Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2014 | Page 13

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

medications. In this case, a doctor will send the prescription and its
ingredient list to the computer design software. The 3D printer will
create the medication based on the doctor’s list and custom create a
patient’s prescription (Rosenbach and Schulz 2).

technology that will significantly impact the forensic field. Expansion
of printer forensics will be important as this technology advances.
Although there are a lot of benefits to this technology, the limitations
and vulnerabilities create concern. In order to stay ahead of the game,
forensic examiners must understand exactly how printers function.
This will allow them to fully grasp how these devices can be examined. The big questions are: What can be collected from a printer?
What data is physically stored on a printer? How is this information,
once identified, going to be useful in an investigation? After a forensic investigator learns what information a printer can provide, he or
she can identify what information can be recovered from such devices.

3D print technology will change the manufacturing business. The
most significant change will come in the form of profits. As 3D
companies expand with the success of 3D printers, more money will
flow into them. Production costs will be cut drastically as steps are
eliminated from the production cycle. Costs for making changes to
product prototypes will be reduced because a company will only have
to reprint the item (Rosenbach and Schulz 1). There will likely be a
surplus in new products because 3D printers will make it easier for
anyone to design and print prototypes.

The key to a computer forensic investigation is to figure out the facts:
who, what, when, where, why and how. The answer of “who,” in this
case, is the hacker. Why hackers? Because these are the individuals
who are sniffing open ports on a network to figure out how to gain
access. In this case, “what,” will be the data retrieved by the hacker as
a result of an unsolicited intrusion. It will also include figuring out
the type of information the examiner wishes to retrieve to prove an
intrusion or fraud occurred. Figuring out “when,” will be finding out
the date and time of an intrusion on a network. It will also be the date
and time a 3D object was printed. The answer to “where,” in this case,
will be the location of a potential crime. It will include the location of
traced attacks linked back to an Internet Protocol (IP) address contained on a specific suspects’ network. “Why was the crime committed?” The answer will always arise as the investigation progresses if
one is not readily apparent at the outset. Last but not least, is “how?”
This information will come based on the location of the evidence or
lack thereof. Figuring out “how” a hacker gained access to or control
of a printer is essential to solve an investigation and implement new
methods to prevent a crime involving a printer in the future.

It is obvious that the ability to print an item on a whim means fast
product delivery. This print technology device will alter the way
people shop. Not only will businesses and purchase patterns be
altered, but inventors and product makers will be able to enter the
consumer market at a lower cost than usual (Rosenbach and Schulz
1). This will happen because the cost to design, develop and produce
a product will be significantly lower.
In the future, 3D print technology will challenge society. When a
product has been on the market for a certain period of time, the size,
shape and functionality is modified in order to appeal to more consumers. 3D print technology will branch into full size scanning and
duplication in the future. The outcome of this spread or overlapping
of similar types of technologies will create a bigger challenge for forensics but will also bring innovations that have been previously unseen.
Based on further technical advances, the printer forensics branch of
computer forensics will evolve into a separate discipline. The evolution of print technology will create specialized forensic examiner
positions in 3D and 2D print technology, thus an understanding of
3D print technology will be critical.

Tools will need to be produced which allow an examiner to examine
print technology in a way that preserves data without alteration or
contamination. Once the body and components of a 3D printer
are fully understood, forensic recovery tools must be developed that
will function with the in-house software components. Tools created
specifically for 3D print devices must be able to collect history, print
files, and identify metadata and user data residing on the network.
Information will be easily recoverable for a forensic examiner seeking
to discover evidence with the creation of forensic print tools. It will
also be beneficial if the 3D printer companies shared the product map
of their devices to allow examiners to build efficient general tools with
applications.

CONCLUSION
The success of 3D printers means a rise in crime involving fraud,
copyright, product patent laws and licensing rules. 3D printers will
open the door for imitators to copy products, works of art, etc., which
will lead to stricter rules and ethical standards. Many legal conflicts
will arise in the face of this new technology. Because of the intricacies of patent and copyright laws, there will always be a debate about
product infringement. Unfortunately, issues regarding reproduction
are a separate topic of uncertainty in regards to 3D print technology.

To gain knowledge about these devices, forensic examiners will need
to complete courses in 3D print technology. As examiners familiarize
themselves with the intricacies of 3D technology, variety of printers
manufactured, and specific attributes, these forensic experts will be able
to provide insights regarding exploitation. Additionally, reverse engineering methods can provide tools to extract evidence while employing

In researching 3D and 2D print technology, it can be stated that both
have an effect on the forensic field. 2D technology currently impacts
forensics based on the hacking techniques and attacks outlined
previously. Conversely, 3D print technology is the specific print
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