Showing posts with label forensics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label forensics. Show all posts

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: With an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) Review

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: With an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations)
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Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: With an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) ReviewI was a student in one of Ross Gardner's bloodstain pattern analysis classes using these principles. Very informative and quite interesting.Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: With an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) Overview

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Practical Bomb Scene Investigation, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) Review

Practical Bomb Scene Investigation, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations)
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Practical Bomb Scene Investigation, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) ReviewThe global war on terror has increased the need for post blast investigation and training. Within the United States, an ever increasing number of bomb incidents involving juveniles, enmity, drug operations, organized criminals, and traditional criminals is seeing the need for post blast investigations spread to the smallest, most remote communities. Unfortunately, access to training has become limited, as traditional sources, such as the FBI and ATF, must address budgetary constraints and their own operational needs.
At a most opportune time, CRC Press has published James T. Thurman's Practical Bomb Scene Investigation. Thurman, an associate professor at Eastern Kentucky University, is well known within the bomb response community as the retired chief of the FBI's Explosives Unit and Bomb Data Center, putting him at the forefront of bomb response, intelligence sharing, and training in the U.S. He has combined his experience, education, with an ability to write in a very readable manner to produce a valuable guide to this field.
In the U.S., the FBI, ATF, Postal Inspection Service, Department of State and other agencies teach very similar post blast investigative techniques. Thurman maintains this documenting the team approach taught by these agencies. The team includes crime scene investigators, laboratory analysts, bomb technicians, and general investigators. Much of the physical crime scene procedure will be familiar to experienced members of the criminalistic fields - photography, sketch documentation, search techniques, and evidence collection techniques. Other aspects, however, will be new - establishing the search parameters, packaging materials for explosive residues, safety aspects, etc. Thurman covers these and many more related areas in a manner which is highly informative.
Important aspects of post blast investigation include recognition of components and understanding the technology of bomb functioning. Thurman does an outstanding job of introducing the reader to explosives, components, and function. He includes much detail on the subjects, providing the previously ignorant a wealth of insight into the construction of bombs, function of explosives, and the variety of types of explosions. Thurman also introduces the reader to evidence collection at scenes where bomb technicians have rendered safe a bomb, and to the processing of sites where bombs were being assembled for use elsewhere.
One chapter examines weapons of mass destruction. Thurman's intent in this chapter is not evidence collection; entire books have been devoted to the subject. Instead, it is to introduce the responder to WMD's, with eye towards safety. An explosive may be the dissemination or triggering device for a WMD; responders need to recognize that a scene may be highly hazardous unless steps are taken to protect investigators.
The book concludes with several appendices. Some deal with standardized crime scene logs and forms. Of greater value are detailed lists of explosive materials, a cross reference of explosive antonyms, color codes for military ordnance, and a step by step guide to explosive residue swabbing.
Until the publication of this book, there had been no true text dealing with this important subject. Thurman has produced a work of great value to investigators and bomb technicians, unit libraries, and as a textbook for college and specialized training programs. At a time when training resources are shrinking, it provides an important resource giving investigators a reference for self training and operational information. In the global war on terror, it will fill an important niche.
Practical Bomb Scene Investigation, Second Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) Overview

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Bloodstain Pattern Analysis with an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Third Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) Review

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis with an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Third Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations)
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Bloodstain Pattern Analysis with an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Third Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) ReviewOutstanding book! If you are a novice or an experienced practitioner in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis you will enjoy this book. A must have for your reference library.Bloodstain Pattern Analysis with an Introduction to Crime Scene Reconstruction, Third Edition (Practical Aspects of Criminal & Forensic Investigations) Overview

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The Fraud Audit: Responding to the Risk of Fraud in Core Business Systems (Wiley Corporate F&A) Review

The Fraud Audit: Responding to the Risk of Fraud in Core Business Systems (Wiley Corporate FandA)
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The Fraud Audit: Responding to the Risk of Fraud in Core Business Systems (Wiley Corporate F&A) ReviewAs a veteran auditor, I highly recommend this book. I found the book to be incredibly well-organized, focusing on those issues truly critical to effective fraud audit. The author makes effective use of graphics and examples, making the text more accessible and rising it above the level of a standard fraud theory book. In short, he provides practical guidance that can help firms respond to and manage their fraud risk. I also think it's worth mentioning that author devotes a portion of the book to the topic of data mining. Given the modern business environment, knowledge of these techniques is an absolute necessity and reason enough to purchase this book.The Fraud Audit: Responding to the Risk of Fraud in Core Business Systems (Wiley Corporate F&A) Overview

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Digital Evidence and Computer Crime, Third Edition: Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet Review

Digital Evidence and Computer Crime, Third Edition: Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet
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Digital Evidence and Computer Crime, Third Edition: Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet ReviewWhen it comes to a physical crime scene and the resulting forensics, investigators can ascertain that a crime took place and gather the necessary evidence. When it comes to digital crime, the evidence is often at the byte level, deep in the magnetics of digital media, initially invisible from the human eye. That is just one of the challenges of digital forensics, where it is easy to destroy crucial evidence, and often difficult to preserve correctly.
For those looking for an authoritative guide, Digital Evidence and Computer Crime is an invaluable book that can be used to ensure that any digital investigation is done in a formal manner, that can ultimately be used to determine what happened, and if needed, used as evidence in court.
Written by Eoghan Casey, a leader in the field of digital forensics, in collaboration with 10 other experts, the book's 24 chapters and nearly 800 pages provide an all-encompassing reference. Every relevant topic in digital forensics is dealt with in this extraordinary book. Its breadth makes it relevant to an extremely large reading audience: system and security administrators, incident responders, forensic analysts, law enforcement, lawyers and more.
In the introduction, Casey writes that one of the challenges of digital forensics is that the fundamental aspects of the field are still in development. Be it the terminology, tools, definitions, standards, ethics and more, there is a lot of debate amongst professionals about these areas. One of the book's goals is to assist the reader in tackling these areas and to advance the field. To that end, it achieves its goals and more.
Chapter 1 is appropriately titled Foundation of Digital Forensics, and provides a fantastic overview and introduction to the topic. Two of the superlative features in the book are the hundreds of case examples and practitioners' tips. The book magnificently integrates the theoretical aspects of forensics with real-world examples to make it an extremely decipherable guide.
Casey notes that one of the most important advances in the history of digital forensics took place in 2008 when the American Academy of Forensic Sciences created a new section devoted to digital and multimedia sciences. That development advanced digital forensics as a scientific discipline and provided a common ground for the varied members of the forensic science community to share knowledge and address current challenges.
In chapter 3 - Digital Evidence in the Courtroom - Casey notes that the most common mistake that prevents digital evidence from being admitted in court is that it is obtained without authorization. Generally, a warrant is required to search and seize evidence. This and other chapters go into detail on how to ensure that evidence gathered is ultimately usable in court.
Chapter 6 - Conducting Digital Investigations - is one of the best chapters in the book. Much of this chapter details how to apply the scientific method to digital investigations. The chapter is especially rich with tips and examples, which are crucial, for if an investigation is not conducted in a formal and consistent manner, a defense attorney will attempt to get the evidence dismissed.
Chapter 6 and other chapters reference the Association of Chief Police Officer's Good Practice Guide for Computer-Based Electronic Evidence as one of the most mature and practical documents to use when handling digital crime scenes. The focus of the guide is to help digital investigators handle the most common forms of digital evidence, including desktops, laptops and mobile devices.
The Good Practice Guide is important in that digital evidence comes in many forms, including audit trails, application, badge reader and ISP and IDS logs, biometric data, application metadata, and much more. The investigator needs to understand how all of these work and interoperate to ensure that they are collecting and interpreting the evidence correctly.
Chapter 9 - Modus Operandi - by Brent Turvey is a fascinating overview of how and why criminals commit crimes. He writes that while technologies and tools change, the underlying psychological needs and motives of the offenders and their associated criminal behavior has not changed through the ages.
Chapter 10 - Violent Crime and Digital Evidence - is another extremely fascinating and insightful chapter. Casey writes that whatever the circumstances of a violent crime, information is key to determining and thereby understanding the victim-offender relationship, and to developing an ongoing investigative strategy. Any details gleaned from digital evidence can be important, and digital investigators must develop the ability to prioritize what can be overwhelming amounts of evidence.
Chapter 13 - Forensic Preservation of Volatile Data - deals with the age-old forensic issue: to shut down or not to shut down? It provides a highly detailed sample volatile data preservation process for an investigator to follow to preserve volatile data from a system. There is also a fascinating section on the parallels between arson and digital intrusion investigations.
Part 4 of the book is Computers, in which the authors note that although digital investigators can use sophisticated software to recover deleted files and perform advanced analysis of computer hard drives, it is important for them to understand what is happening behind the scenes. A lack of understanding of how computers function and the processes that sophisticated tools have automated make it more difficult for digital investigators to explain their findings in court and can lead to incorrect interpretations of digital evidence.
Chapter 17 - File Systems - has an interesting section on dates and times. Given the importance of dates and times when investigating computer-related crimes, investigators need an understanding of how these values are stored and converted. The chapter has a table of the date-time stamp behavior on both FAT and NTFS file systems. Time stamps are not a trivial issue, as there are many different actions involved (file moved, deletion, copy, etc.) that can affect the date-time stamp in very different ways.
A better title for Digital Evidence and Computer Crime might be the Comprehensive Guide to Everything You Need to Know About Digital Forensics. One is hard pressed to find another book overflowing with so many valuable details and real-world examples.
The book is also relevant for those who are new to the field, as it provides a significant amount of introductory material that delivers a broad overview to the core areas of digital forensics.
The book progresses to more advanced and cutting-edge topics, including sections on various operating systems, from Windows and Unix to Macintosh.
This is the third edition of the book and completely upda#ted and reedited. When it comes to digital forensics, this is the reference guide that all books on the topic will be measured against.
With a list price of $70.00, this book is an incredible bargain given the depth and breadth of topics discussed, with each chapter written by an expert in the field. For those truly serious about digital forensics, Digital Evidence and Computer Crime is an equally serious book.
Digital Evidence and Computer Crime, Third Edition: Forensic Science, Computers, and the Internet Overview

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Henry Lee's Crime Scene Handbook Review

Henry Lee's Crime Scene Handbook
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Henry Lee's Crime Scene Handbook ReviewI read this book as a required text for a Masters program in Forensic Science. Having read the previous reviews on the book, I was not expecting a particularly good textbook, but I do not believe that the other reviews do justice to how totally worthless this book is. I feel obliged to write a review of my own to balance the scales, as it were.
First off, the comment regarding the numerous typographical and grammatical errors in the book is grossly understated. I cannot believe that this book ever saw an editor's desk. I have randomly opened the book to several pages, and quickly found the following sentences, which I believe should illustrate my point:
- Most importantly [sic] by keeping the suspect away from the scene, any physical evidence found at the scene that originated from the suspect will link the suspect to the scene only at the time of the crime and not from the suspect having been returned to the scene for identification by victims or witnesses. p.53 (grammatical error, poorly written and confusing)
- Access [sic] the type of scene, the boundary of the scene, and the personnel and equipment needed. p 58. (should read, 'assess')
There are others, as well - alas, I have forgotten the sentence I came across while reading for class that contained a minimum of 5 errors. Yes. One sentence.
My most significant complaint, however, is that the book is simply not thorough. This is primarily due to the fact that it appears to have been written for idiots - all the major areas are touched upon, but there appears to be a fear that tackling them in detail would confuse people. So, instead, each technique is mentioned only in passing, leaving the reader with only a very vague overview of what goes on at a crime scene. Any person actually practicing in the field of forensic science is bound to be disappointed by its lack of depth, detail, and 'new' material. This likely also applies to anyone who has read any other books on the subject, whether they are active in the field or not.
For those who are interested in the subject and looking for a much better primer, I would suggest Fisher's 'Techniques of Crime Scene Investigation,' instead. While he does not have the friendly or chatty writing style that Lee has (the only thing going for Lee's book, incidentally), he is significantly more thorough. The book is also more well-regarded in the field, based on everything I have heard. This is not to say that Lee does not have a prominent name in forensics - quite the contrary. But, I would hate to think that anyone would purchase this book on his name alone. He should stick to spoken lectures, at which he is quite excellent.Henry Lee's Crime Scene Handbook Overview

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Fundamentals of Forensic Science, Second Edition Review

Fundamentals of Forensic Science, Second Edition
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Fundamentals of Forensic Science, Second Edition ReviewAttention to detail is important in almost all areas of endeavor, but especially so in forensic science. This book violates that fundamental in the first chapter. In describing the trial of Theodore Robert Bundy for the Chi Omega Sorority murders, it refers to the testimony of a certain forensic odontologist, and says that as a result of the testimony of the forensic odonotologist, Bundy was executed. This is incorrect. Bundy was not executed for the Chi Omega murders, but for the subsequent murder of a young girl. Forensic science figured prominently in that conviction also, but it was microanalysis and shoetrack comparison, not forensic odontology, that was instrumental in sending Bundy to the electric chair.
As to the circumstances of the odontological evidence at the Chi Omega trial, the book is again in error on its details. It says a plaster cast was made of a bite mark on one of the victims. The plaster cast was taken of Bundy's teeth, not of the bite mark. The bite mark was photographed.
What was accurate about the account of the Chi Omega trial was that Bundy was convicted and that forensic odontology played a role in the conviction and little else.Fundamentals of Forensic Science, Second Edition Overview

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