DIMACS
DIMACS REU 2019

General Information

me
Student: Hannah Fell
Office: CoRE 448
School: Westminster College
Major: Math
Minor: Accounting
E-mail: hannah.fell30@gmail.com
Project: Digital Forensics Certification Training for the Department of Homeland Security and State and Local Law Enforcement

Project Description

The advancements and wide-spread use of technology across the nation has made digital forensics an important component of the criminal justice system. Digital forensics is a branch of forensic science involving the recovery and investigation of data from digital devices ("Law Technology," 2018). This type of evidence can be very useful for providing vital information during investigations. However, it can be challenging for professionals to manipulate, store, access, and use in courtroom settings. To help avoid these challenges, digital forensics professionals should be properly trained and receive relevant certifications. The purpose of this project is to analyze digital forensics training and certification requirements for the Department of Homeland Security investigative units and State and Local Law Enforcement, work with the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC) to identify opportunities and gaps in digital forensics training, and recommend digital forensics training and certification pathways to standardize training and certification across all of Homeland Security. This project is a part of the funded Department of Homeland Security project, "Best Practices for Sharing Digital Evidence" and is through the Criminal Investigations Network Analysis (CINA) Center of Excellence at George Mason University.


Weekly Log

Week 1:
I moved into the Rutgers apartment and met many DIMACS faculty members and REU students. I also met my coworker, Yetunde Oloko, and spoke with my mentor, Dr. Christie Nelson about our project and the upcoming presentation. I started researching and reading articles about different statistics that relate to the supply and demand of cyber security jobs and the imbalance of certifications in demand and the certifications professionals are receiving. After doing some research, Yetunde and I were able to complete our powerpoint by the end of the week and begin practicing for the presentation on Monday, June 3, 2019.
Week 2:
I started this week by presenting the first presentation with my coworker, Yetunde. After the presentation, I began researching about data storytelling and visualization. I learned about many methods that are used for displaying different types of data. Then, I was able to brainstorm and create a powerpoint on how different data visualization techniques could specifically be used to display the various types of collected data for our project. I finished out the week by analyzing data related to cybersecurity careers. I was then able to make another powerpoint containing different variations of how significant career data could be displayed. In addition, Yetunde and I attended the first MBS Externship Exchange Meeting and received an overview of the program.
Week 3:
This week mainly consisted of performing in-depth research on data related to cybersecurity, computer forensics, digital forensics, and cyber forensics. I created graphs that display and compare the job openings, certification demands, and skill demands for each of these fields both regionally and nationally from the past 4 years. Once the graphs were complete, I transferred them to a powerpoint and organized them in such a way that would make it easier to notice any patterns and trends within them. By analyzing the graphs and looking into additional information from outside sources, I was able to start making sense of all the data and begin an analysis that may help me draw some conclusions in the near future. In addition, Yetunde, Drashti (our externship coworker), and I met with some members from the CINA project team to discuss the research we've done so far.
Week 4:
On Monday, the REU program went on a field trip to Nokia Bell Labs. During the rest of the week, I did more research and data analysis. I started by categorizing the certifications and skills that I researched last week for Cybersecurity, Computer Forensics, Digital Forensics, and Cyber Forensics. I also created graphs that show the demand for skills from the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) for each of these fields from the past 5 years. I also did some research on different methods that are used for clustering and visualizing qualitative data. In addition, I looked into different training courses that are offered for Digital Forensics professionals. Using some ideas from my data visualization research, I was able to make graphs that display and compare different aspects of the training courses. In addition, Yetunde and I attended the CINA meeting and gave a presentation that provided an overview of the project.
Week 5:
I started this week by creating a slideshow presentation that included an analysis of Digital Forensics skills and certifications, graphs I previously worked on, and other key components of the research I've done up to this point. I then presented this slideshow to the CINA project team to share the main discoveries I've found so far. Yetunde, Drashti, and I also attended the third MBS Externship Exchange meeting where we heard updates from three project teams, met other externship participants, and shared ideas regarding general tools and methods that we have found helpful. I spent the last few days of this week analyzing more data and creating graphs that compared some key characteristics of Digital Forensics courses including cost, delivery method, duration, etc. I plan on analyzing these graphs with the hopes of finding some patterns and/or useful insights that tie into different components of the research I've done so far.
Week 6:
I started this week by continuing my analysis of digital forensics training. I created some box plots to provide a better visual comparison of different course characteristics. I also did some research and added two other categories to the training database. Then, I started researching the demand of job titles for cybersecurity, computer forensics, digital forensics, and cyber forensics. First, I found the top 25 titles for each field. Then, I compared the demand for the top 3 titles of each of the four fields by U.S. region. I finished this week by starting an outline for my final presentation. Next week I will further analyze my findings so far and prepare for the final presentation on Thursday, July 11, 2019.
Week 7:
I spent the majority of this week creating and preparing for my final presentation. My presentation includes background information and significant findings from the labor, certification, and training analysis I completed up to this point. Yetunde, Drashti, and I also attended the MBS externship meeting, where we gave an update of our project progress so far. We also attended the CINA research team meeting and went over project ideas and discussed any updates. I ended this week by continuing my job title analysis. I created graphs that display the total demand across the U.S. in 2018 for the top 3 job titles from the cybersecurity, computer forensics, digital forensics, and cyber forensics fields. I also started analyzing the combined totals for the top 3 job titles by U.S region. I plan to finish up this analysis and start analyzing job title data relating to the public sector by the beginning of next week.
Week 8:
I started this week by completing the analysis for the total demand of the top 3 job titles for cybersecurity, computer forensics, digital forensics, and cyber forensics by U.S region in 2018. I spent the rest of the week writing my final paper. I included all the research I've done this summer including background information from my literature review and results from the labor and course training analysis. Yetunde, Drashti, and I also attended the CINA project meeting and gave an update of our research. I hope to have a final draft and begin research on job titles in the public sector by the beginning of next week.
Week 9:
This was my last week at the DIMACS REU program. I started the week by continuing the job title analysis. I made graphs comparing the top 25 job titles in demand for each field from the past 5 years. Then, I started an analysis for jobs that are a part of the public sector and analyzed those specifically related to the Department of Homeland Security and state and local law enforcement. To begin this analysis, I looked into the top 25 DHS certifications and skills individually for each field from the past 5 years and compared the results to the certification and skill analysis I did earlier in the program. I added this research to my final paper and finished other concluding assignments. I also attended the MBS externship meeting this week to learn about the final poster session. In addition, I went to the CINA meeting and gave a final update of my research. I also attended a farewell lunch hosted by the Center for Critical Intelligence Studies. At the end of the week, I moved out of my apartment and said goodbye to my friends. I am very thankful for having the opportunity to research this project and participate in the DIMACS REU program this summer.

Presentations


Additional Information

Acknowledgements

A special thank you to my mentor, Dr. Christie Nelson, the DIMACS REU program, CCICADA, the CINA project team, FLETC, the MBS Externship Exchange program, and the DIA grant provided by the Rutgers Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence - Critical Technology Studies Program for making this project possible.

References

Law Technology Today. (2018, May 29). The what, why, and how of digital forensics. Retrieved July 10, 2019, from https://www.lawtechnologytoday.org/2018/05/digital-forensics/