- [Narrator] Embedded devices are everywhere.
They help provide us with healthcare,
monitor the security of our homes.
Assist us in driving our vehicles and participate
in many of the other tasks of daily living.
In these roles, embedded devices collect
large amounts of information
that may be valuable in forensic investigations.
Embedded devices are special-purpose computer systems
found inside of many of the objects
that we use in daily life,
as well as in industrial settings.
They contain both hardware and software
that help that device function.
In many cases, they connect to a cloud service
that provides data storage and added functionality.
Cars are a great example of embedded devices in action.
Modern cars contain dozens
or even hundreds of embedded systems.
Each designed to perform a unique purpose.
Some of these embedded systems are simple.
Perhaps, regulating the vehicle's climate control system.
Others are more sophisticated,
powering the car's GPS navigation.
These embedded systems contain a wealth of information
that may be valuable in a forensic investigation.
Investigators analyzing the GPS unit, for example,
could determine where a car
was located over a period of time.
Ruling the driver in or out as a suspect
in an investigation.
There are also many embedded devices in our homes.
We use security monitoring systems
that contain computing devices.
Our thermostats may be smart devices
powered by cloud services and even our lights
may be controlled by smart apps.
Each of these devices may collect information
that's useful in a forensic investigation.
They can tell us who is present in a building
and where they went.
Even a thermostat can provide valuable information
to investigators about the temperature
in the room over time.
Helping to determine an accurate time of death
for an individual found dead in the monitored area.
Smart home assistants such as Amazon's Alexa
and Google's Home also collect information
about us and send it off to the cloud.
These devices contain microphones
capable of recording activity in an area
and then sending it to a cloud service
for speech recognition.
In this murder investigation in Bentonville, Arkansas,
investigators noticed an Amazon Echo device
in the suspect's home and sent a subpoena to Amazon
requesting any recordings from that device
that may contain background sounds
relevant to the crime.
They also said they would conduct
a forensic analysis of the device itself
to see if it had any recordings on the device
that might be relevant to the investigation.
We're beginning to see the use
of embedded devices as forensic evidence.
And this trend is likely to continue
in the future as these devices are found in more locations.