Video Game Device Forensics

Link to paper.

Paper by Alex Barnett.

This paper is a broad overview of the last two generations of home consoles and the current generation of handheld consoles.  The paper focuses on the potential uses of video game devices to commit or assist in illegal activities, and argues that they should be treated no differently than normal computers in the context of an investigation.  It goes on to highlight the lack of research, methodologies, and tools available for analysis of these devices.

Written for CIT581V: Special topics in Cyber Forensics at Purdue University.

Link to publication.
Paper by Halvar Myrmo.

This paper researches the following questions:

1. Does the installation of a new game console in the home open for new vulnerabilities that we are not aware of?
2. Are there more potential vulnerabilities in a console that has been modified, than in an unmodified console?
3. Do we need to take special precautions when connecting a new game console to the home network?
4. Does users of game and virtual worlds consider their privacy protection in the same way they do when using other services on the Internet?

It also provides a broad overview of consoles from the current and previous generation as well as a summary of their components and technical capabilities.  The paper also details several experiments involving the game consoles and several common network security tools (Nmap, Nessus, Metasploit, and others).

Overall, this paper is an excellent primer for those unfamiliar with the capabilities of modern video game devices, and may also be of interest to those seeking a more technical understanding of these devices.