Internet?
How about IM relationship mapping using frequency and word correlation?
What do you mean by a deadbox?
unpowered device
… but it would be interesting if one could profile someone based on their writing alone.
We had a case like this not so long ago. We analysed a number of suspect documents found on different user machines for word frequency and compared these to email threads send by known users. As the documents used similar language at times we could present an analysis to the client that gave an indication of who the author may have been.
As for types of tools students often forget that it is not necessary to create something new and cutting edge. Enhancing existing software is also acceptable. With this suggestion I'd look at writing a regripper plug-in or set of plugins for some known problem or task you have related to Forensics. Might even be an idea to give Harlan a shout incase there is something he has been trying to write but hasn't had enough time to do so.
Ronan
Given a writing sample from one person, do you think it would be possible to pick them out from a crowd? (say a message board like this one)
The sample has to be representative …
A Swedish linquist (Alvar Ellegård) applied a statistical method for deciding authorship to the pseudonymous Junius letters back in the early 1960s. I'm fairly certain there have been later refinements and extensions of the approach. (Added this application of linguistics is often called 'Stylometry'.)
Not sure if they would be accepted at a court of law, though – but see discussion of 'Identity of Junius' at Wikipedia, in particular the part dealing with Sir Philip Francis.
First, let me say that I think your post is a terrific idea and worthy of some interesting suggestions.
I would like to offer up some ideas, however, being a software developer myself, it would be perhaps more helpful if I knew what languages you program in and what are your particular strengths.
It would be the difference of suggesting low level programming in C/C++ and higher level programming using VB.NET or C#.
Lots of ideas….hopefully you appreciate my question and I look forward to your reply.
How about extracting messages from Entourage Databases. Including other email formats.
Hi every one, thanks for the great ideas! Sorry I have not been back in ages been very busy, not really an excuse though. Still not sure what I'm going to choose. I program in Java and a tiny tiny tiny amount of C#. Keep the ideas coming though.
Many thanks again!
You don't say if it is for a dissertation.
O.K your in Java, how about a program that allows you to graphically select sections of slackspace file, then re-assemble them like a 'jigsaw' puzzle ( drag & drop/move about top window, botom window shows 'assembeled' pseudo file , in various pligins/ hexeditor/jpg/ etc)
or link them together graphically with 'wires' so that they can be re-assembeld into a final file, when finished.
Manipulating the wire links would allow different combinations to be tested, without actually haveing to copy and paste the bits back together.
you could then implement a simple 'history/log' so that the examiner could see the various options he had tried.
Nizmon,
I don't know if its possible but a user interface to create complex enscript's would be pretty cool. Something where you insert variables and then it spits out a working enscript.
Good luck!
I like the last post but it's feasibly impossible since the EnScript engine changes with every build of EE/EF.
A nice alternative would be to write something one level of abstraction out - a .NET wrapper & COM plugin so people who know .NET languages can write code executable by EnCase.