Criminal Profiling And Remote Monitoring Of A Computer - Essay Example

? Criminal profiling and remote monitoring of a computer Criminal profiling Discuss the criminal profiling application in network forensic investigations. Nowadays, the lives of people have become so busy and hectic that they have come to rely heavily on technology. From simple to the most complex of tasks can now be performed using the technology of today; this way is quicker and more efficient. Although technology has most definitely benefitted us in every possible way, there are some areas in which it has created numerous problems for us. One of these main problems is criminal activity, which has become even more common due to the technological advancements of today’s world. It has also become challenging for the police or investigators to trace the criminals or solve the crime, as now instead of just physical evidence like eyewitnesses and statements, the scene of the crime now consists cybercrimes, spam’s, frauds etc. on computers or a network. Due to this, the sector of digital forensics investigation has been opened and is in continuous development, in order to come to date with the digitally advanced types of crimes. Criminal profiling has been present for some time now. The earliest effort to practice criminal profiling was done in the early twentieth century. During World War II, criminal profiling was used and a profile on Adolf Hitler was prepared, which helped in his eventual capture. Criminal profiling can be divided into two categories: inductive and deductive. Inductive profiling of criminals is done by studying different types of behavior, gathered from various data. It is a type of profiling where conclusion is reached based on observation and determines a general behavior from a group of criminals. This type of profiling allows using information from the data collected on a group of criminals, and is then used to guess the personality or characteristics of the whole group. This plays a critical role in understanding the mind of the criminals and their next move. Deductive profiling is more specific as compared to inductive profiling. While inductive profiling is more general in nature, deductive logic requires a more precise approach. A single case is studied, and then a behavioral profile is formed on that case. But no matter which type of profiling is used, this method usually does not single out the suspect but reduces the number so that it becomes easier to identify the suspect. (Marc Rogers). Both the types of criminal profiling help in the digital forensic investigations. The number of suspects or the amount of evidence gathered in a network check leads to the collection of lot of data. From this data, the suspect needs to be identified and criminal profiling helps the investigator in doing that. The results acquired during criminal profiling aid in carrying out a distinctive search and the focus can be easily placed on a particular area. (Criminal Profiling in Digital Forensic, 2011) Discuss tools that could be used to remotely monitor a computer (with or without the computer owner’s awareness). You can discuss the technical solutions and the legal impacts. Also will this kind of evidence admissible? Are they admissible under which conditions? Monitoring different computers in an area and examining the activities on those computers is called remotely monitoring a computer. This supervision of a network of computers is used extensively by investigators nowadays, but it is a fairly new practice, which began less than a decade ago. To monitor different computers, various Internet or computer management tools were introduced, which have now developed into mechanized practices used by forensics experts to find evidence from computers during an investigation. The courts have allowed the authorities to monitor the computers of people under probation, so that their activities are kept under check. Different types of software and tools have been developed since the monitoring of computers started. Field Forensic Tools remains the foremost software, and they automatically carry out many of the different forensics techniques used by investigators in order to review different computers in an area. Computer Management Tools is more advanced software. It is installed in the suspect’s or the criminal’s computer and his activities are kept under check. It collects relevant information while operating in the background, and lets the investigators know the activities on the computer and the Internet, being done by the suspect or the criminal. This software allows the investigator to manually check what types of activities are being carried out by the person using the computer. This software not only allows inspecting the computer but also allows controlling it. Remote Computer Management System is software used to carry out monitoring computers. This software allows the officers or investigators to remotely monitor and control a computer through the Internet. This software makes use of forced gateway techniques to send relevant information to a different Internet server, where it is analyzed and reviewed. Although this technique of remotely monitoring computers is very helpful, it does have certain limitations. Laws have to be passed in order to implement the use of this software carefully, so that the rights of the offenders or suspects, as mentioned in the Fourth Amendment are not provoked. In a number of different states, laws have been passed which allow the lawyers or investigators to access the computers of various suspects and criminals, to collect only relevant information and not to breach their rights. Financial resources and aid should also be provided in this area so that these management or remotely monitoring tools can be used properly and accurately. (Richard C. LaMagna and Marc Berejka). Different types of monitoring tools have been introduced, which are accessible to the public as well, thus creating privacy issues. There is much software in which some of them are: Remote Pass Access, Easy Remote Access, Sniper Spy, NTSClient and many more. The NTSClient software sends the current screenshot of the computer to a different computer and thus, a thorough check can be kept on anyone. This is widely used in offices, to keep a check on the employees. (Mary Smott, 2012). Bibliography Free Remote Monitoring Tool Downloads - Remote Monitoring Tool Software. [online] Download Solutions – Software Informer. Available at: [Accessed October 13, 2012] LaMagna, Richard C. , and Marc Berejk. Remote Computer Monitoring: Managing Sex Offenders’ Access to the Internet. [online] Remote Computer Monitoring. Available at: [Accessed January 1, 2009] Rogers, Marc. The role of criminal profiling in the computer forensics process.[online]. The role of criminal profiling in the computer forensics process. N.p., n.d. Available at: [Accessed January 1, 2009] tecode. Technology and Information Security: Criminal Profiling in Digital Forensic.[online]. Technology and Information Security. Available at: [Accessed October 13, 2012]. Read More