Tech Tip: Thermometers

When I get a gig to fix a computer which is running hot, I like to throw a thermometer in my tool bag. It is nice to have an objective measure to give the client or the end user. Sometimes the end user will only give the vague symptom that the laptop feels "hot." With a thermometer, I can give the user an exact number. With that temperature, I can also show the before and after effects of removing dust and dirt from systems.

I have two types-one is a cheap meat kind of thermometer and the other is digital probe. The cheap one was a buck from Home Depot and the other one was from Ebay.

There are a couple of kinds that might be helpful. One is a USB model that can email the temperature back to you-probably really helpful for server rooms. The other is a non-contact, gun type system.

Book Review: Windows Forensic Analysis-by Harlan Carvey

Windows Forensic Analysis Including DVD Toolkit (Paperback)
by Harlan Carvey (Author),
Key Phrases: registry analysis, collecting volatile data, memory challenge, Live Response, File Analysis, Event Log (more...)

This is a great book for both reference and instruction. Must have for every tech.

CyberSpeak January 4 2009

Podcast Link

CyberSpeak December 21 2008

Link to podcast

Tech Tip: Peltier Coolers.

If you have ever imaged a hard drive, you know they can get hot. If you can keep the drive cooler, you may be able to get more information off of the drive. Here is a device that I saw in Fry's, but never got because it was a little expensive. Well I saw one in a local thrift store for 8 bucks-so I broke down and bought one.

http://shop3.frys.com/product/4730919



This really helps keeping a notebook drive cooler while imaging. Just to be safe, I md5 hashed a drive, then left it on the cooler for twenty four hours, then hashed it again. There was no change. I have left drives on it for days with no real problems.

Worth checking out.

CyberSpeak Oct 20, 2008

Bitching podcast

his week Ovie and Bret talk about the SANS What Works in Forensics and Incident Response Summit. We also cover memory imaging with MDD and Volatility. Website of the week 123people.com.

TradeCraft-www.zabasearch.com

This is a great resource for finding out information about people. It seems to be based on tax and property records. Great way to find out addresses and other stuff.

ZABASEARCH
Free People Search and Public Information Search Engine