October 26, 2005

Purdue engages law enforcement with computer forensics triage training

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University will continue collaborations with law enforcement agencies with a program that will help officers conduct immediate examinations of computers used to commit crimes.

The Purdue Department of Computer and Information Technology will offer "Fast Cyberforensics Triage" from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday (Oct. 27 and 28) in Purdue's Knoy Hall.

The program, also sponsored by the National White Collar Crime Center and the Indiana State Police, will provide training for police officers, crime scene investigators, federal agents and other law enforcement personnel so they can conduct an analysis of computers suspected to have been used in a crime.

The session is designed for investigators already proficient in cyberforensics investigation practices, and Jim Goldman, associate head of the computer and information technology department, said more than 20 people from Indiana and the surrounding states had registered.

"When you are working with an ongoing investigation, it is imperative to be able to gather evidence as quickly as possible," Goldman said. "Machines can sit in a lab waiting to be processed for a year or more, and that gives criminals time to cover up their trails before evidence can be gathered and processed. Collecting evidence immediately will allow investigators to uncover new leads early in an investigation."

Goldman said the course was the first of its kind in the nation, and the curriculum will likely be used to conduct similar courses throughout the country in conjunction with the National White Collar Crime Center.

The FBI estimates that cybercrime costs businesses and the government more than $10 billion a year, with computer-aided identity theft costing an additional $1 billion each year. The FBI also estimates that more than 80 percent of computer crime goes unreported, often because business leaders think law enforcement agencies will lack the resources and know-how to effectively combat the growing problem.

"As technology improves, those numbers will continue to rise," said Lonnie Bentley, head of the Department of Computer and Information Technology. "Beyond that, we have to keep ahead of domestic and foreign criminals who would use computer technology to plan and carry out attacks."

Goldman said computer forensics refers to retrieving and analyzing evidence from computer systems, including individual pieces of computer hardware, electronic data on the Internet, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants or digital cameras.

Instructors for this week's course will include two new Purdue faculty who were hired, in part, to help expand Purdue's computer forensics program and continue to grow collaborations such as the Fast Cyberforensics Triage course.

They join Goldman and Marcus Rogers, a former police officer and an associate professor of computer and information technology, in one of the largest faculty clusters specializing in computer forensics in the country, Bentley said.

"The field of cyberforensics continues to grow, and Purdue has been fortunate enough to attract some of the top scholars and innovators in the field," Bentley said.

"The department's partnership with the National White Collar Crime Center not only made it possible for us to bring in more faculty, it helps provide invaluable resources in conducting research and providing education opportunities for those on the front line of law enforcement."

The new program is a continuation of Purdue's efforts to work with law enforcement agencies to provide much-needed educational opportunities in computer forensics, Goldman said. In the past year, the department of computer and information technology has offered courses in basic computer forensics for first responders and e-mail forensics for police officers, and has played a prominent role in the Secure Indiana Summit last month in Indianapolis.

Writer: Matt Holsapple, (765) 494-2073, mholsapple@purdue.edu

Sources: James E. Goldman, (765) 494-9525, jgoldman@purdue.edu

Lonnie D. Bentley, (765) 494-4545, bentleyl@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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