Cybercrime Investigation

We work with a range of national and international bodies, conducting research and development work in the field of cybercrime and digital forensics.

Research Activities

Our research activities in the field of cybercrime investigation are many and varied:

  • Our School has joined with the German national police in an ISEC bid to establish training to counter the criminal use of ‘anti-forensics’ (e.g. cryptography and steganography).
  • Between 2009-2011 Robin Bryant and Tom Cockcroft were involved in training design and accreditation for an ISEC funding European initiative in mobile phone forensics, Windows 7 forensics and database forensics.
  • Senior lecturer Ed Day is currently engaged on a research-based PhD into the application of Grid Computing to the Automation of Mobile Phone Forensic Investigations.
  • Publications in cybercrime investigation include Investigating Digital Crime published by John Wiley and Son in 2011, and Policing Digital Crime published by Ashgate publishing in 2014.
  • From September 2014 we will coordinate an ISEC-funded project to evaluate the 24/7 Points of Contact system in the event of cyberattack.  Partners include Interpol and Eurojust.

International conference

Within our School, the Computing team host an annual conference on Cybercrime Forensics Education and Training (CFET) which has attracted speakers from 18 countries around the world. Keynote speakers have included notable luminaries such as:

  • Ed Gibson – Microsoft UK.
  • Steve Edwards MBE – eBay UK.
  • Professor Xu – Beijing Olympics Website Security.
  • James Brokenshire MP – Shadow Home Affairs Minister.
  • Andrew Rennison – UK Forensic Regulator.

Partnerships

We partner with the Spanish Guardia Civil and Cuerpo Nacional de Policía, the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) and others in an ISEC-funded project beginning in the autumn of 2014 in providing specialist ‘training the trainers’ course for European cybercrime investigation.

Furthermore, since 2003 our Computing team have been working with the College of Policing (previously the NPIA) High Tech Crime Training Unit, jointly validating the MSc in Cybercrime Forensics with the NPIA in 2005, and revalidating the MSc at its review in 2010. This is a closed course designed specifically for law enforcement and Home Office officials and has involved registering students from across UK police forces.

ECTEG

We are an Associate Member of the European Cybercrime Training and Education (ECTEG) group convened and hosted by Europol. ECTEG is responsible for implementing a European-wide programme of training in cybercrime investigation. ECTEG’s membership includes representation from all European police cybercrime investigation units, Europol, Interpol, the College of Policing, OLAF, the OSCE, the UNODC, Microsoft, Google, eBay and Visa.  ECTEG is of major importance in terms of the co-ordination of a Europe-wide response to cybercrime as recognised in a recent Council of Europe report. Robin Bryant is a Special Advisor to the Board of ECTEG.

Read on to find out more about our Policing Research.

 

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Last edited: 15/12/2018 11:42:00