The Griff

Blackmail on Facebook

2009-02-06T14:15:00.000Z

It is reported that an American teenager, Anthony Stancl (18) posed as a girl on Facebook and had male classmates send him naked photos. He has been charged with a number of offences after he blackmailed them into performing sex acts by telling them if they did not comply the photos or movies would be sent to friends or posted on the Internet. Stancl is alleged to have posed as a girl who persuaded more than 30 boys to send him compromising pictures.

The incidents came to light as a result of an investigation in to bomb threats. Police said the threats were sent via email from a computer that Mr Stancl was logged into at a public library. During the bomb threat investigation one of his alleged victims reported the incident to the police.

Facebook Snares Burglar

2009-01-24T18:35:00.000Z

A criminal in New Zealand was captured with the help of a social networking site. New Zealand police posted pictures of the burglar on Facebook. He had removed his balaclava whilst breaking in to a safe and this was captured on a security camera and it was these pictures which helped lead to the arrest of the 21 year old in Queensland.

This is not the first time that Facebook has been used to track criminals. An Australian restaurant owner, Peter Leary, was left with an upaid bill of about £220 when five young diners left without paying their bill. Peter used Facebook to track them down when he remembered the diners had asked about a former waitress. She was contacted and suggested they check through some contacts on Facebook; Peter searched a few names and saw a picture of the diner with his girlfriend; as a result the diner was contacted and the bill settled.

Microsoft Launches Graphics Viewer for iPhone.

2008-12-19T21:23:00.000Z

The freeware developed by Live Labs is called "Seadragon Mobile" and lets users view large images on their iPhone with "just a few taps of a finger". It is the first in a series of planned Microsoft iPhone applications and although historically Microsoft and Apple have been market rivals, Microsoft chose the iPhone because of it's popularity and technological capabilities.

The iPhone is the most widely distributed phone with a graphics processing unit, so it was the perfect choice for the new freeware graphics viewer. Seadragon is what powers Microsoft's photo browsing software Photosynth, and works by storing multiple resolutions of a file.

Other software planned for the iPhone for release in the near future includes a voice recognition program.

Web Browser Update

2008-12-18T14:44:00.000Z

Internet Explorer

Microsoft have released a security update to fix the critical vulnerability recently identified in Internet Explorer (see item Internet Explorer Security Fears). It is reported that the vulnerability infected as many as 10,000 websites and it allowed criminals to direct victims' computers to infected websites. The security update is rated Critical for Internet Explorer 5.01, Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 and Internet Explorer 7.

Microsoft's latest security updates can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Search.aspx?displaylang=en

Firefox
Mozilla have just released version 3 of their web browser Firefox; for more information visit http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/

Internet Explorer Security Fears

2008-12-16T13:40:00.000Z

A serious security flaw has been identified with Microsoft's Internet Explorer which could result in criminals taking control of people's computers and stealing their passwords.

The flaw only affects the most commonly used web browser, Microsoft Internet Explorer and Microsoft has urged users to remain vigilant whilst they prepare an emergency patch. Other browsers such as Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Opera are not affected.

So far attacks have only been detected against Internet Explorer 7 but Microsoft said that the "underlying vulnerability" was present in all versions of the browser.

Microsoft advise that "Protected Mode" (in Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 in Windows Vista) limits the impact of the vulnerability. They also suggest that users change their Internet Explorer security settings to 'high', keep their virus and spyware detection software up to date and use a Windows user account with limited rights to change the computers settings. For more information see: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/advisory/961051.mspx

Cash Demand For Illegal Porn Downloads?

2008-12-08T11:31:00.000Z

Thousands of internet users have been told they'll be taken to court unless they pay hundreds of pounds for supposedly downloading and sharing hardcore porn movies illegally. A German company has claimed the users are breaking copyright laws and is demanding in the region of £500 to settle out of court.

The company tracks down alleged 'pirates' by logging the IP address of the computer logged on to the file sharing network. It then applies for a court order to force the Internet Service Provider or ISP to release the details of the customer matched to the logged IP address.

Of course to those in the know, this method of tracking an IP address is unreliable. Fake IP addresses, unsecured wireless networks, easy to remember or default passwords could all lead to an innocent user being prosecuted. Unfortunately, because of the nature of the data being downloaded, many people will cough up rather than face the embarrassment of going to court.

Church Minister Resigns After Porn Brings Down Church Network

2008-10-22T19:56:00.000+01:00

Computer viruses are now so common that they rarely get a mention in the press, however The Local (http://www.thelocal.se/), a Swedish on-line news site (in English) reports today that a Church of Sweden minister has resigned after his Internet surfing habits resulted in a virus which bought down the entire church network. The minister's habit of viewing pornographic websites whilst at work might not have been discovered but for the lethal computer virus.

Archbishop Anders Wejryd is reported to have said that "Priests are people too, but I have no understanding at all for someone sitting and surfing for porn on the parish computers." Perhaps this serves as another timely reminder that ALL employers should consider implementing an Internet Usage Policy.

Intellectual Property Theft

2008-10-21T10:20:00.000+01:00

As a computer forensics company, we are seeing an increase in cases involving Intellectual Property Theft.

The expanding use of computer technology has made Intellectual Property Theft much harder for companies to police. Intellectual Property Theft normally occurs because an employee is leaving one company with the intention of joining a competitor, or they are leaving to set up their own company competing in a similar market to their current employer. Examples of Intellectual Property Theft that we have seen have include the theft of technical drawings and specifications, 'in house' software and client contact databases.

By stealing 'in house' software, or copies of technical drawings or specifications, a departing employee may gain a competitive advantage which they otherwise would not have had and it could save them or their new employer considerable time and money. This act is likely to be in breach of their employment contract and make them liable for prosecution. Consequently, when suspicion is aroused, examination of the computer media they use(d) could provide evidence of whether Intellectual Property Theft has occurred.

But what if an employee leaves and legitimately retains a 'client contact database'? Built over many years of hard work and through the fostering of good relations, the client contact database is the foundation of many companies. The client contact database does not normally have a financial value but its loss, to a competitor, can have a devastating effect. The proliferation of Social Networking Sites such as Bebo, FaceBook, Friends Reunited, LinkedIn and MySpace encourage people to make contacts both through their work and social life; some Social Networking Sites will periodically check a users address book and invite them to email all of their contacts to link to them.

Companies allowing employees access to social networking sites from their office computer are advised to ensure that their Internet Usage Policy clearly explains how Social Networking Sites can be used.

CMS Cameron McKenna Solicitors have an interesting case paper titled "Social networking sites and confidential information" which can be viewed at http://www.law-now.com/law-now/2008/socialjun2008.htm.

Welcome to Griffin's Forensic Blog

2008-10-21T09:16:00.000+01:00

In this blog we aim to keep you updated with computer investigation software, computer crime trends and computers in the news. If you have anything you wish to add; particularly about the software you use, how effectve it is and where it can be obtained from, or of computer crime trends which you are encountering please feel free to add your comments.

Investigations Software. Computer forensics is a fast moving science: operating systems change, software is frequently updated and new software tools and hardware are regularly being made available for investigators. Software programmes can save an investigator a significant amount of time but how do you find out about where to get them from, what do they do and how useful do other investigators find them?

Computer Crime Trends. The types of crimes which we investigate - both for the defence and the prosecution - frquently change; grooming and child pornography offences have, unfortunately, been a problem for several years but what are the current computer crimes which you are investigating? What ‘new’ technology is being used in the commssioning of the crimes and what do you expect to be the next technology that we will have to investigate?

Computers In The News. Computers often feature in the news: with the loss of computers and computer media containing personal and sensitive data the data losses causing embarrasment for government departments and corporates; the Facebook ban imposed by a hospital on its staff and the Interpol search for Mr Swirl the Canadian paedophile caught by a global police appeal and groundbreaking "computer wizardry". How do computers feature in the news today?