Forensic Computing: A Practitioner's Guide (Practitioner Series) [Paperback]

A J Sammes (Author), Brian Jenkinson (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1852332999 | ISBN-13: 978-1852332990 | Publication Date: September 15, 2000 | Edition: 1

In this book, Tony Sammes and Brian Jenkinson show how information held in computer systems can be recovered and how it may be deliberately hidden or subverted for criminal purposes. "Forensic Computing: A Practitioner's Guide" is illustrated by plenty of case studies and worked examples, and will help practitioners and students gain a clear understanding of:
* how to recover information from computer systems in such a way as to ensure that its integrity cannot be challenged and that it will be accepted as admissible evidence in court
* the principles involved in password protection and data encryption
* the evaluation procedures used in circumventing these safeguards
* the particular legal issues associated with computer-generated evidence and how to ensure admissibility of such evidence.

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the reviews of the second edition: "This book was the product of an ‘arms race’. … It is now listed as the standard text around which all the Forensic Computing courses at Cranfield and some other universities are based. … It is filled with good practical advice and is especially good on interpreting partition tables. … All in all this is a useful … guide to the discipline. … Truly the forensic computing expert is living in interesting times." (Alikelman, June, 2009) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From the Back Cover

Forensic computing is becoming of primary importance as computers increasingly figure as sources of evidence in all sorts of criminal investigations. However, in order for such evidence to be legally useful, it is vital that it be collected and processed according to rigorous principles. In the second edition of this very successful book, Tony Sammes and Brian Jenkinson show how information held in computer systems can be recovered when it has been hidden or subverted by criminals, and give the reader the means to insure that it is accepted as admissible evidence in court. Updated to fall in line with ACPO 2003 guidelines, "Forensic Computing: A Practitioner's Guide" is illustrated with plenty of case studies and worked examples, and will help practitioners and students gain a clear understanding in: * The principles involved in password protection and data encryption * The evaluation procedures used in circumventing a system’s internal security safeguards * Full search and seizure protocols for experts and police officers. The new volume not only discusses the new file system technologies brought in by Windows XP and 2000 but now also considers modern fast drives, new encryption technologies, the practicalities of "live" analysis, and the problems inherent in examining personal organisers. Tony Sammes is Professor of Forensic Computing at Cranfield University and the Director of the Centre for Forensic Computing based at the Defence Academy in Shrivenham. His department has been more or less solely responsible for training and educating senior law enforcement officers in the UK in the art of forensic computing. His testimony as an expert witness has been called in a variety of cases, some of national importance. Brian Jenkinson is a retired Detective Inspector, formally Head of the Cambridgeshire Constabulary Fraud Squad. He is now an independent Forensic Computer Consultant and is also closely involved in teaching to both law enforcement and commercial practitioners. He was appointed Visiting Professor for Forensic Computing in 2002 at Cranfield University and the Defence Academy. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Springer; 1 edition (September 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1852332999
• ISBN-13: 978-1852332990
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #687,230 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #94 in Books > Law > Administrative Law > Civil Law

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A beginners guide, September 12, 2001

By 

Simon Wellborne (Wellington New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forensic Computing: A Practitioner's Guide (Practitioner Series) (Paperback)

If you are new to the Forensic game then this book might make good reading. A large portion of the book is on disk and data structure & geometry. This makes for interesting reading if you have not covered this before, but if you are an investigator, this will be 'old' and somewhat irrelevant news.
Chapters include information on;
* PDA/Electronic Organisers,
* Search and seizure of PC's
* A little on Network and encryption (informational reading only).
Overall, not a book I would recommend for someone who has "been there, done that". From each book I read I expect find a little bit of information that is new to me, but unfortunately I went hungry on this one! I probably wouldn't call it a 'Practitioners Guide', but more of a 'beginners guide'.

5.0 out of 5 stars In-depth look at NTFS, January 16, 2010

By 

PC User - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forensic Computing (Practitioner S.) (Hardcover)

This book covers NTFS at the byte level. It has tables and explanations that extremely useful for a course I was taking. I purchased most of the computer forensic books available but all the other books contained mere summaries of NTFS. This volume covers the nuts and bolts. Excellent book, need more like this.