076 - Dark-Web Investigation Techniques

The increasing use of anonymous online environments has created new challenges for
investigators working to identify and investigate online child exploitation. Dark-web
communities and other anonymous digital spaces can make it difficult for investigators to locate
relevant content, identify individuals, establish connections between seemingly separate
activities, and determine the real-world identities of those involved. At the same time,
investigators can use digital information and forensic techniques to uncover investigative leads
and develop evidence.
This thesis will examine the techniques and investigative processes used to identify
threats to children within dark-web environments and support investigations of online child
exploitation. In particular, the research will explore how investigators discover relevant
communities and content, use open-source intelligence to gather information, analyze digital
footprints, identify patterns and connections between individuals or activities, and address
challenges associated with attribution. The research will also examine the preservation of digital
evidence and the limitations that anonymity, encryption, fragmented online activity, and other
characteristics of dark-web environments can create for investigators.
Through an examination of publicly available research, documented investigations, and
existing digital forensic practices, this project will explore the intersection of information
systems, cybersecurity, digital forensics, and criminal investigation. The goal is to better
understand how investigators transform fragmented information from anonymous online
environments into investigative leads and usable digital evidence, as well as the technological
and investigative limitations they encounter in the process