Computer forensic analysis of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)

Abstract

Introduction. The present research arises from the need-to-know what information an unmanned vehicle (drone) can store, since, many times they are used as a means of entertainment, to do competitions and stunts, but fundamentally, they are used to spy on people or organizations with the aim of exposing sensitive data that may affect them. Objective. Perform a forensic analysis for the management of information related to unmanned vehicles in the tracking of activities. Methodology. In this research, an experimental method was used from a descriptive-explanatory investigation. In this way, forensic information on unmanned vehicles is obtained for proactive decision making. Results. Recorded media files could be located. Photos and videos were exported for further analysis. EXIF (Exchangeable Image File) data is information embedded within JPEG images. The EXIF ​​data obtained were: Date, Timestamp, File Source, GPS, Altitude, Altitude Reference, Latitude, Longitude. This information will help determine where and when the photos were taken. Conclution. The applied methodology is very useful as long as the drone has a removable storage memory, in addition, the application of this methodology can be complemented by having access to radio control devices, whether they are wireless controls, smart devices or computers, since in these devices logs are also stored, applying specific methodologies according to the device obtained.