1. Collaboration Model for Law Enforcement X-Ways Investigator (investigator version of X-Ways Forensics)

2. Overview of User Interfaces
for computer specialists
X-Ways Forensics
normal price
(competitors)
Overview of User Interfaces
functional range/ complexity
cost
X-Ways Investigator
half the price
for investigators specialized in areas other than IT, e.g. accounting, building laws, money laundering, corruption, child pornography, ...
additional administrative precautions and further simplifications possible

3. X-Ways Investigator: Important Features
ability to create cases, assign evidence objects (media, images with any supported file system); optionally solely open containers, and also optionally only containers classified as secure (i.e. virus-free)
differently specialized investigators may examine the same containers simultaneously, in their own cases, or write- protected in the case of another investigator
logical search, search in index
listing files from all evidence objects simultaneously, dynamic filters, sorting files, marking/selecting files
viewing files, printing documents
adding files to report tables, entering comments about files, evaluating files in one’s area of expertise; report creation

4. Collaboration Model
Preparatory work performed with X-Ways Forensics, like
imaging media, verify image integrity, assemble RAID systems, search deleted partitions, ...
run thorough search for deleted files, file signature check, include contents of archives and pictures embedded in documents, specially deal with encrypted files, ...
roughly filter out irrelevant data, like known ignorable files based on hash, exact duplicate files, with case-specific filters, ...
rought select potentially relevant files based on search hits (resulting e.g. from keywords provided by specialized investigators), based on file type filters or special hash sets of incriminating files, ...
roughly copy out relevant text from large binary files such as free space, swap files, etc. if found to be relevant because of search hits
create a search index with adequate settings
X-Ways Forensics

5. Evidence File Container
Preparatory work with X-Ways Forensics results in a
with all potentially relevant files
An evidence file container retains the following for each file:
file contents, file size
filename in Unicode
complete original path (optionally including evidence object name)
deletion state (existent, deleted, renamed, moved, ...)
all original timestamps as available (creation, contents change, metadata change, last access, deletion)
DOS/Windows attributes, Unix/Linux permissions/filemode
compression and encryption state
if applicable, classification as alternative data stream, resource, slack
if applicable, classification as ficitious file (for “free space”, embedded pictures, thumbnails, partition gaps etc.)
Arbitrary free-text comments for each individual file can also be passed on, e.g. the real name of a file owner, preliminary findings, ...

6. Collaboration Model X-Ways Forensics “containers-only version”
prosecutor
report
X-Ways Forensics
container
“containers-only version”
for investigators specialized in areas other than IT, e.g. accounting, building laws, money laundering, corruption, child pornography, ....
X-Ways Investigator
cleared of viruses
protected internal network
for computer specialists

7. Installation Options
Each investigator has an individual installation and configuration. Somewhat more administrative effort. Required e.g. for child pornography investigators who need to review CDs and DVDs without preparatory work by others.
Several investigators share an installation on a server, optionally with an individual configuration. The network traffic is high when searching or hashing data.
Several investigators share an installation on a terminal server, optionally with an individual configuration. The network traffic is reduced to screen data.
Administrators are in charge of the installations, user accounts, and the assignment of access rights to case data and container files. Computer specialists provide the investigators with containers and search indexes.

8. Customizable User Interface
The user interface of X-Ways Investigator can be partially tailored to individual needs, i.e. further simplified, or reduced for security reasons.
Prevent media from being opened directly
Prevent conventional images from being opened directy
Prevent containers from being opened that are not classified as secure
Disable functions to create containers
Prevent non-picture files from being copied to the hard disk as part off the case report
Disable functions work with the hash database
Disable advanced options
Prevent more complex commands from being invoked