Book excerpt: Follow the trail. Catch the perp. From one of the world's foremost investigators of computer viruses comes this comprehensive tutorial on solving cyber crimes and bringing perpetrators to justice. Author Robert M. Slade's "Software Forensics" provides expert instruction in tracking and identifying cybercriminals. A professional security consultant to Fortune 500 companies since 1987, Rob Slade teaches you the tools and methods he uses to find the invisible "DNA" on malicious computer code. The Only Comprehensive Technical Reference on the Tools and Tactics of Cybercrime Investigation and Prosecution There is no better or faster way for programmers, security analysts and consultants, security officers in the enterprise, application developers, lawyers, judges, and anyone else interested in solving cyber crime to get up to speed on forensic programming tools and methods and the nature of cyber evidence. Robert M. Slade's one-of-a-kind "Software Forensics" shows you how to -- * Learn the technical tools available for identifying and tracking virus creators and other programming miscreants * Master the techniques and tactics of cyber crime investigation and prosecution * Analyze source code, machine code, and text strings to track and identify cyber criminals * Overcome attempts to misdirect investigations into cyber evidence * Examine eye-opening case studies from real criminal investigations * Understand enough of the rules of evidence and relevant legal intricacies to make your findings admissible in court * Learn about the hacker, cracker, and phreak communities