Centre for Cybercrime and Computer Security – Threats and Trust in Cyberspace Conference – 2011 – Review
Cyber Forensics and Safer Social Networking:
The second of the talks was from serving Detective Sergeant Alan Batey, currently with the Northumbria Police Hi-Tech Crime Unit.
Detective Sergeant Batey gave an insight into the work of the Northumbria Police Hi-Tech crime unit and the work they undertake.
Detective Sergeant Batey presented statistics on the amount of investigations undertake by the Northumbria’s Hi-Tech Crime Unit detailing that between 1998 and 2010, the amount of e-forensic related cases the unit was processing per year rose from 72 in 1998 to 456 in 2010 with a slight drop in 2008 to 296 compared to the 310 in 2007.
Detective Sergeant Batey also presented figures detailing the most common offences which those investigations were related to. By far the highest and most common, being Indecent Images of Children (IIOC) with 136 IIOC related investigations in 2010, 60 investigations in relation to sexual offences and 47 in relation to online social networking sites and grooming.
There was also a large emphasis on the sheer amount of social networking sites out there, not just the most popular sites such as Facebook, Bebo and MySpace, the amount detailed on the presentation was in excess of 450 sites with Facebook being recognised as one of the more ‘user friendly’ with regards to protection and available privacy controls. Providing that the users actually use them of course!
Detective Sergeant Batey also discussed individuals private information and how when it is on a social networking site, it is no longer private.
This private information includes but is not limited to –
- Messenger ID
- Mobile Phone Number
- E-Mail Address
- Pictures of themselves, friends and family
- Home, work, education and play details as well as location details of where individuals and others plan to be at a given date and time.
All of which should never be given out on a social networking site.
A video was then played demonstrating an interview where the candidate was applying for a job. The candidate appeared very capable for the job they were interviewing for, however, during the interview, the interviewer began to ask questions, as can be expected in any interview, however, these were in relation to comments and posts posted on the candidate’s social networking profile. This demonstrated how that slagging match you had online with an old friend or foe or the drunken camera phone pictures which were taking of you on a stag or hen do, can live to haunt you for longer than just the hangover period of the following day. It also demonstrated how due to the current economic down turn and the continued competition for jobs, employers are increasingly using the tools of social networking sites in order to determine if candidates are fir for purpose, as this offer potential employers an insight into a candidates life which would be impossible to observer under normal interview techniques.
A real world police investigation scenario was then produced highlighting some of the issues faced when carrying out high profile large scale investigations and how an investigation is undertaken and how by simply having the following in place, can impact upon a data security breach –
- User friendly electronic processes and procedures
- Minimal human intervention
- User training in data handling and asset classification
- Formal methods to track and log data and assets