Computer Forensics For Dummies®

Chapter 14. Investigating X-Files: eXotic Forensics

In This Chapter

• Surprising places to look for evidence

• Tools for extracting evidence from nonstandard devices

• The future of data storage

You probably don't realize just how much computers have changed the way you live. Few activities you perform during the course of your day do not have some form of electronic footprint somehow associated with them. Unless you shun electronic devices and electricity in general, chances are good that a generous portion of your activities can be re-created by someone who has the right equipment and motivation.

Your digital alarm clock and electricity meter indicate exactly when you wake up, your computer logs the information you look up and when, and your home security system records when you leave or enter your house. Your car indicates how fast you drive, how many miles per gallon your car reaches, how far you can go until you run out of gas, and your GPS location. A computer cash register logs your debit card transaction, as does your bank's computer. Cameras located on the roadway record the time you pass by; if you use a toll road, your wireless toll card dutifully deducts the correct amount from your account.

In this chapter, we take a look at all the places you can extract forensic evidence.

Taking a Closer Look at Answering Machines

The days of using a tape cassette for answering machines have mostly gone the way of the dodo bird (a few people still use them). To analyze a digital answering machines ...