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CCJS 321 Digital Forensics in the Criminal Justice System

Project 3

After seeing you search Mr. Yourprop’s work area and take several pieces of evidence, Ms. Maria Friend, who works in the office across the hall, comes forward with an odd story.  Ms. Friend states that she is Mr. Yourprop’s fiancé, but lately things in their relationship had begun to sour.  She produces a thumb drive she says Mr. Yourprop gave her earlier that day.  She tells you Mr. Yourprop told her to “keep it safe” and asked her to bring it home with her at the end of the day.  Ms. Friend tells you she really likes her job and has no interest in being wrapped up in whatever Mr. Yourprop has done to invite negative attention.

1. How would you package the thumb drive for shipment to the lab? Be specific as to what materials you would use,and why?

When packaging a thumb drive, one method to use would be to utilize a yellow manila shipping package or something similar that isn’t see through. The envelope would need to be padded and protected with anti-static material. Another good method to practice is to ensure the envelope is sealed by some type of material so that it be obviously seen if it was tampered with. A custody sheet should be placed inside the envelope and remain with the piece of evidence. Another custody sheet should remain on the outside with the package to present a chain of custody.

Once the package reaches its destination, a chain of custody form will still need to remain with evidence. It’s also wise to utilize some form of change management paperwork as well, just to be safe.

2.      What would you ask the lab to look for on the submitted thumb drive, and why?

Although a thumb drive may seem small, it can hold a lot of valuable information. Some thumb drives can even hold an operating system like Kali Linux, which can be used for malicious activities if found in the wrong hands. With that being said, there are a few things to look for on a thumb drive that can be...