Examining the Encryption Threat

This paper is the result of an intensive six-month investigation into encryption technologies conducted at the Computer Forensic Research & Development Center (CFRDC) at Utica College. A significant number of encryption applications were collected and cataloged. A roadmap for the identification of the unique characteristics of encrypted file formats was created. A number of avenues were explored and the results documented. The actual process is not outlined comprehensively due to proprietary needs; however, the following briefly details the process and the significance of our findings.