Digital forensics has become the main weapon of investigation.
In a world where technologies are developing at lightning speed, crime is also transforming, adapting to new realities. Fraudsters are mastering digital schemes, hackers are breaking into systems, and criminals are using new tools to hide their tracks.
However, Volgograd law enforcement officers are not lagging behind - advanced technologies help to solve crimes, find criminals and ensure justice.
The digital trace of a criminal: how they "sniff out" with the help of computer expertise
One of the main tools in the fight against cybercrime is computer expertise, carried out by specialists of the forensic center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region.
As the head of the forensic center Evgeny Loginov explains, modern technologies allow not only to restore deleted files, but also to determine the IP address of the fraudster, record the time of launching malware and track the chain of actions of the criminal.
The police do not disseminate more detailed information with all the technical secrets, so as not to give the attackers an advantage.
- In recent years, crimes related to IT technologies have become much more frequent. In fact, every storage medium - a telephone, a computer, a video recorder - can contain valuable evidence. The main thing is to correctly detect and use them in the investigation, - he notes.
The work of forensic experts requires not only technical knowledge, but also an understanding of the psychology of the criminal. As the head of the computer examination and technology department of the ECC Andrey Kochkin explains, fraudsters often try to cover their tracks, but modern methods make it possible to restore even erased information.
- We had a case where a criminal used foreigners' bank card data to make purchases on a Russian marketplace. He convinced his friends to provide him with logins and passwords, linked them to other people's cards and placed orders. However, we were able to restore the deleted correspondence, proving his guilt, - the specialist says.
However, not all victims admit that they were misled.
Some try to hide the fact that they themselves gave the fraudsters the data and come up with different legends.
However, during a computer examination, it is almost always possible to establish the fact of the victim's communication with unknown persons, the receipt of SMS from the bank, or traces of hidden control programs that allow criminals to control the victim's device without their knowledge.
Hid the tracks and still got caught: the story of one exposure
Criminals often try to get rid of evidence. They smash phones, damage touch screens, erase files, or encrypt data.
However, ECC specialists are prepared for such tricks. One of the former fraudsters, convicted of stealing bank card data, told on condition of anonymity how he was identified.
— I thought that if I broke the phone screen, they (law enforcement officers) would not be able to find anything. But their specialists somehow restored the device, and then all the data, extracted the passwords. It was a shock to me that they even found the coordinates of the places where I met with accomplices — like I left a digital trace. Then I realized that it was useless to deny it, — admits the 36-year-old Volgograd resident, who has already served a three-year sentence.
The police do not hide their capabilities.
— Indeed, in the overwhelming majority of cases, experts manage to restore the means of communication to working order. And after using special equipment, information about user credentials for various Internet services, encryption keys for cloud storage, subscriber contacts and connections, SMS messaging, graphic files, including those containing images of areas and geographic coordinates related to drug caches, become available.
Cold-Track Solving: Digital Forensics at the Service of Investigators
If computer expertise helps identify criminals in cyberspace, the Investigative Committee's forensic technology helps solve serious crimes committed offline. As Irina Efremova, Acting Head of the Forensic Science Department of the Investigative Committee's Regional Office, explains, modern technologies make it possible to obtain evidence that seemed inaccessible just a few years ago.
"Today, we use a whole range of equipment: from forensic light sources that reveal invisible traces to ground-penetrating radars that help find evidence underground," she explains.
One of the most illustrative examples was the solution of a brutal murder in the Khabarovsk Territory. The criminals tried to get rid of the evidence by sinking their car in a river. However, investigators used a forensic light source and discovered traces of the deceased's blood on the trunk lining. This became the decisive evidence in the case.
Thus, today it has become possible to solve crimes not only when the trail is hot, but also when it has cooled, when time, as the criminals believed, has destroyed all the evidence. Or the criminal himself was sure that he had erased all the correspondence.
- Our forensic experts are equipped with mobile complexes for collecting and analyzing UFED digital data. These devices allow you to read information from mobile devices and restore files deleted by the user, - said the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin at a recent meeting. - We also use optical devices for detecting hidden video cameras "Optik-2". And portable high-intensity forensic light sources Projektina SL-450, "IKS-450, "MIKS-450" help to identify traces right at the crime scene.
The Investigative Committee also said that when investigating particularly serious crimes, information about the presence of video recorders in the area where the incident occurred is extremely in demand.
The Samurai optical system available to the Main Forensic Department of the Investigative Committee, and the Optic-2 in territorial investigative bodies, make it possible to solve these problems.
Balance between digitalization and security
Despite the enormous potential of new technologies, they also pose threats. The widespread use of smartphones, cameras and sensors creates the risk of data leakage, and the desire for digitalization sometimes results in new fraud schemes.
According to experts, a comprehensive approach remains the most important step in protecting information.
Evgeny Loginov, Head of the Forensic Science Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region, emphasizes that it is impossible to guarantee security without two-factor authentication and data encryption.
- We constantly encounter situations where people lose money due to a banal lack of protection. Fraudsters use fake links, number substitution, malicious applications. You need to understand that if your mobile bank is available without additional verification, you become easy prey, he warns.
But if citizens must be vigilant, then law enforcement agencies must be one step ahead of criminals. As noted by investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the region, in the age of digital technology, investigators must develop technical competencies along with professional skills.
- Our forensic experts, in addition to being legally savvy, also study the latest trends in the IT sphere. Today, a significant part of crimes are committed not only on the streets, but in virtual space.
Terabytes of evidence from digital labyrinths
In 2024, employees of the Forensic Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region conducted more than 800 computer expert studies, helping investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Investigative Committee, FSB. Neighboring regions also seek help in conducting research: Astrakhan, Rostov regions, the Republic of Kalmykia.
In recent years, the volume of hard drives received for examination has increased from 80 gigabytes to 10 terabytes, which has significantly complicated data analysis.
Today, an expert must not only understand technology, but most importantly, understand the criminal's logic and take into account his "skills". And ideally, be smarter than the attacker in order to calculate all his cunning moves in digital labyrinths in advance.
The latest technologies for investigating the most complex cases are available to help Russian experts.
As a result, the interaction of investigators, forensic experts, and IT specialists allows not only to solve crimes, but also to prevent them.
Citizens should take into account that basic cybersecurity measures are not only information protection, but also a barrier to fraudsters.
Security in the digital world is an issue that concerns everyone. And while criminals are looking for loopholes in technology, law enforcement officers are improving their methods of struggle.
The main thing is not to stop and be ready for new challenges, because the crimes of the 21st century require appropriate high-tech solutions.
In a world where technologies are developing at lightning speed, crime is also transforming, adapting to new realities. Fraudsters are mastering digital schemes, hackers are breaking into systems, and criminals are using new tools to hide their tracks.
However, Volgograd law enforcement officers are not lagging behind - advanced technologies help to solve crimes, find criminals and ensure justice.
The digital trace of a criminal: how they "sniff out" with the help of computer expertise
One of the main tools in the fight against cybercrime is computer expertise, carried out by specialists of the forensic center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region.
As the head of the forensic center Evgeny Loginov explains, modern technologies allow not only to restore deleted files, but also to determine the IP address of the fraudster, record the time of launching malware and track the chain of actions of the criminal.
The police do not disseminate more detailed information with all the technical secrets, so as not to give the attackers an advantage.
- In recent years, crimes related to IT technologies have become much more frequent. In fact, every storage medium - a telephone, a computer, a video recorder - can contain valuable evidence. The main thing is to correctly detect and use them in the investigation, - he notes.
The work of forensic experts requires not only technical knowledge, but also an understanding of the psychology of the criminal. As the head of the computer examination and technology department of the ECC Andrey Kochkin explains, fraudsters often try to cover their tracks, but modern methods make it possible to restore even erased information.
- We had a case where a criminal used foreigners' bank card data to make purchases on a Russian marketplace. He convinced his friends to provide him with logins and passwords, linked them to other people's cards and placed orders. However, we were able to restore the deleted correspondence, proving his guilt, - the specialist says.
However, not all victims admit that they were misled.
Some try to hide the fact that they themselves gave the fraudsters the data and come up with different legends.
However, during a computer examination, it is almost always possible to establish the fact of the victim's communication with unknown persons, the receipt of SMS from the bank, or traces of hidden control programs that allow criminals to control the victim's device without their knowledge.
Hid the tracks and still got caught: the story of one exposure
Criminals often try to get rid of evidence. They smash phones, damage touch screens, erase files, or encrypt data.
However, ECC specialists are prepared for such tricks. One of the former fraudsters, convicted of stealing bank card data, told on condition of anonymity how he was identified.
— I thought that if I broke the phone screen, they (law enforcement officers) would not be able to find anything. But their specialists somehow restored the device, and then all the data, extracted the passwords. It was a shock to me that they even found the coordinates of the places where I met with accomplices — like I left a digital trace. Then I realized that it was useless to deny it, — admits the 36-year-old Volgograd resident, who has already served a three-year sentence.
The police do not hide their capabilities.
— Indeed, in the overwhelming majority of cases, experts manage to restore the means of communication to working order. And after using special equipment, information about user credentials for various Internet services, encryption keys for cloud storage, subscriber contacts and connections, SMS messaging, graphic files, including those containing images of areas and geographic coordinates related to drug caches, become available.
Cold-Track Solving: Digital Forensics at the Service of Investigators
If computer expertise helps identify criminals in cyberspace, the Investigative Committee's forensic technology helps solve serious crimes committed offline. As Irina Efremova, Acting Head of the Forensic Science Department of the Investigative Committee's Regional Office, explains, modern technologies make it possible to obtain evidence that seemed inaccessible just a few years ago.
"Today, we use a whole range of equipment: from forensic light sources that reveal invisible traces to ground-penetrating radars that help find evidence underground," she explains.
One of the most illustrative examples was the solution of a brutal murder in the Khabarovsk Territory. The criminals tried to get rid of the evidence by sinking their car in a river. However, investigators used a forensic light source and discovered traces of the deceased's blood on the trunk lining. This became the decisive evidence in the case.
Thus, today it has become possible to solve crimes not only when the trail is hot, but also when it has cooled, when time, as the criminals believed, has destroyed all the evidence. Or the criminal himself was sure that he had erased all the correspondence.
- Our forensic experts are equipped with mobile complexes for collecting and analyzing UFED digital data. These devices allow you to read information from mobile devices and restore files deleted by the user, - said the head of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation Alexander Bastrykin at a recent meeting. - We also use optical devices for detecting hidden video cameras "Optik-2". And portable high-intensity forensic light sources Projektina SL-450, "IKS-450, "MIKS-450" help to identify traces right at the crime scene.
The Investigative Committee also said that when investigating particularly serious crimes, information about the presence of video recorders in the area where the incident occurred is extremely in demand.
The Samurai optical system available to the Main Forensic Department of the Investigative Committee, and the Optic-2 in territorial investigative bodies, make it possible to solve these problems.
Balance between digitalization and security
Despite the enormous potential of new technologies, they also pose threats. The widespread use of smartphones, cameras and sensors creates the risk of data leakage, and the desire for digitalization sometimes results in new fraud schemes.
According to experts, a comprehensive approach remains the most important step in protecting information.
Evgeny Loginov, Head of the Forensic Science Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region, emphasizes that it is impossible to guarantee security without two-factor authentication and data encryption.
- We constantly encounter situations where people lose money due to a banal lack of protection. Fraudsters use fake links, number substitution, malicious applications. You need to understand that if your mobile bank is available without additional verification, you become easy prey, he warns.
But if citizens must be vigilant, then law enforcement agencies must be one step ahead of criminals. As noted by investigators of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation in the region, in the age of digital technology, investigators must develop technical competencies along with professional skills.
- Our forensic experts, in addition to being legally savvy, also study the latest trends in the IT sphere. Today, a significant part of crimes are committed not only on the streets, but in virtual space.
Terabytes of evidence from digital labyrinths
In 2024, employees of the Forensic Center of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Volgograd Region conducted more than 800 computer expert studies, helping investigators of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Investigative Committee, FSB. Neighboring regions also seek help in conducting research: Astrakhan, Rostov regions, the Republic of Kalmykia.
In recent years, the volume of hard drives received for examination has increased from 80 gigabytes to 10 terabytes, which has significantly complicated data analysis.
Today, an expert must not only understand technology, but most importantly, understand the criminal's logic and take into account his "skills". And ideally, be smarter than the attacker in order to calculate all his cunning moves in digital labyrinths in advance.
The latest technologies for investigating the most complex cases are available to help Russian experts.
As a result, the interaction of investigators, forensic experts, and IT specialists allows not only to solve crimes, but also to prevent them.
Citizens should take into account that basic cybersecurity measures are not only information protection, but also a barrier to fraudsters.
Security in the digital world is an issue that concerns everyone. And while criminals are looking for loopholes in technology, law enforcement officers are improving their methods of struggle.
The main thing is not to stop and be ready for new challenges, because the crimes of the 21st century require appropriate high-tech solutions.
