Information Society Innovation Fund
Project background and justification
Considering the amount of ICT-related crime cases investigated by UCSC from the year 2003 (see figure 1), no proper equipment has been used and no formal process has been followed in solving them. Each case had been solved using an ad hoc approach, and by trial and error. Even though this process works for simple cases, as crime scenes become more and more advanced proper equipment, software tools and a formal process are required.
Figure 1: Number of ICT crime cases investigated by UCSC experts
Selected Court cases since year 2003
The table below describes some of the above cases that were solved with the help of computer experts in the UCSC. Unfortunately, due to a lack of proper equipment, tools and investigative modal, evidence in some older cases were incorrect handled, contrary to the five fundamental rules of evidence gathering; that is whether it is admissible, authentic, complete, reliable, and believable.| Case | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2003/11/03 | Informing the Courts whether the software and data which was taken into custody from a private communication center should be confiscated or not |
| 2 | 2004/06/24 | To submit a report on whether any confidential matters were revealed through email communications from one establishment to another and also whether the data was copied and used for any purpose. |
| 3 | 2005/02/28 | An accountant, whilst employed by a private firm, changed computer data and was involved in an illegal money transaction. |
| 4 | 2005/03/03 | Changing website names and using websites for registration. |
| 5 | 2005/06/07 | Using computers to forge the President’s signature. |
| 6 | 2005/06/14 | To check and report whether the computer and the CDs from a private trading establishment contained any pornography and indecent films. |
| 7 | 2005/10/18 | To submit a report on using computers for making pornography and indecent films. |
| 8 | 2006/07/05 | To submit a report on whether a computer has been used for forging the issue of a Driving License. |
| 9 | 2006/07/18 | Using a computer to forge letters for money fraud at the Customs Dept. and for fraudulently printing currency. |
| 10 | 2006/08/08 | To reveal whether any private information was included in a website without permission. |
| 11 | 2006/08/21 | To repoCase Nort whether any fraud occurred in the X Bank Treasury Bill Section. |
| 12 | 2006/08/23 | To report to a Technical Committee on whether a private trading firm breached the copyright of software it used and then sold them. |
| 13 | 2006/11/24 | To submit a report to Courts on whether any virus was included through email |
| 14 | 2007/01/16 | To study and report whether any foreign funds that were collected by an NGO were used to financially assist with terrorist activities. |
With the rapid increase in ICT crimes, failing to properly investigate them may have a negative impact on Sri Lankan society. People may be reluctant to trust proposed ICT solutions, and those who lack ICT skills may become the victims of digital crimes. Even though the Sri Lankan Parliament recently passed the Computer Crimes Act, a proper digital forensic investigation lab is still required.
Project summary
Due to the increased number of ICT-related crimes reported in Sri Lanka, within the past few years, digital forensics has become a key area in law enforcement. A digital forensic investigation laboratory, compatible with a country’s legislation is vital when digital forensics are used in investigating ICT crimes.The University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) assisted the Sri Lanka Police and the Criminal Investigation Department on over 50 court cases from 2003. Each of these cases has been unique and several ad hoc tools and forensic models have been used in order to solve them.
Known as a leader in applied computer research and education, UCSC hopes to build a national investigation center for Computer Forensic Investigation as there are no such centers available in Sri Lanka. However, building such a centre with the necessary equipment and commercial software is very expensive for a developing economy. Our solution would be to construct a low-cost Digital Forensic Laboratory (DFLab) consisting of the necessary hardware, software and investigation modal.
Establishing such a lab involves developing innovative procedures and methodologies. In addition, we will develop common digital forensic investigation methods that can be used now and in the future. Any documents and software produced under this project will include all applicable licenses.
UCSC will also build our own forensic investigation terminals by using existing standard hardware instead of the more expensive proprietary hardware. Furthermore, we will develop user-friendly investigation software based on the open source forensic tools resulting in the production of low-cost forensic investigation terminals that comply with open standards.
Direct beneficiaries of this project will be victims of digital crimes, criminal investigation authorities, judicial services, bribery and corruption investigation officers and custom officers. In addition, this project will be indirectly useful for more than eighteen million people living in Sri Lanka.
This modal laboratory can be replicated in other countries that have similar social and legal infrastructures and would be very useful for the other Asian countries to adopt.
Organization profile
The University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) has the most advanced education resources in Sri Lanka in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) with diverse academic staff in various computer science disciplines. It has a flat organization structure with a minimum of bureaucracy, one of the key factors for the efficient and smooth continuance of research and development projects.Colombo offers the best available infrastructure to carry out R&D, and to access human resources both locally and internationally.
UCSC has been a pioneer in cooperating with the Internet Society (ISOC), the Canadian International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the Japan International Corporate Agency (JICA), the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (Sida)/The Department for Research Cooperation (SAREC) and the Swedish Program for Information and Communication Technology in Developing Regions (Spider) in the area of computer science by establishing some major ICT projects. These projects are considered to be the benchmarks of such projects in the world. The following table lists few selected projects:
- ICT in Academic Development in Sri Lanka, funded by Sida/SAREC
- Establishment of a national centre for e-learning, funded by Sida/SAREC
- Language Technology Research Laboratory, funded by IDRC
- Advanced Digital Media Technology Centre (ADMTC), funded by JICA
- Establishment of a national centre for Wireless Ad hoc and Sensor Networks (WASNs), funded by SPIDER
- Mobile ATMs for Developing Countries, funded by SPIDER
- The Smart Computer Laboratory, funded by ISOC
/groups/isif/search/index.rss?tag=hotlist/groups/isif/search/?tag=hotWhat’s HotHotListHot!?tag=hot9/groups/isif/sidebar/HotListsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-11-24 05:47:03+00:002011-11-24 05:47:03updated12sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-29 11:49:52+00:002011-09-29 11:49:52updated11sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-29 11:49:03+00:002011-09-29 11:49:03updated10sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-29 11:47:51+00:002011-09-29 11:47:51updated9sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-29 11:47:20+00:002011-09-29 11:47:20updated8sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-27 12:38:27+00:002011-09-27 12:38:27updated7sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-27 12:38:12+00:002011-09-27 12:38:12updated6sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-27 12:32:21+00:002011-09-27 12:32:21updated5Added tag - awardsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-27 12:30:13+00:002011-09-27 12:30:13addTag4Added tag - hotsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-27 12:30:10+00:002011-09-27 12:30:10addTag3sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-27 12:30:01+00:002011-09-27 12:30:01updated2First createdsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-27 12:29:39+00:002011-09-27 12:29:39created1wiki2011-11-24T05:47:03+00:00groups/isif/wiki/7fd93FalseAwards ceremony at the 6th IGF in Nairobi/groups/isif/wiki/7fd93/Awards_ceremony_at_the_6th_IGF_in_Nairobi.htmlSylvia Cadena12 updatesAwards ceremony at the 6th IGF in Nairobi
[Winners]
The Internet Governance Forum (IGF) is an annual meeting on global Internet policy, in a multi-stakeholder environment. The theme ...Falsesylvia2011-11-24T05:47:03+00:00Added tag - hotsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 06:17:46+00:002011-09-01 06:17:46addTag9sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 05:24:21+00:002011-09-01 05:24:21updated8sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 05:13:34+00:002011-09-01 05:13:34updated7sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 05:13:12+00:002011-09-01 05:13:12updated6sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 05:09:17+00:002011-09-01 05:09:17updated5sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 05:08:42+00:002011-09-01 05:08:42updated4sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 04:50:34+00:002011-09-01 04:50:34updated3sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 04:32:05+00:002011-09-01 04:32:05updated2First createdsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-09-01 04:29:24+00:002011-09-01 04:29:24created1wiki2011-09-01T05:24:21+00:00groups/isif/wiki/b1c52FalseISIF Award 2011 – Celebrating the achievement of innovators in the AP region /groups/isif/wiki/b1c52/ISIF_Award_2011__Celebrating_the_achievement_of_innovators_in_the_AP_region_.htmlSylvia Cadena9 updatesISIF Award 2011 – Celebrating the achievement of innovators in the AP region Local organizations committed with the socio economic development of their communities have been deploying ICT technologies in innovative ways across ...Falsesylvia2011-09-01T05:24:21+00:00sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-23 02:40:42+00:002011-08-23 02:40:42updated5sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-23 02:40:12+00:002011-08-23 02:40:12updated4sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-23 02:29:47+00:002011-08-23 02:29:47updated3Added tag - hotsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-23 02:28:16+00:002011-08-23 02:28:16addTag2First createdsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-23 02:28:12+00:002011-08-23 02:28:12created1wiki2011-08-23T02:40:42+00:00groups/isif/wiki/fdbd2FalseSmall grants, inspiring innovation: a program review/groups/isif/wiki/fdbd2/Small_grants_inspiring_innovation_a_program_review.htmlSylvia Cadena5 updatesSmall grants, inspiring innovation: a program review[cover.jpg]
This booklet provides a comprehensive review of the ISIF Program from 2008 to 2011.
The program seeks to expand its activities in the f...Falsesylvia2011-08-23T02:40:42+00:00sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-19 00:30:54+00:002011-08-19 00:30:54updated45sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-19 00:30:39+00:002011-08-19 00:30:39updated44sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:44:01+00:002011-08-18 02:44:01updated43Added tag - hotsylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:44:00+00:002011-08-18 02:44:00addTag42Added tag - 2010sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:41:10+00:002011-08-18 02:41:10addTag41Added tag - 2009sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:41:08+00:002011-08-18 02:41:08addTag40Added tag - 2010 reportssylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:40:57+00:002011-08-18 02:40:57addTag39Added tag - 2009 reportssylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:40:52+00:002011-08-18 02:40:52addTag38sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:27:12+00:002011-08-18 02:27:12updated37sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-18 02:24:52+00:002011-08-18 02:24:52updated36sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-16 07:02:34+00:002011-08-16 07:02:34updated35sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-16 06:55:23+00:002011-08-16 06:55:23updated34sylviaSylvia Cadena2011-08-16 06:50:08+00:002011-08-16 06:50:08updated33sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2011-07-15 06:06:44+00:002011-07-15 06:06:44updated32sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2011-02-16 09:02:18+00:002011-02-16 09:02:18updated31Removed tag - hotsylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2011-02-16 09:02:16+00:002011-02-16 09:02:16removeTag30sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-10-21 04:09:46+00:002010-10-21 04:09:46updated29sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-10-21 04:07:58+00:002010-10-21 04:07:58updated28sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-10-21 01:36:54+00:002010-10-21 01:36:54updated27sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-10-21 01:34:57+00:002010-10-21 01:34:57updated26Added tag - hotsylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-10-21 01:34:55+00:002010-10-21 01:34:55addTag25sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-08-17 02:48:50+00:002010-08-17 02:48:50updated24sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-06-24 05:27:46+00:002010-06-24 05:27:46updated23sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-06-24 05:26:16+00:002010-06-24 05:26:16updated22sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-06-24 05:17:49+00:002010-06-24 05:17:49updated21sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-06-24 05:15:37+00:002010-06-24 05:15:37updated20sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-06-24 03:59:37+00:002010-06-24 03:59:37updated19sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2010-06-22 06:58:18+00:002010-06-22 06:58:18updated18sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-09-21 02:44:42+00:002009-09-21 02:44:42updated17sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-24 00:49:43+00:002009-07-24 00:49:43updated16sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-07 05:24:53+00:002009-07-07 05:24:53updated15sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-07 05:24:15+00:002009-07-07 05:24:15updated14sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-07 02:37:29+00:002009-07-07 02:37:29updated13sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-07 02:35:21+00:002009-07-07 02:35:21updated12sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-06 06:07:10+00:002009-07-06 06:07:10updated11sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-06 05:45:56+00:002009-07-06 05:45:56updated10sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-06 05:44:47+00:002009-07-06 05:44:47updated9sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-06 05:28:43+00:002009-07-06 05:28:43updated8sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-07-06 05:19:25+00:002009-07-06 05:19:25updated7sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-04-29 01:47:49+00:002009-04-29 01:47:49updated6sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-04-29 01:42:50+00:002009-04-29 01:42:50updated5sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-04-24 00:01:51+00:002009-04-24 00:01:51updated4sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-04-24 00:01:21+00:002009-04-24 00:01:21updated3Added tag - about supported projectssylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-04-23 23:46:18+00:002009-04-23 23:46:18addTag2First additionsylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2009-04-23 23:45:18+00:002009-04-23 23:45:18created1wiki2011-08-19T00:30:54+00:00groups/isif/wiki/c5d68FalseGrant Recipients/groups/isif/wiki/c5d68/Grant_Recipients.htmlSylvia Cadena45 updatesGrant Recipients
The ISIF report strategy encourage grant recipients to documents their project activities in a variety of formats to share the knowledge and expe...Falsesylvia2011-08-19T00:30:54+00:00sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-28 01:07:23+00:002008-04-28 01:07:23updated10Added tag - aboutsylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-28 01:07:20+00:002008-04-28 01:07:20addTag9sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 03:24:57+00:002008-04-08 03:24:57updated8Removed tag - hotsylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 03:24:55+00:002008-04-08 03:24:55removeTag7sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 03:07:57+00:002008-04-08 03:07:57updated6sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 02:55:35+00:002008-04-08 02:55:35updated5Added tag - hotsylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 02:24:40+00:002008-04-08 02:24:40addTag4sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 01:59:12+00:002008-04-08 01:59:12updated3sylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 01:57:41+00:002008-04-08 01:57:41updated2First additionsylviacadenaSylvia Cadena2008-04-08 01:56:52+00:002008-04-08 01:56:52created1wiki2011-02-16T09:01:20+00:00groups/isif/wiki/a1cb0FalseISIF partnership and sponsorship opportunities/groups/isif/wiki/a1cb0/ISIF_partnership_and_sponsorship_opportunities.htmlSylvia Cadena10 updatesISIF partnership and sponsorship opportunities
Why invest in ISIF grants program?
To maintain and diversify support for ICT and
Internet related research & deve...Falsesylviacadena2011-02-16T09:01:20+00:00hot/groups/isif/search/index.rss?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomelist/groups/isif/search/?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcomeRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdates?sort=modifiedDate&kind=all&sortDirection=reverse&excludePages=wiki/welcome0/groups/isif/sidebar/RecentChangesListmodifiedDateallRecent ChangesRecentChangesListUpdateswiki/welcomeNo recent changes.reverse5search
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