Methods for searching forensic data

• US 20070085710A1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ADA Solutions Incorporated (Surewerx, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Advanced Digital Forensic Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Bousquet, Raphael, Wallia, J.J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,603,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/2465 Query processing support for facilitating data mining operations in structured databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/03 Data mining
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/18 Legal services
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

In one aspect of the present invention, a software component for conducting digital forensic searches is described. The software component has a header; one or more search markup language programs, and a data features section. The software component, also referred to as a search pack, enables a first entity, such as a federal investigation agency, to share its suspect and sensitive data with a second entity, such as another investigative agency, in a manner that allows the second agency to utilize the suspect data while not revealing the actual content of the sensitive data to the second agency. The second agency can perform comparisons and other operations on the sensitive data without having to know the actual content of the data. The search pack allows an investigative agency to define an investigative strategy for a particular case via the search markup language programs and by the data features that it includes in the search pack. Thus, by sharing search packs among agencies, an agency can share or inform others of that agency'"'"'s theory of the case and investigative goal. Search packs can also be updated automatically as new information is learned about a particular case. A search pack is updated is determined by the agency that created it and manages it.

Claims

1. A digital forensic search software component embodied in a computer-readable storage medium, the software component comprising:

a header;

a search markup language program;

a data features section containing features of data, wherein the software component enables a first entity to share the suspect data with a second entity in a manner that enables utilization of the suspect data by the second entity while not revealing the actual content of the sensitive data to the second entity; and

whereby the first entity is able to define an investigative strategy for a particular case.

2. A computer software component as recited in claim 1 further comprising a data verification section containing a plurality of actual data representations whereby identification of potential suspect data can be verified.

3. A computer software component as recited in claim 1 wherein the features of data cannot be directly modified by the second entity.

4. A computer software component as recited in claim wherein the search markup language section and the data features section enable the first entity to share the investigative strategy for the particular case with the second entity.