A Forensic Log File Extraction Tool for ICQ Instant Messaging Clients

Authors

Kim Morfitt, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
Craig Valli, Edith Cowan University, Western AustraliaFollow

Prior Publisher

The Association of Digital Forensics, Security and Law (ADFSL)

Abstract

Instant messenger programs such as ICQ are often used by hackers and criminals for illicit purposes and consequently the log files from such programs are of interest in a forensic investigation. This paper outlines research that has resulted in the development of a tool for the extraction of ICQ log file entries. Detailed reconstruction of data from log files was achieved with a number of different ICQ software. There are several limitations with the current design including timestamp information not adjusted for the time zone, data could be altered, and conversations must be manually reconstructed. Future research will aim to address these and other limitations as pointed out in this paper.

References

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Recommended Citation

Morfitt, Kim and Valli, Craig (2006) "A Forensic Log File Extraction Tool for ICQ Instant Messaging Clients," Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law: Vol. 1 , Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15394/jdfsl.2006.1010
Available at: https://commons.erau.edu/jdfsl/vol1/iss3/4