Technology Used By Drug Dealers Information Technology Essay

Technology Used By Drug Dealers Information Technology EssayThe Report discuss or so the case of an arrested medicine star who is suspected of the operations which ar running with the help of laptop. In the first part of the root it gives the details about main technologies which the suspect wantons use in site to come about with his co-conspirators, it a alike(p) points out the problems posed by the technologies in carrying out the forensic investigation.In the second part the report discuss about the possible semens of examine which could be obtained from the laptops file organisation.2. Computer ForensicsComputer forensics is a branch of forensic science permitting to legal rise found in computers and digital storage media, it is also known as digital forensics.The goal of computer forensics is to explain the current state of a digital artefact where as the status digital artefact heap includes computer system, storage medium and an electronic document.The subject of computer forensics has evolved into major field in the legal systems around the world, in the year 2002 the FBI express that fifty percent of the cases the FBI now opens involve a computer1.similar to the pathological forensic which is c totallyed the forensic medicine where as the body temperature cuts and marks etc be looked for, clues and marks are looked within the system memory to get the detail description which effects to the relationship of the crime, these are looked by the digital forensic.We can perplex a challenge for the digital forensic which involves retrieving the data from the existing or from the deleted files.The challenge of the digital forensic examiner is toTo determine what fount of pasts have been produced the evidence before us.To find what type of pasts could not have produced the evidence before us.Able to give a demonstration on the value of the assessment to the trey parties which it should be understanding to them.3. Technology apply by dose dealersAccording to the current analysis we have to find the answers for the questions that are critical which are the possible key technologies that the medicate dealer could possible uses it,There are three questionsQno1 what is the need for the illicit do drugs dealers to turn on the computer technologies to run their bloodline?Qno2 What are the attractive technologies that a drug dealer uses to perform his discourse with co-conspirators without creation caught by the police?Qno3 How and what possible conclusions can be obtained from the analysis?4. about the new technologyAns1 answer to the first one is twofold.Ans2 the latest chat technologies used by the drug dealers areTo reach the larger audience and to fatten out the base of the businessTo run the operations as secretly as possibleAnd not to leave any evidence to the police.According to the current post the dealings and the business runs by victimization the mobile phones, mobile phones are the most widely used by the drug dealers for the chat but this arc is changing because now a days the mobiles can be tapped on the network and hitherto if the phone is misplaced or lost then the contacts of all the drug dealers can be revealed and by using the mobile phones they cant communicate in the crowded places. Hence the selection of the new ways of communicating is imminent.The advent of modern network technologies like computer to computer communication technologies and social networking websites had made the communication strong and had opened the new ways to communicate through the various places for the each individual.The technologies adopted by the drug dealers for the communication isSpamming net drug dealer gets 30years in prison revealed by CNET news in the year 2007 2nd augustItalian drug dealers as early adapters of innovative communications technology revealed by Experiential in the year 2008 twenty-third august.Google site used by drug gang revealed by BBC news in the year 2005 22nd July.5. Key technologies used for communications by drug dealersListed below are some of the key communication technologies that a drug dealer is believed to be using to perform his operations.1. Instant messenger programmes2. Social networking websites3. VOIP programs4. e-mail encryption programs and spamming.5. Content sharing websites.6. Private online chat rooms.7. Blogging and micro blogging websites.Instant messenger ProgrammesInstant messenger programmes had been the main source because these are fast and abstemious and they are available in the merchandise for a quite while now, popular programmes like Google talk, yahoo messenger, windows live messenger, meebo and many opposite are used by a large number of drug users. These instant messenger programmes can be linked with gratis(p) instant messenger chat encryption software program which is used to available easily in the net.IM ENCRYPTO is one such software which can be used in conjunction with the yahoo messenger and build the sterilize connections which can only be deciphered by the computer which is having the correct encryption key.Having installed the program need to be generated a key equate which is used for the encryption and decryption, this type of operation is performed on the second stage of IM Crypto configuration wizard, and one more important point about the software is that the others cannot chit-chat the chat messages and they only see the garbled set of characters, but this software must be installed by the two parties where the communication is done.Social networking websitesThere are so many social networking websites like face book, orkut, Hi5, Friendster MySpace, net log etc, The social networking sites also serve the qualitative purpose of the drug market as majority of the consumers of illegal drugs happen to be teenagers who are also largest spenders of time on the social networking websites and indeed they have a great probability of being contacted by a drug d ealer.The drug dealer could also use these social networking sites to keep in contact, exchange nurture, advertise his products, recruit new drug peddlers, and get information on events and student gatherings all at the easy and privacy purported by these websites.Orkut is one such popular website which it is to be operated by the Google which it is on the news on the recent days for the wrong reasons. Criminals such as the drug peddlers establish members-only groups on popular social networking websites and then exchange messages and information with other members.And also the advent of 3G mobile communications ensured mobility and faster connectivity to the internet. Hence the drug dealers can communicate through social networking websites right from their mobile phones using unsecure wifi hot spots and hence get away un-detected.Similar to Instant messenger programmes, the social networkings websites can also used on the 3G phones and hence pose a danger of highly secure commun ication channel to the drug peddlers.VOIP programmesVoIP programmes could very well be the most popular and useful communication between the drug dealers because softwares like Skype is so useful in the communication because it offers with the less cost and even it is the secured communication Skype has been the most used software in the VoIP programmes which are followed by windows messenger and yahoo messenger.These VoIP programmes is that which it helps the drug dealers to communicate by the voice and by the video with their customers through the internet, it is the most secure communication to the drug dealers and these conversations cannot be intercepted by the police.According to the Reports in BBC website, officers in milian say organised crime, arms and drug traffickers, and prostitution rings are turning to Skype in order to frustrate investigators.www.bbc.com stated that on 20/05/2010 that the Italy police warn of Skype threatSkype programme is secure because it uses the e ncryption system and it is easily available in the market where as the encryption system the company keeps the issue confidential and even it does not discloses to the law enforcement agencies.So gibe to the sources available in VoIP programmes the drug dealers uses this communication to perform their operations.Email encryption programmes and spammingData encryption is the source where it is done in a process because nobody can meditate the data or message expects the person whom the data is addressed.Drug dealers will very well make use of the different email encryptions like pipeline exchange, certified mail, read notify, which these encryptions work with the e-mail clients like Microsoft-outlook.Drug dealers send the spam messages to the people through email about their business, they use the email communication as the source to their advertisements in free off costs we have seen so many spam messages appear in Google mail accounts.Recently a famous website named www.pcworld.i dg.com stated on 17/05/2010 that drug dealing spammers hits the Gmail accountsEncryption is a technique that it changes the data into a gibberish value by using the mathematical algorithms this helps the drug dealers to communicate the data to the addressed person, and no other can read the data, gibberish value means the data will be written in technical word or in the meaningless sentences, if the recipient has the confidential key needed to decrypt the message the date will be changed mainstay to the original message.The increasing phenomenon taking place in the internet is that if the criminals hiring the spammers and the specialists in IT, because the can promote the website where the drugs can be sold illegally.But these types of spammed websites can be quickly discovered, but the drug tracking dealers use the different multiple layers.5. Content sharing websitesContent sharing websites like mega upload, rapid share, Z persona etc are used by the drug dealers for communicati on and also torrent sharing websites are used for the communication.Websites like p2p sharing programmes and client softwares are also used by the drug dealers for the communication.Drug dealers use this because these types of websites can share the more content and can uses to upload or download for minimum of 10mb for free off cost.Whereas the lime wire, bit torrent, u torrent helps to upload or download the torrent files in the internet which these comes under the p2p sharing programmes.But compared to the other communications used by the drug dealers this is little bit slower but is secured.6. Private online chat roomsPrivate online chat rooms offer drug dealers and other criminals such as terrorists with secure communication channels where exchange of information can only be understood by the communication end users this is a form of synchronous conferencing which it exchanges text messages on the internet. Encryption technologies like SSL are applied by the private chat rooms because to make it impossible to access their conversations to any interceptor and even makes impossible to build evidence.7. Blogging and micro blogging websitesSimilar to the social networking websites the drug dealers uses the websites like twitter they form the members in groups, where they can make messages and information and this information can be made updated daily and it can reach all the members and in the groups in that network, this way of communication is secure and fast. Which it provides a most secure and fast mode of communication to the drug dealers, and no large chunks of data will be transferred as in a VoIP call or no packet sniffers can be used to intercept keywords in emails and in instant messages.Drug dealers places their advertisements in the famous websites like they simply put an option to click if the button is clicked it directly goes to the websites of the drug dealers and it is accessed , using these type blogs by drug dealers develop their drug busi ness.6. ConclusionsAs per the in a higher place analysis the most secure and used communication by the drug dealers is the VoIP programme softwares because this uses the Skype software and it is used with free of cost and secure of all the communication because it provides video calling and then the drug dealers can be sure that they are talking to the right person and the information that they are transmitting is grasp the right person and the Skype software is easy to access and is easy for the installation.The most important plus point in Skype is the impenetrable security aspect which the drug dealers can understand very well and hence use the system without putting their identities and information.Another key observation from the above analysis is that the drug dealers mainly follows the encryption techniques as the mode of communication, because they largely dependent on the encryption techniques .Be it the encrypted email, encrypted instant messenger programmes etc.All the se technologies use method of encryption system that makes the flowing information gibberish to anyone other than the person with the right key to decrypt the message.Hence the computer forensics experts can easily find out the cracks and codes for those type of encryption and decryption methods and nab the criminals and can mount an evidence against them.7. Analysis of possible sources evidence in the laptop file systemExtraction of evidence from a computer file system and from other digital machinations like mobile phones and PDAs usually deals with the extraction of the contents of the files and the folders which are available in the laptop file system.It also deals with the extracted content from the files and folders as the interpreted data where as the interpreted data can be used for the process of the ongoing investigation to complete the digital forensic. Even though it reveals all the data, it is difficult and hard to the digital forensic expert to find out and it poses t he real challenge. This section of the report deals with the discussion on the possible places where evidence may be found on the laptop file system. It also deals in decision the relative immenseness of the evidence by classifying it on the basis of the evidence obtained and the sources of the evidence obtained.8 .Sources of evidence in the laptop file systemIn order to understand the possible places in the file system we have to understand the file system and the technologies used for itThey should have a technical knowledge on software package packages present on the laptopThe operating system of the laptopThe file systems in the laptopThe type data organization that is available in the laptop.The forensic analysis on the seized laptop of the drug dealer would certainly contain thousands if not millions of files. Each of these files can be broadly classified into eitheruser created filessystem filesThere may be a number of locations to look for on the file systems and therefore it is important to make a note.Possible locations of finding digital evidenceEmail files.Calendars.Address books.Documents or text files.Bookmarks and favouritesText and document files.Image or graphic filesCompressed files.Hidden files.Audio files idiot box files.Spread sheet files.Shared files.Downloaded filesUploaded files.The possible locations under the system created files areLog filesSwap filesHistory filesTemporary filesBack up filesSystem filesCookies printing machine filesHidden filesConfiguration filesStorage filesLarge filesData filesDrive filesApart from the user created files and the system files there are number of other places to look for evidences such asComputer dateComputer timeComputer passwordDeleted filesSlack spaceFree spaceBad clustersUnallocated spaceSystem areas alienated clustersMeta data.Deleted filesReserved areasSoftware registrationOther partitionsSoftware informationThe most popular types of file systems are two types plump down typeNTFS systemFAT st ands for file allocation table, an understanding of the file system is important for the effective forensic analysis.NTFS system allows the file encryption and folder encryption where as it is not possible in the FAT32 system.The disk organisation is also an important concept to be understand for the effective analysisFile allocation tables, adding and deleting files, partitions and master shudder records and the patterns behind them can give a very useful insight to the investigation. The recovery of deleted files is another aspect of digital forensic investigation. The recovery of deleted files can be obtained by using debugging.9. ConclusionsAs discussed earlier even though a large amount of data can be obtained from a digital device such as laptop and from a PDA that is seized from drug dealer.But the problem for the forensic expert is to find the authentic evidence which can be presentable in the court.The common and known challenges to authenticity of digital evidence areAuth enticating content.AlterationsAuthorship.Authenticating contentSo many several cases have considered that to authenticate at the same time what foundation is necessary for the contents and appearance of a website.Web pages which are having URL and having date stamp are not self-authenticating.So, according to the analysis courts require testimony of a person with knowledge of the websites appearance to authenticate images of that websiteAlterationsAs per the analysis the computer electronic records are easy to alter, even the opposing parties often allege that computer records lack the authenticity.Courts have rejected arguments that electronic evidence is inherently unreliable because of its potential for manipulation.AuthorshipAlthough handwritten records may be penned in a distinctive handwriting style, computer-stored records do not necessarily identify their author there is a particular problem with the internet communications.For example internet technologies permit users to s end effectively anonymous emails, and internet relay chat channels permit users for communication without revealing their real names.