Introduction
For some reason television viewers are hooked.
No, not on the reality shows that pollute the channels ad nauseum. The hot subject is forensics – the science of examining seemingly invisible evidence and translating this into clear and tangible clues.
Whether taking place in Miami, Las Vegas or the Big Apple, CSI is a show that draws the viewers. Despite the subject matter – corpses, morgues, blood-soaked clothing − the pathologists, forensic experts, and glamorous intelligentsia clad in lab coats have a following that rivals that of pop idols and hotel heiresses. So what is the attraction?
Doing my time as a researcher I followed several episodes on the small screen and was fascinated. In the jaded society of the 21st century, there is something refreshing about looking for evidence in petri dishes, and analyzing streams of DNA, blood samples, water molecules and other data points that create a story behind the story. And although the car chases and action scenes are limited, there is something compelling about the quests of these DNA detectives as they recreate the passing of time, and lives, from fragments of seemingly innocuous matter. This is another dimension in the search for justice and truth, one that cannot be denied: undisputable forensic evidence making and breaking cases.
Reflecting on the value of forensics in the physical world, I began to see a parallel in the digital world that is the real virtuality of our age. Fingers on the keyboard open the doors to data sources, commerce and social interaction − the hidden world so often explored by those who surf the web. Despite potentially covert actions, these electronic journeys are recorded: digital fingerprints link URLs, cookies and other agents to enable those in the know to recreate the path taken along the electronic highway. Digital forensics, a subset of the science known as computer forensics, comprises part of the arsenal of those who police and protect the cyberworld.
Data analysis to the nth degree..
Data mining, a term that defines the analysis and compilation of knowledge from the seemingly endless data generated by information systems, is normally restricted by the richness and granularity of available data. After all, most information systems have transactional roots, capturing and generating data based on a sequence of pre-determined events. Much as a physical trail of evidence tells only half of the tale, data captured through traditional means is also missing many key elements.
There is another dimension – one that links the world of the physical with that of the digital, creating a multi-dimensional electronic audit trail. Enabled by technologies that fall into the category of Small Smart and Fast, it is now possible to create a sensory network of datapoints. Depending upon the application, these networks can provide second by second data to reflect location, temperature, vibration, humidity and other environmental characteristics of interest.
RFID, sensors, wireless networks and technologies combine to create a finely woven net of data − tiny digital fingerprints that link together and connect with the larger events that are measured and monitored based on actions, transactions and linked activities.
As forensic experts are able to interpret evidence beyond the physical ‘scene of the crime,’ data detectives who are interested in exploring the minutiae that takes place between activities are able to gather digital evidence and apply analytical tools and skills to create a reflection of the ‘data behind the data’. The value of much of this information has yet to be explored. However, there are many areas that are already reaping the benefits of the ‘nano-data.’ An example is in the life sciences industry, in particular in the area of Cold Chain – where variations in temperature can have disastrous consequences. Digital forensics, the analysis and evaluation of data related to each tiny link in the chain of events, provides clarity previously not possible. Digital trails miraculously appear within a chain of traditional events, identifying deviations, for example, from prescribed temperature, stability, or motion. Any compromise to the chain can be deciphered from the more detailed data.
A potential scenario from the complex world of cold chain distribution illustrates the additional dimension added by the sensory data.
A shipment of vaccines leaves the manufacturing location in Europe and is transported to a distribution center in the UK. The product is sensitive to variations in temperature and the packaging materials include sensors that log environmental temperature over 60 minute cycles. The product is received into the distribution center where it is placed on the receiving dock for a period of 12 hours prior to being stored in the temperature controlled storage location. It is a hot day in the summer and the temperature on the receiving dock exceeds 20 degrees centigrade, 5 degrees above the required temperature for the vaccine.
There is no apparent physical degradation of the vaccine, although the temperature variation has in fact rendered the material inactive. The product is subsequently sold and shipped to a clinic to be administered to patients.
The reality is that the product is now useless, and had sensors not been included in the packaging material there would have been no evidence of the ‘excursion’ from the prescribed temperature range. In fact, the shipment record indicated that ‘all was in order.’
The inclusion of sensor technology enabled the creation of a secondary ‘shipment log’ which indicated that the product had been compromised. Analysis during a QA process revealed that the variations in temperature had exceeded acceptable limits, the product was recalled and a potentially dangerous situation was averted.
This simple conceptual scenario is very plausible, and is based on an actual situation. It illustrates how multi-dimensional data can, in fact, present a very different picture from the traditional ‘track and trace’ technologies that are used to monitor the logistics process. Obtaining a more granular and detailed ‘audit trail’ has many benefits – in a multitude of industries.
The promise of digital forensics has yet to be explored – curiosity is, in many cases, the godmother of invention – and innovation. Tools will no doubt be developed, probably embedded in networks, routers and the other transport devices that comprise the middle world inhabited by digitization. The possibilities are endless – the first steps on the journey have already been taken. We plan to follow the trail.