ComputerForensicsDigest.com

In a press release issued yesterday, LTU technologies and AccessData announced that they will be forming a joint partnership aimed at enhancing the image detection capabilities of AccessData's computer forensic software, Forensic Toolkit (better known by its abbreviation, FTK).

In the typical child pornography investigation, investigators use forensic software to locate potential contraband images and calculate a hash value for each image. Those hash values are then compared to a database of known child pornography images at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). While often effective, the process suffers from one signficant drawback: if even a single pixel in an image has been altered, the hash value will not match that of a child pornography image that is virtually identical.

On its Web site, LTU technologies says that it has developed a different method, one that focuses on the visual depiction in an image instead of the hash value. By analyzing millions of image files, the company says, it has developed a process for identifying the "DNA" of a given image, which can then be used to quickly locate similar images. The same process also allows the company to quickly locate files with a particular percentage of skin tones, which can speed up the inspection of a large number of images.

Tim Leehealey, CEO for AccessData, says that the partnership with LTU technologies will enhance the capabilities of FTK. "LTU technologies is a pioneer in the image recognition space. Their proven capabilities and vast experience with law enforcement made partnering with LTU technologies an obvious choice for us."