NIST Offers Free Software to Help Agencies Test Computer Forensics Tools

• NCJ Number: 251198
• Author(s): Becky Lewis
• Date Published: October 2017
• Length: 3 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2014-IJ-CX-K404
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Award: A proposal to operate the National Criminal Justice Technology Resource Center.

Annotation

This article reports on the National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST's) Computer Forensics Tool Testing (CFTT) project, which offers free Federated Testing software that enables law enforcement agencies to test computer forensic tools on their own.

Abstract

CFTT provides computer forensics assistance to law enforcement agencies in two ways, i.e., by posting tool-testing reports produced by NIST researchers and by offering free testing software. Launched in November 2015 with a version that enables agencies to check disk-imaging capabilities, the software consists of a downloadable Linux CD .iso file. Agencies can burn the file to a blank CD and then use that CD to boot a forensic workstation and test a tool or tools with a user-friendly interface. During 2017, NIST provided technical assistance to a public defender's office in Missouri and officers in the United Kingdom, indicating agencies are already putting the downloaded software to use. NIST encourages users to submit copies of their reports via email, so they can be posted on the CFTT website for the benefit of other agencies.