology poses a serious challenge to the digital forensic
department in the UK and all parts of the world. The newly discovered
applications, operating systems, and hardware need to be studied closely by the
forensic personnel to retrieve valuable forensic information from such gadgets.
Additionally, the storage space for the devices is increasing, and thus it
possesses the challenge of examining large volumes of data before getting any
reliable information (Marshall and Paige 2018, P 23-29. The obligation under
the criminal procedure and investigations act of 1996 is challenging to fulfill
due to large data volumes.
Solution
As
a measure to deal with this kind of challenge, the Antony generals’ guidelines
on disclosure 2013 suggested installing a software search tool that can examine
the digital materials within the shortest time possible. The Antony general
guidelines outline an increase in budgetary allocation as a key to implementing
such measures.
lack
of skilled personnel
The
forensic department report reveals the low retention of police officers with
skills to interact and deal with digital investigations. Notably, such people
have a high demand in the market, and therefore their services are expensive.
In the UK, such people are paid low, and that why they resign and sort for
employment in other sectors (Feng, and Zhao 2017, p. 858-62).
.
Solution
For
the UK to retain such people, they have to improve their terms of employment.
Pay them accordingly, and also improve their working conditions. Besides, such
people should enjoy various incentives from the government, such as free
medical covers. The UK government should also invest in training such people to
keep them updated hence improving their skills in those particular fields.
In
the united states, the same challenges are happening. Still, the U.S federal
law relating to accessing digital evidence by the forensic department is
governed by the fourth amendment and the statutory privacy laws (Thueson,
2019). The fourth amendment’s outlines various ways through which the
government has legalized the operations of digital information from allowing warrantless
search for some cases to the issuing of extraterritorial search warrant for the
case where the information is outside their boundaries. The government also
supports the digital forensic department through allocating enough resources
and in-service training to keep its personnel with the modern technological
tactics and to keep them updated on the rapidly changing technology. For
instance, in the 2021 budgetary allocation, the government is proposing
allocation of $ 9.8 billion for cyberspace domain Cancian, M.F., 2019.. $5.4
billion of the allocation will go to cybersecurity, $3.8 billion go to
operations in the cyberspace, and $ 556 million allocated for cyberspace
science and technology. On top of the $9.8 billion allocation, the government
is purposing to allocate $ 789 million for cloud developments and $ 841 million
for artificial intelligence development Cancian, M.F., 2019..
Conclusion
Technology
is changing at a very high speed. The departments of defense in all the
countries need to invest heavily since criminals are changing very fast with
the technology and employing the new technologies in carrying out their
criminal activities. Therefore, governments need to invest enough in those
sectors to ensure their countries and economies are safe. UK should therefore
improve its budgetary allocation to the ministry of defense to match with the
technological improvements needs in the department. In addition, the UK
government should purpose to tarin its defense official’s frequency especially
the once dealing with digital forensic information thus updating them on the
current events and technological advancements.
References
Arshad,
H., Jantan, A.B. and Abiodun, O.I., 2018. Digital Forensics: Review of Issues
in Scientific Validation of Digital Evidence. Journal of Information Processing Systems, 14(2).
Flaglien,
A.O., 2017. The digital forensics process. Digital Forensics, pp.13-49.
Feng,
- and Zhao, Y., 2017, June. Digital forensics challenges to big data in the
cloud. In 2017 IEEE International
Conference on Internet of Things (iThings) and IEEE Green Computing and
Communications (GreenCom) and IEEE Cyber, Physical and Social Computing
(CPSCom) and IEEE Smart Data (SmartData) (pp.
858-862). IEEE.
Miranda
Lopez, E., Moon, S.Y. and Park, J.H., 2016. Scenario-based digital forensics
challenges in cloud computing. Symmetry, 8(10), p.107.
Marshall,
A.M. and Paige, R., 2018. Requirements in digital forensics method definition:
Observations from a UK study. Digital
Investigation, 27,
pp.23-29.
Cancian,
M.F., 2019. US Military Forces in FY 2020. Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Thueson,
S.D., 2019. Fourth Amendment Search-Fuzzy Shades of Gray: The New Bright-Line
Rule in Determining When the Use of Technology Constitutes a Search-Kyllo v.
United States, 121 S. Ct. 2038 (2001). Wyoming Law Review, 2(1), pp.169-202.