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Open AccessArticle
Investigating Digital Forensic Artifacts Generated from 3D Printing Slicing Software: Windows and Linux Analysis
by
Laura Garland
Laura Garland 1,*,
Ashar Neyaz
Ashar Neyaz 2,
Cihan Varol
Cihan Varol 1
and
Narasimha K. Shashidhar
Narasimha K. Shashidhar 1
1
Department of Computer Science, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX 77340, USA
2
School of Computing and Data Science, Wentworth Institute of Technology, Boston, MA 02115, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Electronics 2024, 13(14), 2864; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13142864 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 1 July 2024
/
Revised: 17 July 2024
/
Accepted: 17 July 2024
/
Published: 20 July 2024
Abstract
Although Three-dimensional (3D) printers have legitimate applications in various fields, they also present opportunities for misuse by criminals who can infringe upon intellectual property rights, manufacture counterfeit medical products, or create unregulated and untraceable firearms. The rise of affordable 3D printers for general consumers has exacerbated these concerns, making it increasingly vital for digital forensics investigators to identify and analyze vital artifacts associated with 3D printing. In our study, we focus on the identification and analysis of digital forensic artifacts related to 3D printing stored in both Linux and Windows operating systems. We create five distinct scenarios and gather data, including random-access memory (RAM), configuration data, generated files, residual data, and network data, to identify when 3D printing occurs on a device. Furthermore, we utilize the 3D printing slicing software Ultimaker Cura version 5.7 and RepetierHost version 2.3.2 to complete our experiments. Additionally, we anticipate that criminals commonly engage in anti-forensics and recover valuable evidence after uninstalling the software and deleting all other evidence. Our analysis reveals that each data type we collect provides vital evidence relating to 3D printing forensics.
Share and Cite
MDPI and ACS Style
Garland, L.; Neyaz, A.; Varol, C.; Shashidhar, N.K.
Investigating Digital Forensic Artifacts Generated from 3D Printing Slicing Software: Windows and Linux Analysis. Electronics 2024, 13, 2864.
https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13142864
AMA Style
Garland L, Neyaz A, Varol C, Shashidhar NK.
Investigating Digital Forensic Artifacts Generated from 3D Printing Slicing Software: Windows and Linux Analysis. Electronics. 2024; 13(14):2864.
https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13142864
Chicago/Turabian Style
Garland, Laura, Ashar Neyaz, Cihan Varol, and Narasimha K. Shashidhar.
2024. "Investigating Digital Forensic Artifacts Generated from 3D Printing Slicing Software: Windows and Linux Analysis" Electronics 13, no. 14: 2864.
https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13142864
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