Researchers at Cusat granted patent for advanced digital evidence fingerprinting system

Researchers at Cochin University of Science and Technology (Cusat) have been granted a patent for an innovative invention designed to enhance the reliability and authenticity of digital evidence used in criminal investigations and digital forensic analysis.

Titled ‘System and Method for Generating Digital Fingerprint of a Digital Evidence’, the patent has been awarded to Vijith T.K. Thekke Koodathil, Senior Research Fellow (UGC-SRF), Cyber Intelligence Research Laboratory, Department of Computer Applications; M.B. Santosh Kumar, Professor and head, Department of Information Technology, School of Engineering; K.V. Pramod, Emeritus Professor, Department of Computer Applications; and Sukrith B., Research Scholar, Cyber Intelligence Research Laboratory, Department of Computer Applications, according to a release.

The system reportedly strengthens conventional digital evidence hashing techniques by integrating multiple security parameters. It generates a unique digital fingerprint using a combination of cryptographic hash values, hardware-based device identifiers, and geo-location data that records the exact location of the fingerprinting process. Built-in write-block technology ensures that the original digital evidence remains unaltered during processing. The system can be operated by law enforcement officials and field investigators directly at crime scenes without requiring advanced technical expertise, it said.