PCs are typically the first place forensic scientists look when they suspect suspicious activity. That’s why many criminals are storing anything they don’t want people to know about on their Xboxes—and, according to authorities, that includes plenty of child pornography.
To combat this problem, computer scientist David Collins at Sam Houston State University developed a tool that can read the game consoles for illegal hidden materials, which he calls XFT. This the first tool designed to read Xboxes for strictly forensic purposes.
The original Xbox hard drive can be modified so that the game console behaves like a PC—and there’s no physical evidence that the system has been changed. While it’s normal for law enforcement officials to confiscate a suspect’s Xbox, forensic scientists must then make a copy of the hard drive to analyze its contents (which is the same process that is used when digging for clues on PCs). Without the interface that Collin’s tool provides, the bit-for-bit information on an Xbox remains buried, unable to be read by current forensics software.
Now investigators can use the XFT tool to read anything on the hard drive. The tool can also record the virtual investigation, and play it back in court so that the judge and jury can see the recovered files for themselves.
Collins is currently working on a more advanced XFT tool that can read both new and old Xboxes for illicit material. We just hope that Xbox users don’t bootleg a copy and start sharing illegal materials with each other.
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Image: flickr/ Jordan Green
May 1st, 2009 at 7:40 pm
So that’s why americans love the 360 right? because they can store child porn! LOVELY!
May 1st, 2009 at 7:47 pm
They’re actually talking about the old original Xbox, not the 360. They just happen to have an image of the 360’s dashboard.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:00 pm
That’s why I keep all my child pornography on my PS3.
May 1st, 2009 at 11:09 pm
[...] Got Child Porn Stored in Your Xbox? New Forensic Tool Will Find It [Discover] Tagged:crimepr0nxbox 360 [...]
May 2nd, 2009 at 6:26 am
privacy laws have gone down the drain these days.
soon you will have to open your doors to anyone who asks you to.
August 4th, 2009 at 2:58 pm
[...] Content: Discoblog: Got Child Porn Stored in Your Xbox? New Forensic Tool Will Find It Discoblog: Worst Science Article of The Week: Twitter Will Make You Eeevil Reality Base: Charged [...]
August 16th, 2009 at 7:21 am
Child pornography makes some people very horny, doesn´t it? These harsh times of pruderie…
December 2nd, 2009 at 5:07 am
Dude, you are totally wrong.