University of New Haven Cyber Forensics Team Launches Digital Forensics Database

First Time Cases, Investigators Linked Globally

The University of New Haven announced today it has created a digital forensic evidence archive to revolutionize how investigators around the world analyze cyber forensic evidence and share critical data.

The new Artifact Genome Project (AGP), will document how various apps and digital information used as forensic evidence are structured and decoded. It will record where and what type of digital evidence can be located and, if data is encrypted, how to unencrypt it.

The initiative, modeled after the groundbreaking Human Genome Project, unites researchers and practitioners to centralize knowledge about digital forensic artifacts. Now a law enforcement professional in Chicago can see how a researcher in Miami decoded an app such as Tinder, which uses a location-based search-mobile app to connect users. Investigators can avoid having to themselves “crack the code” of each device or version of an app.

The database will allow investigators worldwide to solve cases more quickly as they will no longer have to figure out for themselves what others have already learned.  Using the AGP platform, they can research what has been done before or message other investigators for help.

“So many applications and so many technologies are being created and continuously updated, that forensic investigators can’t keep up,” said Ibrahim Baggili, Elder Family Endowed Chair and founder of the university’s Cyber Forensics Research Group “Without the artifact archive, every investigator is trying to figure out every technology.”

Now when investigators determine how to get information from a smartphone, for example, they can upload the “artifact”   -- information about where and how they found the information --- to the Artifact Genome Project. 

The AGP allows researchers to keep up with technology in drones, Fitbits, mobile phones, laptops with different operating systems, and millions of applications in the Google Play and Apple Stores, Baggili said.


Featured

  • Survey: 54% of Organizations Cite Technical Debt as Top Hurdle to Identity System Modernization

    Modernizing identity systems is proving difficult for organizations due to two key challenges: decades of accumulated Identity and Access Management (IAM) technical debt and the complexity of managing access across multiple identity providers (IDPs). These findings come from the new Strata Identity-commissioned report, State of Multi-Cloud Identity: Insights and Trends for 2025. The report, based on survey data from the Cloud Security Alliance (CSA), highlights trends and challenges in securing cloud environments. The CSA is the world’s leading organization dedicated to defining standards, certifications, and best practices to help ensure a secure cloud computing environment. Read Now

  • Study: Nearly Half of Companies Exclude Cybersecurity Teams When Developing, Onboarding and Implementing AI Solutions

    Only 35 percent of cybersecurity professionals or teams are involved in the development of policy governing the use of AI technology in their enterprise, and nearly half (45 percent) report no involvement in the development, onboarding, or implementation of AI solutions, according to the recently released 2024 State of Cybersecurity survey report from ISACA, a global professional association advancing trust in technology. Read Now

  • New Report Series Highlights E-Commerce Threats, Fraud Against Retailers

    Trustwave, a cybersecurity and managed security services provider, recently released a series of reports detailing the threats facing the retail sector, marking the second year of its ongoing research into these critical security issues. Read Now

  • Stay Secure in 2024: Updated Cybersecurity Tips for the Office and at Home

    Cyber criminals get more inventive every year. Cybersecurity threats continue to evolve and are a moving target for business owners in 2024. Companies large and small need to employ cybersecurity best practices throughout their organization. That includes security integrators, manufacturers, and end users. Read Now

Featured Cybersecurity

Webinars

New Products

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises. 3

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles. 3

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation. 3