Cybercrime investigators at all levels can benefit from tools and resources that provide targeted information, strategies and tips. The stakes are high—online fraud, Internet bullying, child exploitation, identity theft, and more—with nearly every crime today leaving a digital footprint. Collected here is a range of SEARCH resources developed for cybercrime investigators.
Podcast Series: Cybercrime and Digital Forensics
While most investigators today have a working knowledge of the Internet, they may not be aware of the many free tools available that can take that basic knowledge and turn it into something more robust. While these tools help to streamline and enhance investigations, they are not considered too high-tech or advanced for the basic investigator to master. These podcasts offer the knowledge and insight of practitioners in conducting the three main components of an online investigation: people searching, information searching, and capturing/saving data.
See our Podcasts page for detailed descriptions of each podcast and the participants, as well as links to resources offered by the practitioners we interviewed.
- Podcast 1: “TLOxp®—A Public Records Research System”
- Podcast 2: “Information Searching”
- Podcast 3: “People Searching”
- Podcast 4: “Capturing and Saving Data”
- Podcast 5: Advanced Data Extraction From Mobile Devices
- Podcast 6: Mental Wellness for Law Enforcement
- Podcast 7: Peer-to-Peer Investigations
- Podcast 8: Peer-to-Peer Legal Issues
Internet Service Providers: Legal Contacts & Law Enforcement Guides
Check out our online ISP List, which provides legal contact information for more than 700 Internet Service Providers, for service of subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants.
Use our handy online form to request one or more of these documents, offered by ISPs as a service to law enforcement investigators:
- Amazon LE Guide
- Apple LE Guide
- Barnes and Noble LE Guide
- Bittrex LE Guide
- Blink LE Guide
- Chatstep LE Guide
- Citizen App LE Guide
- Clearing House Interbank Payments System (“CHIPS”)
- Coinbase LE Guide
- Comcast Cable Xfinity LE Guide
- Couchsurfing LE Guide
- CSC Holdings LE Guide
- Discord LE Guide
- Dropbox LE Guide
- Ebay LE Guide
- Experience Project LE Guide
- FitBit LE Guide
- Formspring LE Guide
- Fusion Connect LE Guide
- Green Dot Bank LE Guide
- hi5 Official LE Guide
- Hornet app LE Guide
- IMVU LE guide
- Inteliquent LE Guide
- KIK LE Guide
- Kraken LE Guide
- LCSO Vehicle Manufacture Tracking Sheet
- LinkedIn LE Guide
- LiveMe LE Guide
- MeetMe LE Guide
- Mega.nz LE Guide
- Megapersonals LE Guide
- Microsoft LE Guide
- MocoSpace LE Guide
- myYearbook LE Guide
- Omegle LE Guide
- Onstar LE Guide
- PayPal LE Guide
- Photobucket LE Guide
- Pinger LE Guide
- Remind LE Guide
- Ring LE Guide
- Skout LE Guide
- Skype LE Guide
- Snapchat LE Guide
- Sonic.net LE Guide
- Sony (PlayStation) LE Guide
- Stickam LE Guide
- Tagged LE Guide
- TeenSpot.com LE Guide
- TextNow LE Guide
- Tiktok LE Guide
- TIYA Team Up LE Guide
- TracFone LE Guide
- Triller LE Guide
- Tumblr LE Guide
- Twitter LE Guide
- Uber US LE Guide
- USAA Federal Saving Bank LE Guide
- Verizon LE Guide
- VSCO LE Guide
- Whisper LE Guide
- Wickr LE Guide
- Windstream LE Guide
- Winn Dixie LE Guide
- Wyze Labs LE Guide
- Yaana Technologies LE Guide
- Yahoo! LE Guide
- Yolo App LE Guide
- Yubo LE Guide
- Zelle LE Guide
SEARCH Investigative Toolbar
The SEARCH Investigative Toolbar is an aid for investigators who conduct online, cellular telephone, or wireless network investigations. Once installed, it becomes a readily available desktop resource that contains some of the most frequently used and up-to-date online investigative links for law enforcement.
Note: Users must download the Toolbar Installation Guide, which provides download and installation instructions for the Toolbar itself. We strongly advise all users to follow these instructions carefully.
Cybercrime and Digital Forensics Publications
- Playing in the Windows Sandbox: Leveraging a Powerful Digital Protection Resource – November 2022
- Router Interrogation and Criminal Investigation – November 2022
- Examination of Android OS CSAM Ransomware – April 2020
- Zoom Configuration Resource Guide – April 2020
- Best Practices for Securing a Zoom Meeting – April 2020
- A Guide to Using ExtractFace and Microsoft Excel to Compare Friends from Multiple Facebook Accounts – May 2017
- Interviewing Children in Technology Facilitated Crimes – September 2015
- 2015 State of the States Cyber Crime Consortium Meeting Recap – August 2015
- 2014 State of the States Cyber Crime Consortium Meeting Recap – August 2015
- Imaging a Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet Using a WinFE Thumb Drive – July 2015
- The Internet is Upgrading: What Law Enforcement Needs to Know About the Protocol Transition from IPv4 to IPv6 – May 2015
- Validation Report: Validating the Forensic Write Blocking Capabilities of WinFE – May 2015
- Child Protection System Instructor Update – February 2015
- Authenticating Evidence Found in Cyberspace – January 2015
- U.S. Supreme Court Limits Warrantless Cell Phone Searches – December 2014
- An Investigator’s Guide to Mozilla Firefox – April 2014
- How to Google More Effectively – April 2014
- Cellular Device Data Recovery Preparation Considerations and Troubleshooting – April 2013
- A Law Enforcement Investigator’s Guide to Basic Digital Officer Safety – May 2012
- The SEARCH Social Networking Custom Search Engine – May 2012
- Creating a Cellular Device Investigation Toolkit: Basic Hardware and Software Specifications – October 2009
- Creating a Wireless Network Investigation Toolkit: Basic Hardware and Software Specifications – October 2008
- Seized Handheld Device Worksheets – March 2008
- How to Capture a MySpace Page for Investigative Purposes – January 2008
- A Guide to Online Gaming for Law Enforcement Investigators – October 2007
- How to Effectively Search MySpace.com: A Guide for Investigators – October 2007
- Methods for Capturing Volatile Data – October 2007
- Collecting Evidence from a Running Computer: A Technical and Legal Primer for the Justice Community – August 2006
- Creating a Forensic Computer System: Basic Hardware and Software Specifications – August 2006
- Viewing Email Headers – Revised August 2005
- Setting up an Online Investigative Computer: Hardware, Connectivity and Software Recommendations – June 2004