Menu
  • Home
  • My Books
  • Courses
  • About Me
  • Contact
  • Home
  • My Books
  • Courses
  • About Me
  • Contact

Brett Shavers | forensics & things

Brett's Ramblings

Subscribe to blog
Unsubscribe from blog
Settings
Sign In
If you are new here, Register
  • Forget Username
  • Reset Password
Font size: + –
Subscribe to this blog post Unsubscribe
Report
Print
4 minutes reading time (776 words)

Old hat investigative work will always work

Digital Forensics
Brett Shavers
Wednesday, 27 June 2018
2315 Hits
0 Comments

The Reality Winner case is good example where a basic investigative method still works regardless of how much publicity that the same method has received for years prior. In the Winner case, printed documents were tied to Winner based on “microdots”. This article below does a decent job of explaining what micro dots are if you haven’t heard of this before, or if you associate microdots with LSD...


https://www.grahamcluley.com/reality-winner-pleads-guilty-after-being-unmasked-by-microdots/ 

Basic (and non-secret) investigative methods suceed more often than not, and actually happens all the time. It doesn’t really matter that criminals know police investigative methods, because the methods still work. A personal example that I had when I was doing drug investigations, was ‘knock-and-talks’, where my partner and I would knock on the door of a suspected drug dealer and ask consent to search for drugs.  On one knock-and-talk, we were given permission to search a home that had hundreds of marijuana plants. Not that unusual. But what was unusual was finding a book written by a prominent Seattle defense attorney, opened to a page on “Police Knock and Talks”, with a highlighted sentenced that stated something to the effect of ‘Say no to the police when asked for consent to search’.  Even the attorney’s business card was used as a bookmark that had the same advice printed on the back of the card. Yet he willingly let us in.

This concept applies to all aspects of investigations, including technology related investigations like the Reality Winner case.

Part of the reason why the tried and true, traditional methods continue to work is that no matter how secure a criminal will try to be in all that he or she does, there are times where complacency creeps in. Add a bit of arrogance (“They’ll never catch me!”), and BAM. It’s over.

I’ve had cases where a dozen hard drives were wiped clean, but another dozen had plenty of evidence (illicit images). In these instances, the suspects were fanatical about wiping evidence until they weren’t. This applies to everything that anyone does with their electronic devices and online behavior. Complacency allows traditional methods to work and the complacency monster always wins because eventually everyone slacks off in something they do eventually.

Search warrants are not difficult to get

In a recent court decision, law enforcement is now required to obtain a search warrant for cell phone records. If you didn’t know how it worked before this decision came out…

http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/tns-supreme-court-privacy.html

Depending on how you think this affects you personally, your perspective may be different. But in all practical reality, nothing really changed. Your cell phone records are not protected from reasonable search and seizure. The records are still there, and if probable causes exists, law enforcement can get it with a warrant. I do not believe any criminals are jumping for joy over this court decision, because they are still ripe to have their records pulled with search warrants.

As far as how difficult is it to get a search warrant…it’s not difficult at all if you have probable cause. I have found that the longest time to apply for a warrant is the time it takes to type up the affidavit. The faster you can type, the faster you can get a warrant. The rest of the process only takes minutes (not counting any traffic while driving to the judge’s home…). But you don’t even have to type up a warrant if you don’t have time. Simply call a judge, get sworn in over the phone, and ask the judge for a telephonic warrant with a verbal affidavit. I’ve done both ways and typically had a signed warrant in under an hour…nearly every single time. I've had warrants in less than 30 minutes on a few occasions. If a warrant is needed faster than 30 minutes, then you might be dipping into exigent circumstances, which is a different topic.

Your cell phone records probably weren’t going to be pulled anyway, and won’t be unless there is probable cause to do. As for criminals knowing that cops need a warrant now, that won’t make a bit of difference as to how they use cell phones to commit or facilitate crimes and it won’t make a difference in that law enforcement will still get 100% access to everything. 

The point

No matter how sophisticated your suspect in (or custodian in a civil case), never forego looking for the low hanging fruit first. Don't assume that files were wiped, browsing was only done with Tor, or that the suspect didn't use his home Internet to hack into a victim's system. Because they do and always will. Old hat stuff works.

 

Tweet
Share on Pinterest
0
Interconnected Devices Investigations
In the #DFIR world, it seems like everyone is an e...

About the author

Brett Shavers

Brett Shavers

 

Comments

No comments made yet. Be the first to submit a comment
Guest
Sunday, 24 January 2021

Captcha Image

By accepting you will be accessing a service provided by a third-party external to https://www.brettshavers.com/

direct link

Brett's blog

Posts List

Tag Cloud

X-Ways Forensics Practitioner's Guide wiretap Bitcoin Forensics X-Ways Forensics 4cast windows fe windows forensic environment expert training North korea Placing the Suspect Behind the Keyboard investigations Volume Shadow Copy Windows Forensic Environment email tor browser presentations privacy dfir Jimmy Weg phishing Hacker case studies Hiding Behind the Keyboard bitcoin imaging bitcoin forensics investigation writing surveillance winfe RegRipper book Registry Forensics gmail Virtualization forensics University of Washington

Search Blog

Most popular posts

Brett Shavers
Brett Shavers
06 December 2015
RegRipper
RegRipper
Digital Forensics
The short story-if you want RegRipper, get it from GitHub (don't download it from anywhere else)http://github.com/keydet89What is RegRipper?RegRipper was created and maintained by Harlan Carvey. ...
0
38743 Hits
3 comments
Read More
Brett Shavers
Brett Shavers
25 April 2019
Game of Thrones, DFIR Style
Game of Thrones, DFIR Style
Digital Forensics
Short post and quick opinion. I came across some tweets today about how bad people are in the #infosec/#DFIR community and I dug a little deeper. Actually, I didn’t have to dig far at all to find trul...
0
37228 Hits
0 comments
Read More
Brett Shavers
Brett Shavers
10 September 2019
The Five Stages of the DFIR Career Grief Cycle
The Five Stages of the DFIR Career Grief Cycle
Digital Forensics
I have been a fan of Craig Ball ever since I met him in a forensic course years ago. I was so impressed with Craig, that I was honored that he agreed to write the foreword of a book that Eric Zimmerma...
1
36764 Hits
0 comments
Read More

Magnet Forensics Conversation

DFIR Training

Be sure to check out my DFIR Training website for practically the best resources for all things Digital Forensics/Incident Response related.


Even better, support DFIR Training by subscribing at https://www.dfir.training/subscribe-3 and get access to multiple online courses in digital forensics with included ebooks!

More posts

Date
Date
  • When OSINT is turned into the Baseball Bat of Internet Mob Justice

    When OSINT is turned into…

    When OSINT is turned into the Baseball Bat of Internet Mob Justice

    We are of a curious mind, we the forensic examiners, private investigators, OSINT professionals, and journalists. Our work is for the public good, and we…

    Thursday January 14

    by Brett Shavers

    5572 hits / 0 comments

  • I took a look at Instagram's Terms of Service so that you won't have to.

    I took a look at…

    I took a look at Instagram's Terms of Service so that you won't have to.

    Who really reads the Terms of Service anyway?Are EULAs and TOSs intentionally designed as multi-page, single-spaced, 4 font, legalized writing to confuse users or simply…

    Saturday December 26

    by Brett Shavers

    8534 hits / 0 comments

  • White Paper: The Susceptibility of Interconnected Devices in a Global Concept as Surveillance Affects the Consumer-user

    White Paper: The Susceptibility of…

    White Paper: The Susceptibility of Interconnected Devices in a Global Concept as Surveillance Affects the Consumer-user

    I read an article that China used technology to spy on users via their phones (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/dec/15/revealed-china-suspected-of-spying-on-americans-via-caribbean-phone-networks). Here is my white paper analysis.#1 - If...

    Wednesday December 16

    by Brett Shavers

    4653 hits / 0 comments

  • How long does it take to get into the DFIR field?

    How long does it take…

    How long does it take to get into the DFIR field?

    Question I received: How long does it take before I can expect to get into a DFIR career?Answer: It depends!It depends on your available resources +…

    Thursday November 12

    by Brett Shavers

    14893 hits / 0 comments

  • An expert is just one page in a book ahead of you

    An expert is just one…

    An expert is just one page in a book ahead of you

    Let me dispel your notion of what an “expert” is. An expert is someone who has more information than you. That’s it. Imagine being stranded…

    Friday October 30

    by Brett Shavers

    5825 hits / 0 comments

  • Should you improve your DFIR skills on your personal time?

    Should you improve your DFIR…

    Should you improve your DFIR skills on your personal time?

    Almost two years ago, I wrote about burning out in DFIR (“Only race cars should burn out"). I still stand by what I wrote at…

    Friday September 04

    by Brett Shavers

    28347 hits / 0 comments

  • TikTok is like a big, greasy cheeseburger. We know it is bad for us, but don't care.

    TikTok is like a big,…

    TikTok is like a big, greasy cheeseburger. We know it is bad for us, but don't care.

    Short version: Any social media platform can be compared to the biggest, greasiest cheeseburger that you can find.  You know that the cheeseburger is unhealthy,…

    Tuesday July 07

    by Brett Shavers

    24019 hits / 0 comments

  • Jessica Hyde and I talk about forensic stuff

    Jessica Hyde and I talk…

    Jessica Hyde and I talk about forensic stuff

    Jessica Hyde of Magnet Forensics sat down together (virtually...) to talk about forensics.  In case you missed it, here it is!

    Thursday June 11

    by Brett Shavers

    10735 hits / 0 comments

  • Facebook Spoofing: Your Reputation, Investigations, and Massive Data Collection

    Facebook Spoofing: Your Reputation, Investigations,…

    Facebook Spoofing: Your Reputation, Investigations, and Massive Data Collection

    A “new” article on imposter Facebook accounts was published today in the Philippines.  I put “new” in quotes because this is not a new issue,…

    Sunday June 07

    by Brett Shavers

    2662 hits / 0 comments

  • You do not want to work in DFIR.

    You do not want to…

    You do not want to work in DFIR.

     The fantasySo many people ask how they can start a career in the DF/IR field, which is completely understandable. The glamour is there. Hollywood shows…

    Thursday June 04

    by Brett Shavers

    3278 hits / 0 comments

  • COVID-19’s Investigative Impacts on Digital Forensics/Incident Response (DFIR). AKA: All burners are now burned.

    COVID-19’s Investigative Impacts on Digital…

    COVID-19’s Investigative Impacts on Digital Forensics/Incident Response (DFIR). AKA: All burners are now burned.

    The meat and potatoesA bit is still a bit and a byte is still a byte. COVID-19 cannot change that, which means that the technical…

    Saturday April 25

    by Brett Shavers

    16859 hits / 0 comments

  • Mini-WinFE 10 and WinFE 10 Updated

    Mini-WinFE 10 and WinFE 10…

    Mini-WinFE 10 and WinFE 10 Updated

    The short story on the newest Mini-WinFE 10 (aka, the download link):Mini-WinFE has been updated and upgraded.  I update WinFE developments (including the downloads for…

    Sunday April 05

    by Brett Shavers

    10816 hits / 2 comments

  • Eat your broccoli first

    Eat your broccoli first

    Eat your broccoli first

    Something good and something not-so-good on learning DFIRThe good thing about learning DFIR is that there are probably fewer barriers and obstacles to learn and…

    Saturday January 18

    by Brett Shavers

    30971 hits / 0 comments

  • The Second Decade of the 2000s is almost over!

    The Second Decade of the…

    The Second Decade of the 2000s is almost over!

    We’ve come a long way in DFIR over the past 20 years, and even looking at just the past decade, the field has drastically grown!…

    Thursday December 26

    by Brett Shavers

    10720 hits / 0 comments

  • Public Records

    Public Records

    Public Records

    I have an outstanding public records request. It is not "outstanding" in the manner that I wrote a great request, but "outstanding" in that I…

    Thursday December 12

    by Brett Shavers

    5221 hits / 0 comments

  • The Five Stages of the DFIR Career Grief Cycle

    The Five Stages of the…

    The Five Stages of the DFIR Career Grief Cycle

    I have been a fan of Craig Ball ever since I met him in a forensic course years ago. I was so impressed with Craig,…

    Tuesday September 10

    by Brett Shavers

    36764 hits / 0 comments

  • Our World is Going to Turn Upside Down with DeepFakes

    Our World is Going to…

    Our World is Going to Turn Upside Down with DeepFakes

    The short storyAny person and their voice, in practically any video (past, present, or future) can have their face and voice digitally replaced with any…

    Sunday September 01

    by Brett Shavers

    4455 hits / 0 comments

  • If you are comfortable in DFIR, you might be doing it wrong

    If you are comfortable in…

    If you are comfortable in DFIR, you might be doing it wrong

    I took a 3-day basic forensic course and embarrassingly enough, the instructor (in front of the class), said that I probably know everything in the…

    Thursday August 29

    by Brett Shavers

    4803 hits / 0 comments

  • Everything I Needed to Know about Working in DFIR, I Learned in Boot Camp

    Everything I Needed to Know…

    Everything I Needed to Know about Working in DFIR, I Learned in Boot Camp

    You don’t need to experience military life to learn the valuable lessons that are drilled into military recruits.  In fact, you can probably enjoy the…

    Saturday August 17

    by Brett Shavers

    6431 hits / 0 comments

  • Personality of a computer

    Personality of a computer

    Personality of a computer

    From a recent discussion that I had with Harlan Carvey about the registry, this topic is something that I touched on lightly in Placing the…

    Wednesday July 31

    by Brett Shavers

    5082 hits / 0 comments

© 2021 Brett Shavers